On 6 November, the Committee for Brisbane launched its annual Inner City Vitality Report.

Now in its seventh year, the report tracks people, sectors and precincts that drive growth across our city’s heart. This includes everything from major international events to festivals, existing and upcoming commercial towers, and transport infrastructure.

This year, the Committee for Brisbane added Victoria Park Precinct to the report, noting important developments around not just the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games but also the health and education sectors at Herston and Kelvin Grove respectively.

This year’s deep dive into the inner city’s education sector also revealed its criticality in terms of economic growth, and its contribution to the city’s social, entertainment and retail vitality.

A special thank you to research partners and sponsors, Dexus, South Bank Corporation, Urban Economics and Bennett + Bennett, and to Griffith University as major event sponsor.

• Full report here.
• Report snapshot here.
• Media release here.

At the annual launch of the 2025 Inner City Vitality Report, the Committee brought together two lively panels brimming with insights and enthusiasm for Brisbane, unpacking the trends, challenges and opportunities shaping the inner city and its bright future.

We extend our sincere thanks to our speakers for sharing their passion and insights:

• Amanda Newbery – Articulous Communications
• Anthony Ryan – Brisbane Economic Development Agency
• Rachel Healy – Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC)
• Tamanna Monem – QIMR Berghofer
• Prof Bronwyn Harch – Griffith University
• Matthew Miller – Dexus
• Nalani Farrell – Griffith University, and
• Sean Jacobs – The Committee for Brisbane

A special thank you to Matthew Tervo from The Tervo Company for opening the event and sharing the incredible creative energy emerging from Brisbane’s arts scene.

The Committee for Brisbane would also like to thank Griffith University, the major sponsor for this year’s event.

Check out the event gallery here. 

The 68th Annual General Meeting of the Committee for Brisbane was held on Wednesday 19 November 2025.  The Committee is pleased to announce the following elections to Management Committee.

Secretary

• Meredith Hartigan, Tract

Treasurer

• Tony Young, BDO

Ordinary Members – Corporate Leader

• Caroline Riot, Griffith University
• Gene Moyle, QUT

Ordinary Members – Corporate Member

• Peter Edwards, Archipelago
• Anne Kovachevich, Mott MacDonald

Ordinary Members – Enterprise Member

• Paul Coory, COHA Group

We welcome new and re-elected members of the Committee for Brisbane’s Management Committee.

A copy of the Annual Review can be accessed here.

If you’d like to get in touch about how you can get involved in the Committee for Brisbane and our Sub-Committees, please send us an email at admin@committeeforbrisbane.org.au

On 26 November, the Committee for Brisbane hosted Andrew Powell MP, Minister for Environment and Tourism, and Minister for Science and Innovation.

The Minister’s update provided an opportunity for our members to hear directly from Minister Powell on his vision for the city-region’s future, particularly in respect to his wide-ranging portfolio and the opportunities for Brisbane.

With a full agenda relating to not only events but ecotourism, experiences, connectivity and travel, and industry partnerships, it’s clear that both our city-region and Queensland have a strong future ahead!

For more information on the Queensland Government’s Destination 2045 plan please click here.

Earlier this month, we convened all of our Sub-Committee members, with representatives from our Management Committee and Advisory Council, to reflect on 2025.

Our four Sub-Committees have made great progress since their inception in February 2025.

The four chairs touched on key progress underway, which includes:

• Transport, Logistics and Mobility
  Chair David Hertweck spoke on congestion reduction, smarter planning and use of data and emerging technologies, and delivering public and active transport legacies beyond 2032.
• Brisbane Idea Generators (#BIG)
  Chair Jeremy Sue touched on the group’s core focus on building a ‘tangible’ legacy for Brisbane’s residents and visitors, with early but key progress around waterway activation, and better use of Brisbane’s underutilised spaces/surfaces.
• City Vision
  Chair Karen Vella and Natalie Hoitz noted the sub-committee’s focus on the vitality of Fortitude Valley, and its increasing importance ahead of and beyond 2032. Precinct connectivity remains another key focus of this group.
• Games Legacy and Growth
  Chair Anne Kovachevich underlined the group’s digital legacy outcomes from its recent workshop, and noted its next immediate focus on sub-tropical urban design, and maintaining our Brisbane city-region’s liveability amid record growth.

We’d like to use this time to thank all Sub-Committee members on their contributions throughout the year.

Check out photos of the event here. 

As this newsletter goes out, we are wishing the Brisbane Lions AFL Women’s Team the best for the 2025 AFLW Grand Final.

Facing North Melbourne in this weekend’s final, the Brisbane Lions AFLW Team will no doubt do Brisbane proud after a big victory against Carlton last weekend.

Good luck Brisbane Lions- we know you will do Brisbane proud!

Brisbane City Council (BCC) recently announced upcoming revitalisation efforts at Fortitude Valley, through a Valley Sustainable Growth Precinct Plan.

Almost 28,000 people work in the Valley and about 11,500 already call it home.

And having the highest number of live music venues of any precinct in Australia, this key inner city precinct is one of Australia’s leading cultural and entertainment destinations.

It is also a key focus of the Committee for Brisbane’s City Vision sub-committee.

The plan aims to facilitate housing choice and diversity, support the Valley’s rich character and heritage, and boost the 24/7 economy.

Feedback will open from Monday 8 December 2025.

For more information please visit BCC here.

In Canberra earlier this month, the Committee for Brisbane joined colleagues from around the country to discuss the importance of cities.

The Committees for Capital cities delegation met with Federal Ministers, Departments and Agencies, while also learning about the distinctive and shared challenges shared across Australia’s capitals.

At Parliament House’s Great Hall, we collectively launched our 6 Priorities for Our Urban Future, with a key focus on productivity, resilience and liveability. The priorities, available here, include:

1. Housing as economic infrastructure
2. Transport that connects and competes globally
3. A collaborative national innovation ecosystem
4. Healthy, vibrant and caring places are productive places
5. Accelerating the Net Zero Transformation and Building Climate Resilience
6. Skills, Migration and Inclusion.

At this event we were also proud to have launched the Federal Parliamentary Friends of Cities group and announce its co-chairs:

• Simon Kennedy MP – Federal Member for Cook, NSW
• Kate Chaney MP – Federal Member for Curtin, WA
• Senator Richard Dowling – Senator for Tasmania.

With our capital cities home to more than two-thirds of the nation’s people and nearly 70% of GDP, we look forward to collectively building on this platform to continue to advocate for Australia’s cities.

A copy of the media release, and other key details, are available here.

How prepared is your business for Queensland’s next biosecurity incursion?

Biosecurity risks can have devastating impacts on businesses, with some industries reporting revenue losses of up to 20% in a single quarter due to invasive species and biosecurity breaches.

With biosecurity risk anticipated to grow fourfold in the coming decade, the Queensland Farmers’ Federation and Biosecurity Queensland are encouraging all businesses to consider the financial, operational and reputational risks that a biosecurity incursion could have on their business.

Safeguard your operations, strengthen your supply chains, protect your bottom line and enhance your reputation by accessing free resources to proactively manage biosecurity risks here.

The Northshore Hamilton Priority Development Area (PDA) Development Scheme has been amended and approved, coming into effect on 21 November.

At 304 hectares, the Northshore Hamilton PDA is a significant urban renewal space for Brisbane, which is aimed at transforming this area into a vibrant, mixed-use precinct adjoining the Brisbane River and the suburb of Hamilton.

The PDA has over three kilometres of river frontage and is close to the Brisbane Airport and the Australian Trade Coast precinct.

For more information, please visit Economic Development Queensland here.

Queensland’s peak housing body- Q Shelter- has launched its first update to its Southeast Queensland Displacement Report.

The report aims to annually monitor conditions for homeowners and renters in the lead-up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

With rents and affordability under pressure across our region, it’s hoped yearly checks on market conditions will help to inform policies and ensure sufficient planning for the Games.

And with a focus on Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Logan, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, and Redlands, the report shows:

• Dwelling approvals increased by 10 per cent in Games Local Government Areas (LGAs) between 2023-24 and 2024-25.
• New social housing allocations relative to new social housing registrations decreased by 13 per cent between 2023-24 and 2024-25.
• The number of crisis accommodation dwellings increased by 1 per cent in Games LGAs between June 2024 and June 2025.

Amid great opportunity for the 2032 Games, it’s clearly important that with such investment and attention, ensuring availability and affordability of housing for our most vulnerable remains front and centre.

Read the report here.