Mt Coot-tha is one of Brisbane’s most beloved features: a precious patch of wild, public green space in our increasingly urbanised world, for tourists and locals alike. But as a State-owned asset currently managed by the LNP-led Brisbane City Council, the mountain is under threat from successive attempts at privatisation and profit-driven development.
I was proud to be part of the successful and inspiring community campaign to stop Council’s zipline proposal back in 2019, and to stand alongside locals opposing the partial privatisation of the Botanic Gardens for a commercial light show.
With the Mt Coot-tha Quarry rapidly approaching its use-by date, the future of this site hangs in the balance. The LNP Mayor has announced plans for a public-private partnership to deliver an Olympics-focused tourist development at a future rehabilitated Quarry, even indicating support for a luxury hotel and zipline.
Handing over 26 hectares of Mt Coot-Tha to private developers would fundamentally change its status as a protected natural reserve, and create a dangerous precedent that could see more of Mt Coot-tha privatised.
Our campaign to stop the ziplines demonstrated just how precious Mt Coot-tha is to locals and visitors alike. That’s why I’m working alongside local Greens representatives Cr Seal Chong Wah and Elizabeth Watson-Brown MP to ensure the protection and preservation of the mountain for generations to come.
Take action
To contact the Lord Mayor directly and request that council rehabilitate the Mt Coot-tha Quarry as public, open-access greenspace, use this quick form on Cr Seal Chong Wah’s website.
Learn more
In October 2019 I co-hosted a community meeting with the Mt Coot-tha Protection Alliance on the future of the Mt Coot-tha Quarry. More than 100 locals heard from experts and workshopped ideas for the future of the site. It was clear that residents want to see the quarry closed and rehabilitated as soon as possible.You can read a detailed report on the outcomes of our community forum here.
You can find out more about the quarry and sign the Greens’ petition to close and rehabilitate it as public greenspace here.