As our communities grow, developers are making massive profits from booming house prices. But Labor and the LNP refuse to make them pay a fair share to fund the new public services and infrastructure we need.
Infrastructure charges are one of the few ways Councils can make developers contribute towards things like pedestrian crossings, parks, flood mitigation, public transport, and community facilities. But in 2011 the Labor State government introduced a statewide cap on how much councils can charge developers, and the costs of land and infrastructure have grown faster than the cap, leaving Councils struggling to keep up.
That's why I introduced the Planning and Other Legislation (Make Developers Pay) Amendment Bill 2023, to remove the state-imposed cap on infrastructure charges. You can find the bill here, and the Explanatory Notes here.
Right now, the LNP-led Brisbane City Council is dealing with the consequences of their developer tax cuts by selling off public land, ditching public infrastructure projects and cutting services like parks maintenance and library programs. They're making the whole community pay, instead of wealthy developers.
By removing the cap on infrastructure charges and making developers pay their fair share, we can give Councils the flexibility to charge developers for the real cost of building infrastructure as land values and construction costs rise. We can get big city-shaping projects built much quicker, like the Toowong to West End Green Bridge, and give residents in the growing medium and high density neighbourhoods more services within walking distance.