The fifth Annual General Meeting of SEQ Community Alliance Assoc. Inc will be held on Tuesday 25th November 2025
Time: 9:30am
Venue: Block S07, Rm 2.16-2.18, Graduate Centre, Griffith University, South Bank campus, Grey Street. Access a campus map here.
AGENDA
The business to be conducted at the Annual General Meeting is as follows: –
1. Opening of Meeting, Acknowledgement of Country
2. Attendance, Apologies and Proxies
3. Confirmation of Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Association held on 19 November 2024.
4. Chair’s Report
5. Treasurer’s Report
6. General Business
Representatives from our Member Groups are cordially invited to attend the AGM. If you are unable to attend, please nominate a proxy by completing the attached Proxy Form and return to: secretary@seqalliance.org
The AGM will run from 9.30am to approximately 9.45-10.15. There will be a short break, followed by SEQCA’s community event Morning in Conversation with speakers on housing issues in SEQ. from 10.30-12.30 pm. Thereafter attendees can join some of us for an informal lunch at Southbank Siam at their own cost.
We commend the Government for producing the Destination 2045 discussion paper and welcome the Government’s comments about the importance of ecotourism and sustainability.
Investment Attraction
The Government has at its disposal many ways and means of attracting investment to meet the needs and desires of tourists, including: financial assistance, facilitation, provision of information.
If there are opportunities to improve the way that tourism related investments are regulated then these should be attended to. However, SEQCA would not support any blanket exemptions from normal regulatory requirements or ‘special deals’ for tourism.
The Star Casino debacle illustrates what can go wrong when special deals are done in the name of increasing tourism and economic development.
If the Government is minded to do special deals, then these should be subject to full transparency including details of any agreements which are entered into. To ensure that this transparency happens, the Government should amend Queensland’s Right to Information laws to end the ridiculous exemption which applies in the event that an agreement is negotiated with a blanket confidentiality clause.
Queensland’s attractions
The discussion paper notes correctly that Queensland has five world heritage areas. But additionally, Queensland has five Ramsar listed wetlands of international importance being:
Moreton Bay
Great Sandy Strait
Bowling Green Bay
Currawinya Lakes
Shoalwater and Corio Bays Area.
These wetlands should be embraced as part of Queensland’s portfolio of tourist attractions.
Think local
To enrich Queensland’s tourism offerings, careful thought should be given to encouraging local governments to develop strategies which support Destination 2045. Such strategies should consider for each local government area its attractions, accommodations, special events and supporting infrastructure. Given that local councils are typically short of funding, the Government could implement a competitive grants program to support well-researched projects which enhance a local government area’s tourism offerings.
Vehicle electrification
To support and encourage visitor use of electric vehicles, the Government should pay careful attention to supplying better charging infrastructure for electric vehicles across all of Queensland’s Great Drives including adequate level 3 chargers dispersed approximately 150 km along each of these routes.
Ecotourism and conservation
The discussion paper notes the importance of ecotourism and nature-based tourism.
SEQCA supports the ongoing investigation for growing nature-based tourism provided that it is done in a way that improves the environment in subject places.
SEQCA suggests that the Government clarify that national parks and places of similar conservation status are absolutely off limits for privatisation through development of hotels, resorts, lodges and similar facilities. Such investments can be made in areas adjacent to national parks.
The Government should review its management of national parks and prepare a strategy for each area which clearly explains why it is an important part of the conservation estate and how it will be managed including allocation of human and financial resources for improving facilities and managing each park.
These park strategies should include an assessment of the number of visitors that can be allowed without negatively impacting on a park’s conservation values. An overall goal should be to encourage a dispersal of visitation across various natural areas rather than having over-visitation to a few high-profile areas.
Accommodation
Over the past few decades there have been significant changes in how people are accommodated while being tourists. Currently, much use is made of airbnb style offerings booked on-line. This has the potential to impact adversely on local communities if not well managed. Noosa Shire Council appears to be leading the way in recognizing this issue and taking steps to regulate it.
SEQCA suggests that the Government ensures that local councils can continue to protect residential amenity in areas zoned low density residential through appropriate regulation of short-term stay use of dwellings in such areas.
Climate change
Queensland’s attractiveness to tourists is being affected by climate change. Impacts include:
Coral bleaching which diminishes the attractiveness of the Great Barrier Reef
Increasingly severe cyclones and wet weather events affecting North Queensland
Increasing risks of major bushfires
Sea level rise which is impacting on natural and man-made assets along our coastline
Increasing ambient temperatures which makes summer in Queensland increasingly uncomfortable.
To reduce the risks of Queensland’s tourism economy being adversely affected by climate change, Queensland should have a coherent State Government strategy advocating for and contributing to global reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
The Brisbane 2032 Games will be a key opportunity for Queensland to demonstrate that it is doing everything possible to stage a climate-positive games. This should include avoidance of unnecessary construction of new stadiums which have a large amount of embedded carbon and maximizing the use of renewable energy to meet the electricity requirements of Games facilities.
When the Government’s plan for new venues and associated infrastructure has been settled, detailed figures should be made publicly available which explain the climate change impacts of each venue or other facility.This should include: construction of venues / facilities for the Games, use during the Games, and use for the asset lifetime.
Air Travel
Any plans for increasing tourism visitation through air travel should recognize that this will have two adverse impacts:
Flight Path Noise
Since the introduction of the second runway at Brisbane Airport communities in and around Brisbane have become actively engaged in a campaign objecting to flight path noise. Announcements that airlines are increasing the number of flights using Brisbane airport are viewed by many long-suffering residents as an expectation that they will experience more distressing noise. Any efforts by the State Government to increase air traffic into Brisbane should have regard to ways and means of dealing with the flight noise impacts.
Greenhouse Gas Emission
While air travel is based on the use of liquid fossil fuels it will contribute to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The global airline industry has set a target of reaching zero emissions by 2050 but this is dependent on a combination of things happening including sustainably produced fuel, new technology and offsets. The Destination 2045 discussion paper acknowledges the airline industry’s aspirations to become more sustainable but the State Government should consider, in conjunction with other Australian governments, ways and means of encouraging genuine GHG reductions associated with air travel to and within Australia.
Next steps
The final version of the Destination 2045 Queensland’s Tourism Future strategy should be followed by a detailed action plan for the next five years spelling out who is to do what by when. This plan should be supported with appropriate performance management and reporting systems. All of these documents should be made publicly available.
About SEQCA
The Southeast Queensland Community Alliance (SEQCA) is a not-for-profit umbrella organisation formed by planning and environmental advocacy groups based across SEQ. SEQCA campaigns to protect and improve the liveability of SEQ communities; to promote sustainable, resilient and nature positive development and to ensure greater transparency and accountability in all planning and development related matters.Further information about SEQCA is available at https://seqalliance.org/
Chris Walker
President
South East Queensland Community Association (SEQCA)
The Annual General Meeting of SEQ Community Alliance Association Inc. (SEQCA) will be held on Tuesday 19 November 2024
Time: 9:30 am
Venue: Room 2.16-2.18 in Block SO7 at Griffith University, Southbank campus.
AGENDA
The business to be conducted at the Meeting is as follows: –
1. Opening of Meeting
2. Attendance, Apologies and Proxies
3. Confirmation of Minutes of the previous AGM held on 22 November 2023
4. President’s Report
5. Treasurer’s Report
6. Election of Committee
7. Other Business
Representatives from our Member Groups are cordially invited to attend the AGM. If you are unable to attend, please nominate a proxy by completing the attached Proxy Form and return to:
Ten questions for parties contesting the 2024 State Elections on 26 October have been raised by the South East Queensland Community Alliance (SEQCA).
These questions were sent by the SEQCA on 23 September to the four politcial parties which currently have seats in the Queensland Parliament:
The Labor Party
The LNP
Katter’s Australia Party
The Greens.
We received a reply from the Greens on 4 October 2024 and a reply from the LNP on 11 October 2024. Both of these replies are published below.
But first, here are the SEQCA’s ten questions for political parties contesting the 2024 State Elections:
SEQCA Questions – 2024 State Elections
1. Population Growth
What rate of population growth do you believe is appropriate for South east Queensland (SEQ) and what is your strategy / plan / for achieving and managing this rate of population growth?
2. Planning and Development Approval
What are your intentions for changing Queensland’s planning laws, regulations and policies?
3. SEQ Regional Plan
What are your intentions for the SEQ regional plan?, In particular what changes will you make to the SEQ urban footprint, and allowable density of property development in the urban footprint?
4. Housing in SEQ
What are your strategy /plans / targets for delivering social and affordable housing across SEQ?
5. Infrastructure
What is your plan for addressing major infrastructure shortfalls in SEQ over the next ten years, including transport, parks, water supply, electricity supply, medical services, and education?
6. Climate Change Resilience
What are your plans for protecting SEQ residents from increasing risks of harm caused by climate change related events such as floods, storms, storm surges, bushfires, and excessive heat?
7. Environment
What are your plans for the conservation / restoration of SEQ’s biodiversity, including threatened species such as koalas?
Also, what are your intentions for expansion / management / commercial exploitation of national parks and other state government protected areas?
8. Integrity
What plans do you have for any changes to Queensland laws governing the reporting of political donations, and the prohibition of political donations from property developers, and other sectors that benefit inordinately from government decisions?
What changes will you make to local government integrity measures including laws and regulations about avoidance / management of conflicts of interest and processes for dealing with misconduct by local councillors and mayors?
9. Public Private Partnerships
What will your government do to ensure that public private partnerships are made more transparent (and discoverable through Right to Information) so that communities can see if the public interest is being well served?
10 2032 Olympics
What legacies for the community do you plan to get out of the 2032 Olympics, and how do you propose to ensure that such legacies are delivered?
Thank you for raising SEQ Community Alliance’s policy priorities with the LNP ahead of the 2024 state election.
Queenslanders will be asking themselves at this election whether their lives are better or worse after almost a decade under Labor and who has the right priorities for Queensland’s future.
With respect to the issues you have raised, I can advise the following:
Population growth
South East Queensland is a great place to live and people will continue to be drawn to the region for lifestyle and employment reasons. We can’t stop people from moving here but we can ensure that we plan appropriately and have the necessary housing and infrastructure to support the growth.
Planning and Development Approval
Queenslanders have told us that dealing with the housing crisis needs to the focus for the next government. The LNP’s Securing our Housing Foundations plan consists of six key policy areas:
Big Boost into Home Ownership
Abolish stamp duty for all new homes, for first home buyers.
Raise the Stamp Duty concession threshold in full for existing homes, up to $700,000 and partially up to $800,000, for first home buyers.
Boost to Buy with a new shared equity home ownership program designed to close the deposit gap for buyers without access to the bank of mum and dad.
Unlock the Homes for Queensland’s Future with a plan for one million extra houses homes by 2044, new Regional Plans for every corner of Queensland and fast-tracked approvals.
Open the Door to housing by removing restrictions preventing first home buyer grant recipients from renting-out rooms and opening-up rental supply.
Homes with Purpose, with 10,000 new social and community homes on church and charity-owned land, unleashing the community housing sector and clear targets to ramp-up social housing.
Breaking Down the Barriers to Building, by fast-tracking development approvals and building new homes quicker, safeguarding the materials and tradies needed to build the homes for Queensland’s future.
As part of our plan to get people into homes quicker, the LNP will establish a Cabinet Housing Ministerial Taskforce will hold Minister and Directors-General account for the delivery of one million new homes.
SEQ Regional Plan
Under the LNP’s, new regional plans will be developed (with matched infrastructure plans) to map out the delivery of one million more homes by 2044.
Housing in SEQ
The LNP will deliver 53,500 more social and community homes in Queensland by 2044. This will be achieved by unleashing the community housing sector and unlocking unused church and charity owned land.
Infrastructure
Please refer to the details provided above.
Climate Change Resilience
The LNP will deliver disaster resilient infrastructure to mitigate against the impact of disasters and drive down insurance costs.
Environment
The LNP has a plan to protect our natural environment for generations to come. The LNP will:
Boost national parks care with additional pest and weed management, and fuel load reduction. This includes a commitment of $56 million toward 150 new rangers for our parks.
Reduce litter across our natural environment and a boost to recycling rates.
Support farmers to be environmental stewards of their land and boost our private protected land estate.
Reduce emissions and reach Net Zero by 2050 by working with industry sectors to develop achievable and practical plans.
Boost protection for endangered species with wildlife care.
Integrity and Transparency
The LNP is committed to delivering a government Queenslanders can be proud of and that’s why an LNP government will have a Minister for Integrity.
Public Private Partnerships
The LNP is committed to and open and accountable government. Unlike Labor who will not disclose the real costs for PPP projects such as Cross River Rail.
2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games
When the SEQ Council of Mayors proposed bidding for the 2032 Games, it was to be the catalyst for the delivery of necessary infrastructure to cater for the next 20 years of population growth. Its over 1,100 days after we were awarded the Games and we’re still only talking about stadiums.
To end the chaos the LNP will undertake a 100 day review of Games infrastructure to chart a plan for the rollout of venues as well as important infrastructure including roads and public transport.
In conclusion, after a decade of Labor, Queensland is heading in the wrong direction on the key issues of Youth Crime, Health, Cost of living and Housing.
Our State needs a Fresh Start and the LNP has The Right Plan for Queensland’s Future, which includes:
Safety where you live – through stronger laws like Adult Crime, Adult Time and gold standard early intervention
Health services when you need them – by axing Labor’s Patients’ Tax, a tax which doctors have said will end bulk billing and make GP visits more expensive
Respect for your money – by stopping Labor’s expensive budget blowouts which are pushing up costs for families
A place to call home – by abolishing stamp duty on new builds for first home buyers
A government that works for you – to address challenges for the long term, not band-aid solutions at election time
See more of our plan and keep up to date on recent announcements at rightplanqld.com.au.
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to SEQ Community Alliance’s priorities and we look forward to future engagement about these matters.
Yours sincerely
Ben Riley
State Director
Any more before the 2024 State Elections?
If we receive any more replies to our questions for the 2024 State Elections, we will include them in an update to this story.
Can we compare local council rates and charges across southeast Queensland?
Yes, we can, and we should do this to hold local councils accountable to their communities.
Across southeast Queensland the rates and charges (including water) paid by a typical homeowner can exceed $4,000 per year making this a hefty chunk of each household budget.
With local government elections on 16 March, voters can now assess which local council areas are the most expensive to live in – and which councils offer “more for less”.
The chart below shows our assessment of what typical homeowners are currently paying in rates and charges (including water) in 11 southeast Queensland local government areas.
Homeowners are hit with a complex bundle of rates and charges including general rates, various council charges, charges for water and sewerage and some charges which are set by the State Government but levied by local councils.
To get as close as possible to an apples-with-apples comparison of what homeowners pay in local government rates and charges (including water and sewerage) there’s a lot of detail to be considered.
General rates
Local councils impose general rates on property owners based on land values which are determined and published by the State Government’s Valuer-General.
The Valuer-General publishes median values for all residential land in each local government area. The median value is the value that sits in the middle of a range with as many properties valued above it as below it. Median values are used in property market analysis (instead of average values) because median values are not distorted by a small number of very high value properties.
Our comparison of the rates and charges in each local government area uses the respective median residential land values across each local government area as the starting point for comparing general rates. This a property value that is reasonably typical and middling for each local government area.
The valuer general does not update property values in each local government area every year. In 2024 the local councils to get new property values will be: Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Redland, Somerset and Sunshine Coast. Reports by the Valuer General are published on the State Government website.
An alternative approach to comparing median values would be to use the minimum general rates imposed by each local council. But this would be biased to the lower end of the property market in each local government area. And some Councils impose their minimum general rate on a greater proportion of properties than other councils.
To smooth out the effects of large changes in official land values, some local councils levy general rates on the average of land values over multiple years. We use these averaging multipliers if they apply.
Because we are primarily interested in what homeowners have to pay, we select the rate category for property owners who live at their property. Many local councils charge a different general rate for properties that are not occupied by the owner(s).
Other Council charges
As well as general rates local councils invariably impose additional charges or levies on ratepayers.
Typically these other council charges are described as being for purposes such as environmental management, heritage protection or community services. The ratio of other charges to general rates varies from council to council. Logan City and Scenic Rim have the highest reliance on other council charges.
Waste management – bins and dumps
Collection of general waste weekly in a red-topped wheelie bin and waste for recycling fortnightly in a yellow-topped wheelie bin is a standard level of service across southeast Queensland. For the purpose of comparison, we standardize on use of a 240-litre general waste bin and a 240-litre recycling bin (yellow lid) in each local government area.
Alternative bin sizes at different price points may be available from some local councils.
Some local councils also offer the option of collecting green and organic waste in a third green-topped bin. Because this is not yet available in all parts of southeast Queensland and is optional in most local government areas, we have not included green bin charges in our comparison for now.
Some local councils also provide their residents with free access to a local tip, dump or waste and recycling centre. Sometimes this is done by issue of vouchers that entitle local residents a certain number of waste disposal visits.
Water services and sewerage
Some local councils (Redland, Logan and Gold Coast) provide water supply and waste water services. The other councils have water services provided by a utility company which they jointly control together with other councils:
UnityWater is owned jointly by Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Noosa Councils;
Queensland Urban Utilities is owned jointly by Brisbane, Ipswich, Scenic Rim, Somerset and Lockyer councils.
Some water service charges are imposed on a flat rate per day basis and other charges vary according to the volume of water used. For comparison across local government areas, we assume that each property uses 180 kilolitres (kL) per year. This figure is cited by Gold Coast City Council in its budget documents as a basis for year-on-year comparisons.
Discounts for early payment
Most local councils in southeast Queensland offer discounts for prompt payment of rates. These discounts (usually only applying to general rates and maybe some specific charges) are taken into account when comparing rates and charges in the various local government areas because we assume that most homeowners are sensible and pay their bills on time if a discount is available.
Redland, Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast councils do not offer their ratepayers the financial benefit of any early payment discounts.
Pensioner discounts
Some local councils offer concessions for people who can demonstrate that they are full or part pensioners. The generosity of these concessions varies from council to council. We don’t consider pensioner discounts in our general comparison of rates and charges. But if you are a pensioner you should check out how generous your local council is compared with other councils.
State Government bulk water charge
Water service bills include a bulk water charge controlled by the State Government which is a variable charge per kL. Since 2020/21, this charge has been standard across the various local government areas connected to the south east Queensland water grid.
Emergency Management Levy
Local council rates bills include another charge controlled by the State Government which is the Emergency Services Levy. This levy is the same in most urban areas but a lower rate applies in smaller semi-rural communities e.g. Scenic Rim and Somerset.
Where’s the data?
Local councils adopt their budgets for each financial year at meetings held in June or July.
Resolutions adopted at these council meetings are included in meeting minutes published by each council. Councils also publish their annual budget documents on their websites.
Budget resolutions and budget documents include details of a council’s rates, rating policies and additional charges.
The Valuer General publishes reports on property valuations for local government areas including median property values. Historical reports are available on the Valuer General’s website.
Water utilities Unity Water and Queensland Urban Utilities (which are owned cooperatively by local councils) publish charges for water and sewerage services on their websites.
Bulk water charges imposed by SEQ Water (and ultimately approved by the State Government) are subject to regulatory oversight by the Queensland Competition Authority.
After several years of adjustments to equalize water charges, they have been standard across all local government areas connected to the SEQ Water grid since 20/21.
The Emergency Management Levy Amounts are included in regulations tabled by the State Government in State Parliament showing the applicable amounts for different categories of local government area. Residents of shires which are less well served with fire and emergency services pay less than residents of more urbanized local government areas.
The Annual General Meeting of SEQ Community Alliance Association Inc. (SEQCA) will be held on Tuesday 21st November 2023
Time: 9:30 am
Venue: Community Meeting Room, Brisbane Square Library, 266 George Street, Brisbane, QLD
AGENDA
The business to be conducted at the Meeting is as follows: –
1. Opening of Meeting
2. Attendance, Apologies and Proxies
3. Confirmation of Minutes of the Inaugural Meeting of the Association held on 15 November 2022.
4. Chair’s Report
5. Treasurer’s Report
6. General Business
Representatives from our Member Groups are cordially invited to attend the AGM. If you are unable to attend, please nominate a proxy by completing the attached Proxy Form and return to:
