Brisbane City Council will not increase the budget for herbicide used for weed management, Council documents reveal.
In Tuesday’s Council meeting, the Brisbane Labor Opposition in Council slammed the LNP administration for failing to increase the herbicide budget despite long standing weeds that have taken over several parks and green spaces across Brisbane.
Speaking on the contract, Brisbane Labor leader Jared Cassidy noted:
“There is no anticipated change in the CKC spraying program or other herbicide application services and as such the anticipated expenditure remains $3.37 million per annum with increases in line with the Consumer Price Index and Wage Price Index.”
“Weed maintenance for Cabbage Tree Creek over the past ten years has been static…It is no wonder Council officers and contractors can’t get on top of this work when it’s being starved of funding by the LNP.”
Cassidy also spoke on exotic weed species growing into Dowse Lagoon, a RAMSAR protected site. Council had signed an international treaty agreeing to maintain the site, but Council officers claim they can’t manage it with current levels of funding.
The LNP Council doubled down, claiming that trying to manage weeds in the outer suburbs was “impossible”.
Defending their position, LNP Councillor Tracy Davis pointed to the “Wipe Out Weeds” program launched in 2003, which has since evolved to having a “strategic approach”.
However, Brisbane Labor Councillor for Moorooka Ward Steve Griffiths had earlier displayed a photo of weeds covering a “Wipe out Weeds” promotional sign.
“The Wipe Out Weeds sign is covered in weeds. That says it all to residents.”
