April: Mayor’s message to the business community

Mayor’s column | Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce monthly newsletter

April 2022

Ipswich City Council’s Federal Election advocacy campaign is on the right track after it secured a $10 million tripartite commitment for the Ipswich to Springfield Central Public Transport Corridor (I2S) as part of the SEQ City Deal.

Council has been ramping up calls for government investment into council’s priority projects as part of our federal election advocacy campaign.

But this is just the start – Ipswich has suffered from chronic underinvestment for decades, and now it has a long to-do list including a second CBD river crossing, significant upgrades to North Ipswich Reserve, and a range of critical and enabling infrastructure.

$10 million City Deal boost to Ipswich to Springfield Central Public Transport Corridor

A $10 million commitment for the Ipswich to Springfield Central Public Transport Corridor (I2S) was recently secured as part of the SEQ City Deal.

This project is integral to addressing the under-provision of public transport in growth areas such as Redbank Plains and Ripley while connecting the Ipswich CBD to Springfield Central.

The I2S commitment is one of several announced for Ipswich as part of a $1.8 billion SEQ City Deal signing, delivering $28 million in local investment plus access to more than $400 million in regional funding pools.

A tripartite commitment to the Ipswich to Springfield Central Public Transport Corridor will fund both the Options Analysis and Detailed Business Case to move this project to shovel-ready status.

Landmark summit to harness local impact of 2032 Games

A major summit will give Ipswich residents an opportunity to discuss the city’s priorities in the lead-up to and beyond the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Ipswich 2032 Summit, which will be held by September this year, will be a chance for the community to shape council’s priorities in preparation for the biggest event in our region’s history.

A key deliverable out of the Summit will be a report on how council plans to implement its outcomes and kick start the region’s legacy development planning.

Community submits thousands of new names for former bridge and drive

Council has received 3,475 suggestions for a new name for the former Pisasale Drive and Paul Pisasale Bridge.

After engaging with the community on finding a way forward, we are now asking residents to rank the top five most popular suggestions for a new name.

The most common naming themes include:

• Ash Barty
• Jeff Watson – a ‘lollipop’ man for more than 30 years at Ipswich Central State School, who passed away last year.
• Local flora or fauna such as the Rakali (an aquatic mammal common in Ipswich waterways).
• Indigenous name chosen by Traditional Custodians, as a mark of respect and reconciliation.
• Local (non-sports/community) hero or founding family.
• No name – it was suggested the bridge not be named after person or thing.

Head to Shape Your Ipswich to have your say.

Ipswich pays tribute to tennis trailblazer Ash Barty

Three-time Grand Slam champion Ipswich’s, Ash Barty, has retired from competitive tennis and council would like to pay tribute to her wonderful career and wish her all the best in the future.

Ash is an inspiration to many, particularly a generation of young people and also Indigenous people as we lead up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Council continues to field many suggestions about how the city can honour the homegrown champion here in Ipswich, but Ash has expressed her desire to keep things low-key. While no suggestions are off the table in the future, we are searching for something that Ash is comfortable with.

Ash has been on an incredible journey and the Ipswich community has been right there with her, cheering her along.