Moreton Bay Regional Council has decided to change its official title in 2022, in a move to boost recognition of the growing region on a national level.
Moreton Bay Mayor, Peter Flannery, said Council’s unanimous resolution was to remove the connotation of remoteness associated with the word ‘region’ by changing the name to Moreton Bay City, and seek to put Moreton Bay City on the national and international map ahead of the Olympics.
“This isn’t about semantics, it’s about facts – we are already bigger than Ipswich City, Logan City, and Redland City,” Mayor 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.
“Yet most politicians in Canberra seem to think we’re somewhere in regional Queensland, they have no idea that we’re within 30 minutes of Brisbane CBD, Brisbane International Airport and the Port of Brisbane.
“This isn’t a gimmick, this is an opportunity for Moreton Bay City to identify where other regions in Australia have gone wrong in their planning so that we can redefine what it means to be a modern city.
“Specifically this will involve two things: Greening our region and rethinking planning in response to COVID-19.
“So we will enforce stronger environmental protection within all our planning frameworks to obligate developers to make Moreton Bay City greener as we grow and integrate nature within our communities.
“And I’m proud to say we’re already walking that talk, today passing a motion to amend our Local Government Infrastructure Plan and create more than 100 hectares of strategic environmental corridors within growth areas – effectively creating ‘green barriers’ against overdevelopment.
“Our new Regional Environment and Sustainability Strategy is already in development and will be going out for community consultation mid-way through next year.
“It also means moving away from the traditional CBD concept, because the coronavirus experience has proven it’s entirely possible to rethink the way we work, commute and enhance our lifestyle.
“Moreton Bay City won’t have a single business district, instead we will have satellite CBDs centred around precincts of expertise – to harness and amplify the unique characteristics of our existing communities.
“The blueprint for this plan is already outlined in our Regional Economic Development Strategy 2020-41 which articulates growth strategies for our key priority industries: 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.
“We’ve already got the ball rolling on this with the launch of our international ‘Invest Moreton’ campaign in November, targeting investors in key priority industries who want a first-mover advantage in harnessing the power of unrivalled growth and unlimited potential here in Moreton Bay.”
Mayor Flannery said 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,” Mayor Flannery said.
“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.”
Council resolved that the CEO be authorised to commence the process to change the Council’s official title from ‘Moreton Bay Regional Council’ to ‘Moreton Bay City Council’ to be known and marketed as ‘Moreton Bay City’.
