A RABY Bay resident has slammed Redland City Council for “secretive” mismanagement of the suburb’s failing canal walls.
Zrinka Johnston PSM, Queensland’s First Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, said the Council was still refusing to provide transparency to homeowners, despite being forced by the High Court to refund millions in unlawful canal levies.
She said the decades-long saga – which began with canal wall failures in the 1980s and 1990s – had been made worse by years of hidden engineering reports, risk assessments, and budget forecasts.
“Redland City Council’s current black box of secrecy is a fundamental failure of governance,” Ms Johnston said. “We still don’t have a plan, a budget or an end-date for canal wall engineering, yet we’re paying among the highest rates.”
The class action, launched by four residents and Shine Lawyers in 2018, forced the Council to refund levies dating back to 2012.
Courts at all levels found the charges were invalid because Council failed to provide the required plan, budget and timeframe for canal wall works.
But Ms Johnston said the victory had not led to greater accountability.
Instead, she claims Council has introduced a new “special canal charge” of about $2000 a year for Raby Bay residents, without publishing stability maps or future repair programs.
“If this is a ‘forever risk’ like climate change, we want Council to tell us how it assesses and scopes that risk and how it budgets for it in its forward assets management plan,” she said.
Ms Johnston called on the Council to publicly release mapping of canal wall conditions, like flood risk ratings issued by Brisbane City Council or landslip ratings provided on the Sunshine Coast website.
She said Raby Bay residents, who pay more than $10,000 a year in rates on average, deserved clear information about the risks facing their properties.
“Council can’t keep gaslighting us,” she said.
“We can live with knowing we have risk in our back gardens, just as people in Brisbane riverside homes accept the risk of flooding.
“What we can’t live with is being kept in the dark.”
Responding to the concerns, Local Government and Water Minister Ann Leahy said councils had a responsibility to be transparent with their communities.
A Redland City Council spokesperson said Council met regularly with the Raby Bay Residents Association and carried out annual monitoring of the canal walls, including surveys, geotechnical investigations and inspections.
“Any movement is rated against a risk category and monitored, with property owners notified if a potential issue is identified,” the spokesperson said.
“Property owners with specific concerns about their canal wall frontage can contact Council for condition data, and all required works are prioritised through the 10-year Capital Works Program.”
