Live Townsville | August 2023

LIVE

MAYOR’S MESSAGE

Townsville City Council’s Budget and Operational Plan for 2023/2024 is guided by the principle of economic responsibility and serving our community. With a $892.6m investment, our budget supports the city’s growth without burdening residents. We have ensured that property owners receive one of the lowest general rate increases, averaging only 3% for owneroccupiers.

Community Safety is a top concern, with $14.9m allocated. Initiatives like the Boulder Protection Program, CCTV expansion, and Community Response Vehicles will continue. Ensuring residents’ safety and mobility is another priority, with $280.9m for capital investments in roads, water networks, and pedestrian infrastructure.

To maintain a robust city, $49.2m is dedicated to essential maintenance,

improving parks, roads, and aesthetics. We acknowledge the mounting cost pressures on residents and allocated $33.8m for initiatives to ease financial burdens, including concessions, discounts, grants, and support for community groups.

Councils’ stability, experienced leadership, and commitment to responsible governance shines through, ensuring Townsville remains a desirable place to live, work, and raise a family.

Cr Jenny Hill AM Mayor of Townsville

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

Townsville City Council acknowledges the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun, Bindal, Gugu Badhun and Nywaigi as the Traditional Owners of this land. We pay our respects to their cultures, their ancestors and their Elders – past and present – and all future generations.

OUR VISION

A globally connected community driven by lifestyle and nature.

OUR PURPOSE Grow Townsville.

SERVING THE TOWNSVILLE COMMUNITY

Townsville is a thriving city that offers a dynamic lifestyle and robust economic prosperity. With its tropical charm and modern conveniences, Townsville stands as one of Australia’s most resilient, diverse, and prosperous destinations. As the largest local government authority in Northern Australia, Townsville City Council is dedicated to creating value and fostering growth. Our commitment to service excellence, economic diversity, and an enriching lifestyle drives our efforts. Council takes pride in providing and maintaining over $7 billion worth of community assets to serve our community. From essential infrastructure like water and wastewater networks, treatment plants, bridges, and roads, to community facilities, sporting venues, and waste management systems, we ensure the seamless functioning of our city. Our focus extends beyond infrastructure. Council actively contributes to the wellbeing of our community and visitors, promoting an active lifestyle through exciting events, recreational facilities, and the preservation of our natural environment and heritage. We strive to create a mentally and physically healthy city for all.

CONTACT US

103 Walker Street, Townsville City

PO Box 1268, Townsville QLD 4810

13 48 10

enquiries@townsville.qld.gov.au townsville.qld.gov.au

Townsville City Council advises that all content is correct at time of printing. All information is subject to change without notice.

Townsville City Council ©2023.

143 parks with playgrounds and shaded areas

With an eye on the future, Council is committed to driving economic diversity and fostering an enriching lifestyle. By building a vibrant, sustainable, and innovative city, We are creating a thriving metropolis for both present and future generations. Council envisions a connected, lifestyle-driven, city where possibilities abound, and the future is bright. We are dedicated to delivering service excellence and working in collaboration with our community to shape the future of the city.

585km footpaths

5 public swimming pools

203 playgrounds

3 libraries

21 off-leash dog parks

3 world-class botanic gardens

2 art galleries

12 community centres

6 sea water enclosures

5 patrolled beaches

545 CCTV security cameras

LET’S GET IT SORTED

Research suggests that many of our waste bins contain recyclables that are unfortunately being sent to landfill. In fact, 3,000 garbage trucks worth of recyclable items are going to landfill each year rather than being recycled at our Material Recovery Facility.

Make sure your recyclables are free from food and other contaminants, never bagged, and free from broken glass or other hazardous materials. Keep it simple and only recycle the following in your yellow-lidded recycling bin:

• hard plastic bottles and containers

• glass bottles and jars

• steel and aluminium cans

• paper and cardboard.

STREAMLINED OUTDOOR DINING POLICY

Council has taken a positive step by eliminating the outdoor dining application fee and simplifying its policy. This move aims to support local restaurants in enhancing diner experience and invigorating public spaces. The updated Outdoor Dining Policy was adopted at the May 2023 Ordinary Council meeting after a review where Council identified that the former process was complicated and expensive for the customer.

Council’s new online Outdoor Dining Permit system provides a simple and free process for fast approvals. By removing the application fee, local businesses are saving money that can go back into the business, creating further benefits for the community.

The new policy has made it easier for cafés, restaurants and food businesses to help activate Townsville’s dining precincts and encourage a more active and vibrant city.

WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES

Townsville is a dry tropics city with unreliable rainfall so water conservation measures are important for households to contribute to a sustainable city. These include:

• Sprinklers can be used between 5pm-8am (odds and evens system).

• Handheld watering with a trigger nozzle can be done at any time on any day, although we recommend the early mornings and evenings where possible.

• Washing hard surfaces, vehicles and boats using pressure washers or a hose using a trigger nozzle attachment.

TAKING CARE OF PETS

Pets play an important role in our community providing companionship and security. Owning a pet is a lot of fun and they come with the obligation to take care of them. SCAN

2023/24 TOWNSVILLE CITY COUNCIL BUDGET

Highlights

$405.6m INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT

Capital investment to deliver services and infrastructure across Townsville.

$49.2 m

MAINTAINING CITY ASSETS

Investing in maintaining community assets across Townsville – from the city to the suburbs. Including roads, bridges, footpaths, drains, libraries, stadiums, parks, recreational centres, and other community facilities.

$284.8 m RELIABLE CITY

Renewing and improving roads, kerb and channel, kerbside collection services, stormwater drains, water network, wastewater network, footpaths, parks and open space maintenance, playground renewal works and bikeway projects.

$14.9 m SAFE CITY INVESTMENT

Investment in operating security and surveillance, CCTV systems and street lighting, park boulder program, Community Response Vehicle and community safety programs.

$29.6 m

AFFORDABILITY INVESTMENT

Investment towards various initiatives such as concessions, grants, sponsorships, incentives, partnerships, and community peppercorn leases.

$8.1m SUSTAINABLE CITY

Investing in solar projects, LED lighting, free green waste, innovative and sustainable energy practices and assets.

*Please note some expenditure may appear in multiple categories above.

$23.2 m

LIVEABLE, ACTIVE CITY

Investing in sports facilities maintenance, our galleries and Civic Theatre operations, events, arts, pools and swimming lagoons, beach and foreshore protection, dog parks, community assets and playground maintenance and upgrades.

$86.8m

TIDY CITY

Investing, maintaining and enhancing liveable open spaces, street cleaning and graffiti removal.

3% AVERAGE INCREASE IN OWNER OCCUPIED RESIDENTIAL RATES

Rate in the Dollar increase 0%, plus impact of 2021 land valuations, resulting in an average 3% increase for owner-occupied residential rates.

BUDGET

& OPERATIONAL PLAN

WHAT THIS BUDGET MEANS FOR YOU

FOR EVERY $100 WHERE YOUR RATES GO. RATES

Council invests your rates back into our community. Every $100 can be divided into the following infrastructure and service costs.

FOR EVERY $100 WHERE YOUR UTILITIES GO.

UTILITIES

Council invests your utility charges back into our community. Every $100 can be divided into the following infrastructure and service costs.

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY AND GROWING A CITY FOR TOMORROW

Townsville City Council is committed to delivering projects for the community, from water security and industrial infrastructure to community leisure facilities. These investments will cultivate a thriving, connected, resilient and sustainable community and city for tomorrow.

RIVERWAY LIBRARY

Investment: $8.5 million

Funding: TCC

Jobs: 12

A new library at Riverway Precinct is now open, featuring a ‘creative hub’ for digital production. The Citylibraries Riverway project provides a mixed-use facility designed for the community’s needs and includes the refurbishment of the Ecoactive Centre near the playground. This project was funded across two years and enhances Riverway’s reputation as Townsville’s premier community hub.

SOUTHERN SUBURBS RISING MAIN STAGE 3

Investment: $20 million

Funding: TCC/BOR/QG

Jobs: 20-30

Stage 3 is complete, with commissioning of the new pump station, gravity sewer and rising main in Wulguru finalised in March 2023. This vital infrastructure will ease the increasing pressure on Townsville’s southern sewerage network. This project was proudly funded by the Queensland Government’s Building Our Regions Program in association with Townsville City Council.

DOUGLAS WATER TREATMENT PLANT WATER CLARIFIERS

Investment: $31 million

Funding: TCC

Jobs: 40

Construction of two new water clarifiers at the Douglas Water Treatment Plant is now complete, enhancing the facility’s capacity to produce clean and healthy drinking water for our city.

SCAN CODE TO VIEW THE SPREAD OF WORKS ACROSS THE CITY OR VISIT TOWNSVILLE.QLD.GOV.AU

Bushland Beach

Deeragun

Black River

Shaw

Kirwan

Condon Rasmussen

Douglas

Annandale Wulguru

Rowes Bay

Garbutt

Geoffrey Bay

South Townsville Mt Louisa

CASTLE HILL SUMMIT TRACK HANDRAIL RENEWAL

Investment: $1.74 million

Funding: TCC/W4Q/QG

Jobs: 14

Council recently undertook important safety maintenance and renewal works on the summit walking track. This project was proudly funded by the Queensland Government’s Works for Queensland program in association with Townsville City Council.

FUNDING BODIES

AG Australian Government

QG Queensland Government

TCC Townsville City Council

TMR Department of Transport and Main Roads (Queensland Government)

W4Q Works for Queensland (Queensland Government)

BS Black Spot Program (Australian Government)

BOR Building Our Regions Program (Queensland Government)

LRCI Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (Australian Government)

R2R Road to Recovery (Australian Government)

TIDS Transport Infrastructure Development Scheme (Queensland Government)

PROJECTS DELIVERED

Allambie LaneMiles Avenue

Funding: TIDS/QG/ TCC

Upgrade of intersection and right turn facilities.

Anne/Arthur Street

Funding: TCC

Installation of new roundabout.

Bamford Lane

Depot

Funding: TCC Site redevelopment.

Bonny Court

Funding: LRCI/AG Full road reconstruction with kerb and channel.

Bowhunters Road

Funding: TCC Road reconstruction and stormwater drainage upgrades.

Brooklyn Court

Funding: TCC Asphalt overlay.

Chandler Street

Funding: TCC

Kerb and channel, driveway reconstruction and pedestrian ramps.

Charles Street

Funding: BS/AG Road resurfacing and path works.

Crestbrook Park

Playground

Funding: TCC New play equipment, picnic table, seating, shade shelter, pathway and landscaping.

Cutheringa Park

Funding: W4Q/QG Irrigation renewal.

Doran Street

Funding: R2R/AG

Kerb and channel and asphalt overlay.

Douglas River Observation Platforms

Funding: TCC Platform renewals at Riverwalk Way and Wateredge Cove.

Duckworth Street

Funding: TCC Asphalt overlay.

Flinders Street

Footpath

Funding: TCC

Footpath renewal with pathway and bus stop upgrade.

Geoffrey Bay

Foreshore Bollards

Funding: TCC Installation of protective bollards.

Hubert Street

Culvert

Funding: TCC Installation of new watermains and kerb and channel upgrade for flood mitigation.

Isaac Street

Funding: R2R/AG Full road reconstructions and drainage upgrades

Joyce Street

Funding: TCC Asphalt overlay.

Kearney Court

Funding: TCC Road reconstruction and kerb and channel.

Knox Court

Funding: TCC Stormwater drainage rectification.

Livistonia Close

Funding: TCC

Reconstruction of concrete access pathway to beach.

Lou Litster Pedestrian Bridge

Funding: TCC Bridge replacement.

Miranda Circle

Funding: TCC Asphalt overlay.

Mooney Street

Funding: TCC Footpath renewal works.

Mundy Creek Pedestrian Bridge

Funding: TCC Handrail replacement.

Nelson Street

U-Turn Area

Funding: TCC

Full road reconstruction with kerb and channel.

Pace Park Playground

Funding: W4Q/QG

New play equipment, picnic table, park bench, drinking fountain and rubber softfall, basketball court update and landscaping.

Parkway Park

Funding: TCC Park improvements including protection boulders, shade trees, pathway, shelter, picnic table, drinking fountain and irrigation system renewal.

Sixth Avenue

Funding: TCC Asphalt overlay, kerb and channel and pedestrian ramp.

Sixth Street East

Funding: TCC Road reconstruction.

Sports Fields

Funding: TCC

Protective barriers installed at Illich Park, Western Lions Park, Warrina Park, Melrose Park, Gill Park, Heatley Park, Charles Moroney Park, McConachy Park and High Vista Park.

Thirteenth Avenue

Funding: TCC Kerb and channel works including driveway reconstruction.

Townsville Animal Care and Adoption Centre

Funding: TCC Sewerage renewal design.

Townsville Basketball Car Park

Funding: LRCI/AG Asphalt overlay.

Woolcock Street Service Road

Funding: LRCI/AG

Full road reconstruction and drainage upgrades

FOCUS ON ESSENTIALS

Delivering essential everyday services is a key priority to Council, with a significant amount of Council’s overall budget of $892.6m being spent on supplying drinking water, maintaining our roads, keeping our parks beautiful, maintaining our water and wastewater networks, and collecting and processing waste. We are putting aside more than $193.1m to continue to maintain our roads, water and wastewater networks. A further $68.1m is allocated to maintaining and renewing our city’s parks, playgrounds, community facilities and open spaces.

Highlights:

• $144m on road and transport which includes 1,853km of road networks and 585km of footpaths.

• $97.8m maintaining and renewing 369 parks and open spaces.

• $392.7m on maintaining water and wastewater which includes more than 4,000km of overland and underground pipes across the city.

• $2m coastal facilities including boat ramps, stinger nets, sand dune nourishment, beach accesses and much more.

READ MORE

SCAN CODE OR VISIT

FUTURE-PROOFING TOWNSVILLE

Council is maintaining our strong commitment to the city’s unique natural and built environment through an investment of more than $8m into sustainable initiatives. By investing $3.1m in solar projects, $380,000 into battery and microgrid investments and $375,000 into energy performance contracts and optimisation tools, Council is focused on future-proofing Townsville’s eco-friendly footprint and boosting the city’s sustainability economy.

READ MORE

CITY ACTIVATION & JOBS GROWTH POLICY

Council is dedicated to building a robust and economically valuable investment environment where our local and new industry businesses, partnering organisations and residents will thrive.

The City Activation and Jobs Growth Policy has been renewed for the 2023/24 financial year, providing further opportunities to generate investment and create employment opportunities for the city.

The policy supports businesses, community groups, innovators and entrepreneurs with grants and incentives for new projects and ideas that encourage visitation to the city and key identified supporting hubs.

Last financial year, 11 grants and five concessions were awarded, totalling over $1.3m to support eligible projects.

Incentives are offered across four components:

1. New, repurposed and urban infill areas

2. Attracting jobs to the city

3. Modernising buildings

4. Special or significant economic or social benefit

Council is using data and on-the-ground intelligence to inform programs and innovations to ensure safety in the community. We continue to make community safety one of our top priorities in this year’s budget. By investing $14.9m to help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and continuing to invest in successful programs such as our Boulder Protection Program.

Last year’s program resulted in a reduction of anti-social behaviour at the 10 parks and open spaces, giving the community the confidence to enjoy the areas safely.

Council’s authority is limited in what we can do to reduce crime, but we will continue to work closely with those groups who can make real changes to improve safety in our city.

READ MORE

SCAN CODE OR VISIT

ENTERTAIN &

Engage

The Townsville Civic Theatre is North Queensland’s premier cultural facility owned and managed by Townsville City Council. Since its opening in 1978, the theatre continues to be a dynamic centre of entertainment nurturing the performing arts in Townsville and the wider region.

Act 2 of Townsville Civic Theatre’s 2023 season is now on sale and filled with shows that will connect, inspire, and have you laughing for hours after leaving the show.

From cheeky cabaret fun with Dirty Laundry to the unique storytelling and beauty of Sandsong from the Bangarra Dance Theatre. There is something for everyone.

Do not miss out on the best seats in the house, book now at ticketshop.com.au or by visiting the TicketShop box office at the Townsville Civic Theatre.

EVENTS

EVENTS CAPITAL OF THE NORTH

Townsville has well and truly established a reputation as the Events Capital of the North.

Across July and August, the city hosted numerous highprofile events, including the North Australian Festival of Arts (NAFA), Ephemera: Seaside Sculptures, Australian Festival of Chamber Music, the NTI Townsville 500, McDonald’s Townsville Running Festival and dozens of other sporting, music and entertainment events. There are plenty things to see and do all year round. For upcoming events, check out the What’s On calendar.

Image by Daniel Boud

What’s OnCALENDAR

AUGUST

Afrekete Afro-Cuban Dance, Music & Culture Festival

4–6 August, 3pm Seagulls Resort

NRL + NRLW

Double Header

NQ Cowboys v Broncos

5 August, 12.50pm

Queensland Country Bank Stadium

McDonald’s Townsville

Running Festival

5–6 August, 8am

Jezzine Barracks

JUST (tricking, annoying, stupid, crazy, disgusting, shocking, doomed)

8–9 August, various times

Townsville Civic Theatre

Queen: It’s A Kinda Magic

12 August, 8pm

Townsville Entertainment Centre

Ishmael

16 August, various times

Townsville Civic Theatre

NQ Cowboys v Sharks

17 August, 7.50pm

Queensland Country Bank Stadium

Vietnam Veterans Day (50th Anniversary)

18 August, 4pm

Riverway

1927 Next Generation Tour 2023

18 August, 7.30pm

Townsville Civic Theatre

North Queensland Elite Rodeo

18–19 August, 5.30pm

Hervey Range Rodeo Grounds

Townsville Triathlon and Multisport Festival

18–20 August, 8am Strand Park

Freaky Friday

18 August – 2 September, various times

Townsville Choral Society Hall

NRLW

NQ Cowboys v Sharks

19 August, 11.05am

Queensland Country Bank Stadium

Peter Williams Medium Live

19 August, 7am

Townsville Civic Theatre – C2

Seniors Lifestyle Expo

22 August, 9am

Townsville Stadium

Seniors Luncheon

24–25 August, 10.30am

Townsville Stadium

Morning Melodies - John Granger Fisher in Concert

23 August, 11am

Townsville Civic Theatre

Grigoryan Brothers

‘This Is Us’: A Musical Reflection of Australia

25 August, 7.30pm

Townsville Civic Theatre

Artist Forum: One foot on the ground, one foot in the water

26 August, 10.30am

Pinnacles Gallery

POSE 2023

26 August, 6.30pm

Townsville Entertainment Centre

India Fest Townsville 2023

26 August, 10am

Riverway Precinct

Rollingstone

Pineapple Festival

26 August, 9am

Pace Park, Balgal Beach

RAAFA Pilgrimage

27 August, 9.30am

Belgian Gardens War Cemetery

Soweto Gospel

Choir – Hope

29 August, 7.30pm

Townsville Civic Theatre

SEPTEMBER

Father’s Day Memorial

2 September, 9am

Belgian Gardens War Cemetery

NRL + NRLW

Double Header

Broncos v Sharks

NQ Cowboys v Dragons

2 September, 12.50pm

Queensland Country Bank Stadium

73rd Townsville Eisteddfod

5–23 September, 9.30am

Townsville Civic Theatre

Modelling Expo and Lego Exhibition

9–10 September, 9am Oasis Veterans Centre

Luke Kidgell Happy Hour

17 September, 7pm

Townsville Entertainment Centre

Dirty Laundry

28 September, 7.30pm

Townsville Civic Theatre

townsville.qld.gov.au