City of Brisbane

The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of Greater Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council.

City of Brisbane
Local government area
Coordinates: 27°28′S 153°07′E / 27.47°S 153.12°E / -27.47; 153.12
Country	Australia
State	Queensland
Region	South East Queensland
Established	30 October 1924
Council seat	Brisbane CBD (City Hall)
Government
• Lord Mayor	Adrian Schrinner (LNP)
• State electorate	Algester, Aspley, Bulimba, Chatsworth, Clayfield, Cooper, Everton, Ferny Grove, Greenslopes, Inala, Lytton, Maiwar, Mansfield, McConnel, Miller, Moggill, Mount Ommaney, Nudgee, Sandgate, South Brisbane, Stafford, Stretton, Toohey
• Federal division	Brisbane, Blair, Bonner, Dickson, Griffith, Lilley, Moreton, Oxley, Petrie, Rankin, Ryan
Area
• Total	1,342.7 km^2 (518.4 sq mi)
Population
• Total	1,242,825 (2021 census) (1st)
• Density	925.62/km^2 (2,397.34/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+10:00 (AEST)
Website	City of Brisbane
LGAs around City of Brisbane Somerset Moreton Bay Moreton Bay Somerset City of Brisbane Moreton Bay Ipswich Logan Redland

The LGAs in the other mainland state capitals (Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide) are generally responsible only for the central business districts and inner neighbourhoods of those cities. However, the City of Brisbane administers a significant portion of the Brisbane Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA), accounting for just under half its population. As such, it has a larger population than any other local government area in Australia. The City of Brisbane was the first Australian LGA to reach a population of more than one million. Its population is roughly equivalent to the populations of Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory combined. In 2016–2017, the council administered a budget of over $3 billion, by far the largest budget compared to those of the City of Sydney and City of Melbourne LGAs.

The City derives from cities, towns and shires that merged in 1925. The main offices and central library of the council are at 266 George Street, also known as Brisbane Square. Brisbane City Hall houses the Council Chamber, the offices of the Lord Mayor and Deputy Mayor, meeting and reception rooms and the Museum of Brisbane.

In the 2021 census, the City of Brisbane had a population of 1,242,825 people.

Suburbs

The City of Brisbane includes the following settlements:

Inner suburbs

• Bardon
• Bowen Hills
• Brisbane CBD
• East Brisbane
• Fortitude Valley
• Herston
• Highgate Hill
• Kangaroo Point
• Kelvin Grove
• New Farm
• Newstead
• Paddington
• Petrie Terrace
• Red Hill
• South Brisbane
• Spring Hill
• Teneriffe
• West End
• Woolloongabba

Total: 19

Northern suburbs

• Albion
• Alderley
• Ascot
• Aspley
• Bald Hills
• Banyo
• Boondall
• Bracken Ridge
• Bridgeman Downs
• Brighton
• Brisbane Airport
• Carseldine
• Chermside
• Chermside West
• Clayfield
• Deagon
• Eagle Farm
• Everton Park
• Ferny Grove
• Fitzgibbon
• Gaythorne
• Geebung
• Gordon Park
• Grange
• Hamilton
• Hendra
• Kalinga
• Kedron
• Keperra
• Lutwyche
• McDowall
• Mitchelton
• Myrtletown
• Newmarket
• Northgate
• Nudgee
• Nudgee Beach
• Nundah
• Pinkenba
• Sandgate
• Shorncliffe
• Stafford
• Stafford Heights
• Taigum
• Virginia
• Wavell Heights
• Wilston
• Windsor
• Wooloowin
• Zillmere

Total: 50

Southern suburbs

• Acacia Ridge
• Algester
• Annerley
• Archerfield
• Burbank
• Calamvale
• Coopers Plains
• Darra
• Doolandella
• Drewvale
• Durack
• Dutton Park
• Eight Mile Plains
• Ellen Grove
• Fairfield
• Forest Lake
• Greenslopes
• Heathwood
• Holland Park
• Holland Park West
• Inala
• Karawatha
• Kuraby
• Larapinta
• MacGregor
• Mackenzie
• Mansfield
• Moorooka
• Mount Gravatt
• Mount Gravatt East
• Nathan
• Pallara
• Parkinson
• Richlands
• Robertson
• Rochedale
• Rocklea
• Runcorn
• Salisbury
• Seventeen Mile Rocks
• Sinnamon Park
• Stones Corner
• Stretton
• Sumner
• Sunnybank
• Sunnybank Hills
• Tarragindi
• Tennyson
• Upper Mount Gravatt
• Wacol
• Willawong
• Wishart
• Yeerongpilly
• Yeronga

Total: 54

Eastern suburbs

• Balmoral
• Belmont
• Bulimba
• Camp Hill
• Cannon Hill
• Carina
• Carina Heights
• Carindale
• Chandler
• Coorparoo
• Gumdale
• Hawthorne
• Hemmant
• Lota
• Lytton
• Manly
• Manly West
• Morningside
• Murarrie
• Norman Park
• Port of Brisbane
• Ransome
• Seven Hills
• Tingalpa
• Wakerley
• Wynnum
• Wynnum West

Total: 27

Western suburbs

• Anstead
• Ashgrove
• Auchenflower
• Banks Creek
• Bellbowrie
• Brookfield
• Chapel Hill
• Chelmer
• Chuwar
• Corinda
• England Creek
• Enoggera
• Enoggera Reservoir
• Ferny Grove
• Fig Tree Pocket
• Graceville
• Indooroopilly
• Jamboree Heights
• Jindalee
• Karana Downs
• Kenmore
• Kenmore Hills
• Kholo
• Lake Manchester
• Middle Park
• Milton
• Moggill
• Mount Coot-tha
• Mount Crosby
• Mount Ommaney
• Oxley
• Pinjarra Hills
• Pullenvale
• Riverhills
• Sherwood
• Sinnamon Park
• St Lucia
• Taringa
• The Gap
• Toowong
• Upper Brookfield
• Upper Kedron
• Westlake

Total: 43

Moreton Bay

• Bulwer
• Cowan Cowan
• Kooringal
• Moreton Bay
• Moreton Island

Total: 5

History

The Government of Queensland created the City of Brisbane with a view to uniting the Brisbane metropolitan area under a single planning and governance structure. The City of Brisbane Act 1924 received assent from the Governor on 30 October 1924. On 1 October 1925, twenty local government areas of various sizes were abolished and merged into the new city, namely:

• Cities:
  • Brisbane
  • South Brisbane
• Towns:
  • Hamilton
  • Ithaca
  • Sandgate
  • Toowong
  • Windsor
  • Wynnum
• Shires:
  • Balmoral
  • Belmont
  • Coorparoo
  • Enoggera
  • Kedron
  • Moggill
  • Sherwood
  • Stephens
  • Taringa
  • Tingalpa
  • Toombul
  • Yeerongpilly

The council also assumed responsibility for several quasi-autonomous government authorities, such as the Brisbane Tramways Trust.

Demographics

Selected historical census data for City of Brisbane local government area
Census year			2001	2006	2011	2016	2021
Population		Estimated residents on census night	873,780	956,129	1,041,839	1,131,155	1,242,825
		LGA rank in terms of size within Queensland		1st	1st	1st
		% of Queensland population	24.37%	24.49%	24.05%	24.05%
		% of Australian population	4.66%	4.82%	4.84%	4.83%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		English			25.0%	24.3%
		Australian			23.1%	20.2%
		Irish			9.5%	9.7%
		Scottish			7.4%	7.4%
		Chinese			4.1%	5.2%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Mandarin	1.4%	1.9%	2.6%	4.1%
		Cantonese	1.4%	1.4%	1.5%	1.5%
		Vietnamese	1.3%	1.4%	1.5%	1.6%
		Italian	1.1%	0.9%	0.8%
		Greek	0.8%	0.7%
		Spanish			0.7%	0.9%
		Korean				1.0%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Catholic	28.0%	27.1%	26.3%	23.1%
		Anglican	19.5%	17.2%	14.8%	11.0%
		No religion	15.0%	18.5%	23.3%	31.6%
		Uniting	7.8%	6.6%	5.6%	4.0%
		Presbyterian	3.7%	3.2%
		Buddhism			3.0%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$556	A$696	A$770
		% of Australian median income		119.3%	120.6%	116.3%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$1403	A$1873	A$2091
		% of Australian median income		119.8%	126.5%	120.6%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$1157	A$1547	A$1746
		% of Australian median income		112.7%	125.4%	121.4%
Dwelling structure
Dwelling type		Separate house	74.7%	71.9%	70.9%	67.4%
		Semi-detached, terrace or townhouse	6.7%	7.9%	9.7%	10.4%
		Flat or apartment	17.2%	19.3%	18.8%	21.3%

Heritage

The Brisbane City Council maintains the Brisbane Local Heritage Register, a list of nominated sites that satisfy the council's heritage criteria.

Governance

The City of Brisbane is governed by the Brisbane City Council, the largest local council in Australia. The Brisbane City Council has its power divided between a lord mayor, a parliamentary-style council of twenty-six councillors representing single-member wards of approximately 30,000 voters (roughly equivalent in size to state electorates), and a civic cabinet comprising the lord mayor, the deputy mayor (drawn from the majority on council) and the chairpersons of the seven standing committees drawn from the membership of council. Due to the City of Brisbane's status as the country's largest LGA, the lord mayor is elected by the largest single-member electorate in Australia. Like all mayors in Queensland, the lord mayor is vested with very broad executive power.

The Brisbane City Council operates under the City of Brisbane Act 2010, while other local governments in Queensland are governed by the Local Government Act 2009. Council meetings are held at Level 2, City Hall, 64 Adelaide Street, Brisbane City every Tuesday at 2pm except during recess and holiday periods. This temporary venue is in use due to the restoration work being performed on the traditional venue Brisbane City Hall. Council Meetings generally open to the public, excluding the Civic Cabinet.^{[citation needed]}

Wards

Brisbane City Council
31st Council
Coat of Arms
Logo
Type
Type	Unicameral
History
Founded	1924; 101 years ago (1924)
Preceded by	20 Councils Brisbane City Council South Brisbane City Council Hamilton Town Council Ithaca Town Council Sandgate Town Council Toowong Town Council Windsor Town Council Wynnum Town Council Balmoral Shire Council Belmont Shire Council Coorparoo Shire Council Enoggera Shire Council Kedron Shire Council Moggill Shire Council Sherwood Shire Council Stephens Shire Council Taringa Shire Council Tingalpa Shire Council Toombul Shire Council Yeerongpilly Shire Council
Leadership
Lord Mayor	Adrian Schrinner, Liberal National
Deputy Mayor	Fiona Cunningham, Liberal National
Leader of the Opposition	Jared Cassidy, Labor
Chair of Council	Steven Toomey, Liberal National
Deputy Chair of Council	Sandy Landers, Liberal National
Structure
Seats	27 elected representatives including Lord Mayor and 26 Ward Councillors
Political groups	Majority (19)   Liberal National (19) Opposition (8)   Labor (5)   Greens (2)   Independent (1)
Committees	10
Length of term	4 years
Salary	A$164,156 (2021)
Elections
Voting system	Instant-runoff voting
First election	21 February 1925
Last election	28 March 2024
Next election	March 2028
Motto
Meliora Sequimur
Meeting place
Brisbane City Hall, King George Square, Brisbane
Website
www.brisbane.qld.gov.au

The city of Brisbane is divided by 26 wards, each of which is represented by a councillor. Elections for these positions are held every four years. The results of the March 2024 elections^[update] delivered a Liberal National Party majority, with the wards of the City of Brisbane represented by the following councillors:

Party		Wards	Current Chamber (Total 26 Wards)
	Liberal National	19
	Labor	5
	Greens	2
	Independent	1

Ward		Party	Councillor
	Bracken Ridge	LNP	Sandy Landers
	Calamvale	Labor	Emily Kim
	Central	LNP	Vicki Howard
	Chandler	LNP	Ryan Murphy
	Coorparoo	LNP	Fiona Cunningham
	Deagon	Labor	Jared Cassidy
	Doboy	LNP	Lisa Atwood
	Enoggera	LNP	Andrew Wines
	Forest Lake	Labor	Charles Strunk
	Hamilton	LNP	Julia Dixon
	Holland Park	LNP	Krista Adams
	Jamboree	LNP	Sarah Hutton
	MacGregor	LNP	Steven Huang
	Marchant	LNP	Fiona Hammond
	McDowall	LNP	Tracy Davis
	Moorooka	Labor	Steve Griffiths
	Morningside	Labor	Lucy Collier
	Northgate	LNP	Adam Allan
	Paddington	Greens	Seal Chong Wah
	Pullenvale	LNP	Greg Adermann
	Runcorn	LNP	Kim Marx
	Tennyson	Independent	Nicole Johnston
	The Gabba	Greens	Trina Massey
	The Gap	LNP	Steven Toomey
	Walter Taylor	LNP	Penny Wolff
	Wynnum Manly	LNP	Alex Givney

Heraldry

The motto of the City of Brisbane is Meliora sequimur, Latin for We aim for better things. The council's corporate slogan is Dedicated to a better Brisbane. The city's colours are blue and gold. Its corporate logo was introduced in 1982 in preparation for the Commonwealth Games hosted in Brisbane that year. It features a stylised version of Brisbane's City Hall which opened in 1930. The city's floral emblems are the (exotic) poinsettia and Brisbane wattle, and its faunal emblems are the graceful tree frog and the koala.

Amenities

Brisbane City Council operate libraries in Annerley, Ashgrove, Banyo, Bracken Ridge, Brisbane CBD (Brisbane Square), Bulimba, Carina, Carindale (Westfield Carindale), Chermside, Coopers Plains, Corinda, Everton Park, Fairfield, Upper Mount Gravatt (Garden City), Grange, Hamilton, Holland Park, Inala, Indooroopilly, Kenmore, Mitchelton, Mount Coot-tha (Botanic Gardens), Mount Gravatt, Mount Ommaney, New Farm, Nundah, Sandgate, Stones Corner, Sunnybank Hills, Toowong, West End, Wynnum, and Zillmere. In addition, it operates a mobile library service to Aspley, Bellbowrie, Brighton, Ellen Grove, Forest Lake, Manly West, Mount Crosby and The Gap. There is also a pop-up library that attends community events and festivals, as well as visiting various parks around Brisbane for children's storytime sessions (a list of dates and places is published some months in advance).

Sister cities

Brisbane's sister cities are:

• Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (2009)
• Auckland, New Zealand (1988)
• Chongqing, China (2005)
• Daejeon, South Korea (2002)
• Hyderabad, India (2010)
• Kaohsiung, Taiwan (1997)
• Kobe, Japan (1985)
• Semarang, Indonesia (1993)
• Shenzhen, China (1992)

Nice, France was formerly a sister city of Brisbane until the relationship was severed in 1995 as protest against the Chirac government's decision to resume nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean. Bangkok became a sister city of Brisbane in 1997, but the partnership ended in 2017 at the latest.

See also

• Lord Mayor of Brisbane
• List of mayors and lord mayors of Brisbane
• Local government in Australia

Notes

1. A city Councillor that does not hold the Mayoralty, Deputy Mayoralty, a Civic Cabinet Chair position, Chair of Council, or Leader of the Opposition positions has the base salary of A$164,156 excluding allowances.