Elizabeth Watson-Brown (Ryan, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Why is it easier to imagine doubling the number of flights than building high-speed rail, or to imagine flying cars or drone taxis rather than a properly funded, fast, frequent, connected public transport network? It's because both major parties are completely captured by the aviation industry, with no regard for sensible alternatives to the unchecked growth of aviation. The government's aviation white paper set out the future of Australian aviation to 2050. High-speed rail was mentioned not once in the 240-page report—not once. Extraordinary! Brisbane Airport recently released their draft master plan that's meant to cover the next two decades to 2046. They predict a doubling of the number of flights. Where is this demand coming from? It far outstrips predicted population growth over the same period.

This is the result of policy choices not providing alternatives. We all know that the routes among Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are some of the busiest air corridors in the world. Instead of doubling the number of flights, along with the carbon emissions and noise pollution they produce, there's no reason we couldn't instead have east coast high-speed rail by 2046.

I have a simple message for the LNP Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Adrian Schrinner: Close Mount Coot-tha Quarry and rehabilitate it with a publicly owned and community led vision. It's that simple. For over a decade the community has called for the closure of the outdated, unnecessary quarry on Mount Coot-tha. After much pressure, council committed to its closure by 2025 and its rehabilitation. And now we find out—with no community consultation, no transparency, just a few lines buried in a long media release—that Mount Coot-tha quarry 'could continue to operate for another decade due to increasing use of recycled material in road base'. Another decade? This is another shameful broken promise.

What is a little puzzling is that the lord mayor is also talking up his vision of a renewed Mount Coot-tha in time for the 2032 Olympics that would involve luxury hotels, pay-for-access zip-lines and night-time light shows. A decade takes us to 2035, Adrian, well after the Olympics. There is something, though, that unites these two seemingly contradictory announcements: the love of private profiteering and a deep disregard for genuine public space. Instead of giving the big developers and mining companies everything they want, here's a thought: commit to making all of Mount Coot-tha a beautiful public asset, a luxury that everyone can access for free.

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