Moreton Bay Region, the third largest local government in Australia, has its sights set on becoming ‘Moreton Bay City,’ and has passed a resolution to commence the transition in early 2022, a process that will have a resounding positive impact in the area.
In early December 2021, a unanimously approved Council resolution was announced, aimed at changing the perception of ‘remoteness’ associated with the word ‘region.’
“This isn’t about semantics. It’s about facts – we are already bigger than Ipswich City, and Logan City, and Redland City,” Mayor Peter Flannery said.
“We are the third largest local government in Australia, we have one of the fastest growth rates in the country and within two short decades our population will exceed 700,000 to be bigger than the entire state of Tasmania,” he added.
For these reasons, the Council CEO pushed for changing the title to put “Moreton Bay City on the national and international map ahead of the Olympics”. He hopes that through this change, Moreton Bay will no longer be thought of as just somewhere in regional Queensland but rather, an economic destination just 30 minutes from Brisbane CBD, Brisbane International Airport and the Port of Brisbane.
Apart from being a greener region, he said that Moreton Bay as a city won’t follow the traditional CBD concept. He explained that it will not stick to a single district but will have multiple satellite CBDs that will focus and amplify the strengths and uniqueness of each community.
“Moreton Bay City will be committed to more innovation, more space and more collaboration to help businesses think bigger, be bolder and build brighter.
“There will be naysayers, but it’s critically important that our city has a defined brand and identity with new tourism offerings ahead of the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics.
“We simply cannot allow tourism dollars to go driving past our spectacular hinterland or beachside destinations in favour of other coasts, so I see this as a coming of age moment for a region that deserves to be so much more than to be the bit in between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.”
Plans
Plans to redefine what it means to be ‘Moreton Bay City’ appear to be focussed on two things: Greening the region, and rethinking the planning response to COVID-19, something that looms large in the lives of people everywhere.
Ahead of the transition, a motion has already been passed by Council to amend the Local Government Infrastructure Plan. Some of the changes include the creation of 100 hectares of new parkland, playgrounds, and open spaces for urban growth areas like Burpengary and Griffin.
Stronger environmental protection is also in the agenda, as Council seeks to ensure that developers are on board with keeping ‘Moreton Bay City’ green and making sure that the urban planning framework integrates nature within the local community.
“Our new Regional Environment and Sustainability Strategy is already in development and will be going out for community consultation mid-way through next year,” Mayor Flannery said.
According to him, the blueprint for the plan can be found in the Regional Economic Development Strategy 2020-41 which articulates growth strategies for the key priority industries in the area: food and agribusiness, knowledge and innovation, advanced manufacturing, and tourism.
“That means focussed agricultural investment in the north, new initiatives to drive innovation and technology uptake at the Petrie Mill site, supporting advanced manufacturing investment in our Brendale industrial precinct, retail opportunities around North Lakes, and developing the eco-tourism potential of our spectacular hinterland,” he added.
An international ‘Invest Moreton’ campaign targeting the key priority industries was launched in November 2021, targeting investors who would like to get in early.
The next step in the process is to seek approval from the Local Government Change Commission for the title change. The Local Government Change Commission, an independent body, is responsible for assessing proposed changes to Queensland councils.
