A Queensland Government report has found Brisbane to be less “liveable” than other major Australian cities.

Some of the key concerns were urban sprawl, public transport and damage to Brisbane’s waterways.

Stephanie Panitzki reports.

TRANSCRIPT

The State of the Environment of Queensland report said that Brisbane may have missed the mark in recent years.

But a former Brisbane Lord Mayor disputes that the city is less “liveable”.

Sallyanne Atkinson, former Brisbane Lord Mayor: “I think Brisbane’s a wonderful place to live. I think it’s a great city and we’ve got so much going for us in terms of the library here, the art gallery, the river, all these things close together.”

Others say these are ongoing concerns for all Australian cities.

Philip Johnson, E’cco Bistro owner: “Well I think everywhere across Australia has sort of softened in the last few years.”

The report says Brisbane has fallen short on infrastructure, transport and housing, in comparison to other major cities.

House prices in the trendy suburb of New Farm have soared over the past year, with the value of a three bedroom house in the riverside suburb hitting $1.24 million, a 21 per cent rise in just 12 months.

Floods, eight years of drought and damage to waterways haven’t helped either.

Graham Quirk, Brisbane Lord Mayor: “It is an issue we will continue to do what we can at our level of government to make sure Brisbane is more liveable into the future.”

Stephanie Panitzki, QUT News.