Request for Capital Budget Transparency

Principal Petitioner: John Crommelin

Closing Date: 4:30pm, 7 May 2024

At 10 signatures, this petition will be considered properly made.

Petition Request:

We, the undersigned, request that, commencing with its 2024/25 Budget, Council include in its published annual budgets detailed information about planned capital expenditure. We request that the following information be included in the Council’s published Annual Budget documents: a. Description of each discrete capital works project (e.g. upgrade to William Ross Park playground) or capital program (e.g. acquisition of motor vehicles); and b. Amount of anticipated capital expenditure on each project or program for each financial year over the ten-year forecast period; and c. Election division(s) which will benefit from each project or program, unless the whole of Redland City will benefit. Other southeast Queensland local councils (including Sunshine Coast, Noosa, Ipswich and Scenic Rim) provide detailed capital expenditure information in their annual budgets.

Petition Response:

Thank you for your petition requesting a report on the yearly expenditure related to the Toondah Harbour Priority Development Area (PDA) since 1 July 2012. 

The Toondah Harbour PDA provides an opportunity to revitalise the harbour precinct and aging marine infrastructure in a unique environmental area steeped in cultural history with the Quandamooka peoples and some of the first settlers into Queensland, connecting locally to Cleveland, Cleveland Point, Raby Bay, and the broader Moreton Bay Islands. 

The PDA involves multiple activities that are not reduced into a single area or expenditure report that have involved over the past 12 years separate but related activities namely the PDA Declaration, PDA Development Scheme, PDA Development Agreement, PDA Infrastructure Agreement, PDA Community Engagement which are in addition to daily operational and regulatory activities within and connected to the PDA area where expenditure at high levels form part of the Council monthly published financial reports. 

The Council and the Queensland Government has also published various reports, information and FAQs involving the Toondah Harbour PDA area and related Development Decisions noting some of that information is generally described or confidential under a multiparty Development Agreement with the Queensland Government. 

 Thank you again for your interest and please don't hesitate to refer to the published information or enquire further using the Right to Information Act 2009 process.