In March this year, Brisbane will have a real choice when they cast their vote in the Council election. When you vote for the next Lord Mayor and Council of this great city, there are only two options – more of the same neglect and self-interest from Adrian Schrinner and the LNP, or a fresh new vision for Brisbane, putting people first.
For the last twenty years, City Hall has been controlled by the LNP and it’s never been clearer that they have now lost their way.
Since announcing my candidacy for Lord Mayor, I have been all over Brisbane listening to the community, their needs and aspirations for Brisbane. They love where they live but feel like they aren’t seeing real value for money from the LNP Administration.
They tell me they feel like the Lord Mayor is too focussed on the inner city and has neglected the suburbs.
They tell me that when they do reach out to their local Councillor for assistance, they are told there’s nothing that can be done, or disappointingly, that it’s someone else’s responsibility.
People are worried about Brisbane becoming a less liveable city in the future with housing out of reach, crippling congestion and neglected suburbs.
That attitude comes from years and years of arrogance and a lazy approach to representing the community by the LNP. It comes from a place of complacency and my team of fantastic candidates, and I think enough is enough.
In February 2022, when Brisbane was struck with devastating floods, I needed help from my local Councillor when my small sewing shop on the northside was inundated.
For me and the other shop owners and businesses in the strip, we just needed someone to listen. How would we get back on our feet? Who could we turn to? The processes were overwhelming, and the support was not there.
When the immediate response we received was almost non-existent, I realised that there needed to be a change in how this city is run.
It’s my ambition that every suburb in this city has every opportunity to thrive and succeed. Each unique and beautiful community deserves a voice and for it to be heard.
This election must be about the people.
It must be about harnessing the opportunities that will come in just a few short years as an Olympic and Paralympic Games host city.
It must be about real and genuine action to address the housing crisis or the skyrocketing cost of living.
It must be about ensuring access to reliable and safe public transport that allows people to get out of their cars and get around their neighbourhoods without fear of injury, or worse death.
I also believe it must be about getting back to the basics and doing the work of Council at an exceptional standard – fixing footpaths and potholes, planting trees and cutting grass, maintaining drainage infrastructure and tackling climate change.
Ratepayers shouldn’t have to put up with broken playgrounds, overgrown parks, dangerous footpaths, blocked drains and a continuous barrage of political advertising which is exactly what they’re getting from the LNP.
If I am doing a good enough job leading this city, there should be no need for glossy brochures with my picture on them to be distributed to every household.
If I am doing a good enough job with a strong team of Labor Councillors, residents should feel like they can ask for help or information and know they’ll get it.
When an administration runs out of steam, they start focussing on themselves. Instead of delivering the services residents deserve, it becomes about self-preservation.
I am confident that the team of local and community minded candidates running in this election for Labor understand that they should be their community’s voice in City Hall, not the other way around.
My focus as the next Lord Mayor of Brisbane will be the people. The suburbs. The infrastructure. The basic service delivery that is the Council’s core business.
Brisbane deserves better than another four years of a tired and out of touch LNP Administration with the wrong priorities.
I am incredible proud of the alternative plan Brisbane Labor is taking to the voters in March, and I will be working tirelessly each and every day to make Brisbane an even more amazing place to live and work.
To find out more about Tracey Price, you can visit https://www.traceyforbrisbane.com.au/
