Article: Survey shows concerns about rising cost of living in Brisbane

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Survey shows concerns about rising cost of living in Brisbane

Survey shows concerns about rising cost of living in Brisbane
Article from: The Courier-Mail

Ursula Heger

November 26, 2009 08:00am

ALMOST four in five residents are worried about how the city will change in coming years, with many concerned the cost of living will severely affect their quality of life, a new Brisbane City Council survey has shown.

The annual attitudes survey of 400 Brisbane residents found 79 per cent were concerned about how the River City would change and almost 70 per cent expected the cost of living to rise.

But the survey found eight out of 10 residents would choose Brisbane over any other city in the country, while 92 per cent would recommend it to others as a place to live.

The council's annual Community Attitudes Survey showed 67 per cent believed the cost of living would become more expensive, while 12 per cent expected their standard of living to drop.

Only 9 per cent of participants believed the cost of living would get better.

The figures showed a quarter of surveyed residents said they thought their overall quality of life in Brisbane would worsen, with 21 per cent concerned infrastructure and planning would not keep up with the booming population.

Residents also nominated traffic congestion, urban sprawl and increased high density housing as concerns.

Gaythorne resident Daina Lindeman told The Courier-Mail that traffic congestion was worsening across the city.

"The traffic is getting pretty bad now everywhere," she said. "I'm all for the metro rail idea. I would rather see them do that than build more roads."

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said he understood residents' worries for the future, but denied infrastructure would not keep up with surging population growth.

"There is no doubt that Brisbane still faces huge challenges, which is why we are planning and ensuring we have the infrastructure we need for the future," he said.

"We are greening the city like never before, as well as fast-tracking 15 years of roadworks into four years and focusing on public transport."

The survey showed most residents were proud of Brisbane, with 77 per cent saying the city had a vibrant, rich culture.

Queensland Council of Social Service director Jill Lang said the cost of living was affecting how and where Queenslanders live.

"There is no doubt it is going up," she said. " We are in a situation now that the average price of food has increased 15 per cent over two years, rents have risen by 17 per cent over the past two years and electricity 32 per cent over the past four years.

"A lot of people are leaving Brisbane, and indeed southeast Queensland, because they can find cheaper housing elsewhere, but then they realise there are no jobs."

Brisbane's environment is also a top priority for residents, but many are concerned it won't be for future generations.

More than 40 per cent of respondents to the council survey said they were concerned about the how the city's natural environment would change.

The survey found pollution, environmental degradation and the loss of green spaces across the city as the urban landscape expands were issues for residents worried about their quality of life in the River City.

It comes as Forest Lake in Brisbane's west was named the best of the city's green-tinged suburbs - a haven for rainwater tanks, solar hot water systems and pool covers. The neighbourhood took up 745 rebates for these and energy audits in the past 12 months.