By Leader of the Council Opposition, Jared Cassidy.
The Story Bridge is more than a road – it’s an icon of our city steeped in history, and a vital link for thousands of residents, workers and visitors every day. Any leader worth their salt would be on the front foot in keeping the bridge strong. Adrian Schrinner has failed to do so.
The LNP have held power in Brisbane City for 21 years now, and Brisbane’s current Lord Mayor has been in Council for 20 of those years. And as a Councillor and Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner has been in charge of maintaining the Story Bridge, or more to the point has failed to do so, more than anyone else.
Now, the people of Brisbane will pay the price. By the Lord Mayor’s own admission, residents and ratepayers are staring down the barrel of a new toll, or a new levy included in your rates.
Adrian Schrinner received a report in 2016, saying the bridge was an “at-risk” structure. Then in 2019, he received a report which warned him that the footpaths on the Story Bridge needed to be replaced within one year to avoid a “catastrophic risk” to the people of Brisbane. In 2024, there were reports about the structure which said concrete was falling from the Story Bridge.
Along this journey we were fed a line that the project was in hand and that work was progressing on an ambitious restoration that had a new budget of $128million as of 2022.
Now in 2025, we see the true extent of the neglect. The last 9 years of maintenance and then restoration have been a farce. Where has all the money gone? This appears to be one of the biggest cover-ups this city has ever seen.
The Lord Mayor has had all the information at his fingertips, and he kept all that secret. The Story Bridge has been neglected to the point of disrepair by the LNP Council here in Brisbane and now we will have to pay a mighty price for that.
State Treasurer David Janetzki confirmed on ABC radio last week that his government has not received any formal submissions for help, despite the Lord Mayor’s statements. Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie has said he believes it’s a Council problem. This is a real worry given Council’s dire financial position.
We owe it to our community, to our history, and to future generations to protect and preserve this iconic asset, but Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner shouldn’t be allowed near it again.
