With over 870,000 residents, an area of 1,367 square kilometres and some 7,000 FTE staff, in population terms Brisbane City Council is almost three times the size of the next largest Australian Local Government. As distinct from the largely CBD based Capital Cities in the other States, Brisbane manages an extensive urban area comprising some 200 distinct neighbourhoods or villages.
With a directly elected Lord Mayor, who, in terms of voters, has one of the largest electorates anywhere in the world, and its civic cabinet style of governance, Brisbane City Council has a reputation for strong leadership.
Its new vision, Living in Brisbane 2010, is currently at the consultation stage and will be finalised later this year. This will set the course for delivering a number of programs on a City wide basis built around the following key themes.
- Inclusive Communities
- Smart City
- Prosperous City
- Creative City
- Clean and Green City
- Accessible City
- A Regional and World City.
ourbrisbane.com, the networked village program, will further enhance the strengths and diversity of local communities.
In addition, there are various avenues for residents and ratepayers to be heard. These include Community Cabinet Meetings; the groundbreaking ‘Your City Your Say’, involving a panel of some 6,500 community members; and for giving youth a voice, Visible Ink.
As well as the strong policy direction for the City, on an organisational front there is a concerted business focus ensuring quality services are delivered at optimum price. Having an annual budget of over $1.2 billion, coupled with Council’s ownership and control of major ventures such as Brisbane Water, Brisbane Transport, its plant and equipment managed as City Fleet, and City Businesses including City Parking, City Design, cemeteries and the like, Brisbane City Council is a formidable public sector entity.
