New park locations revealed as Cup delays council

It may no longer stop the nation, but the Melbourne Cup did slightly delay Brisbane City Council on Tuesday.

The first meeting in more than a month started 90 minutes later than usual to allow representatives and staff to watch the famous horse race.

The decision had decades of precedent under both major parties, but attracted pushback from at least one councillor who saw it as inappropriate.

“We know there’s a big movement saying ‘Nup to the Cup’, but, not only that, it just shows us the priorities of the LNP,” Greens representative for the Gabba ward, Trina Massey, told this masthead.

“We’re talking about very big decisions that the council is going to make today … and instead of getting on with the job, we’re waiting for LNP councillors to arrive at chambers because of a cup that doesn’t even happen in Queensland.”

A spokesperson for Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said council meetings had always been pushed back on Cup Day.

When it did get underway, construction plans for two new public parks in Pallara and Ellen Grove, two suburbs on Brisbane’s south-west fringe, were confirmed.

Located between Van Dieren Road and Devries Road, Pallara District Sports Park will have lit fields, a clubhouse, change rooms, parking and a bus stop.

Ellen Grove District Park is set to be a more comprehensive facility, with eight tennis courts, a new playground, picnic shelters and tables, and a clubhouse. Volleyball courts may also be considered.

Construction of the former will begin in the 2026/27 financial year, while work on the latter is expected to start in the 12 months after that.

“These precincts are very exciting,” environment, parks and sustainability chair Tracy Davis said.

“This is about giving families and local clubs the spaces they need to stay active, and also to build the community.”

Following news last week that councils would be forced to pay for real-time weather data previously freely available from the Bureau of Meteorology, council moved a motion calling for the federal body to continue its existing service or provide a suitable replacement.

Under the current proposal to phase out software called Enviromon – which provides rain and river level data in real time – Brisbane ratepayers could be forced to fork out hundreds of thousands of dollars for a new “lifesaving” information system.

“All we’re asking for is that there remains a single point of truth provided by the BOM which local governments can use,” deputy mayor Fiona Cunningham said.

“I hope this motion today sends a clear message … their shiny new $84 million website is the wrong priority.”

The opposition and independent Nicole Johnston backed the motion, but questioned its likely effectiveness and the motive behind bringing it on short notice.

“As far as accusations of failures that put lives at risk, it takes one to know one,” Labor leader Jared Cassidy said.

“Instead of cooking up a motion and an email, they should cut back on their jet-setting lifestyle and start investing in what really matters.”

Johnston added: “The reason we’re having this debate today is that they feel guilty, and want to shift the blame to another level of government for their own failures and inaction when it comes to disaster management in this city.”

The Lord Mayor copped heckling throughout the afternoon over a trip with several colleagues last week to Dubai for the Asia Pacific Cities Summit, but Schrinner said it came at no cost to ratepayers and presented multiple opportunities to attract new investment to the city.

“We had a fantastic outcome,” he told the chamber.

“It was exciting to see the level of interest in global cooperation, in opportunities for Brisbane business, but also … in investing in Brisbane as well.”

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