# City of Brisbane

The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of Greater Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council.
The LGAs in the other mainland state capitals (Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide) are generally responsible only for the central business districts and inner neighbourhoods of those cities. However, the City of Brisbane administers a significant portion of the Brisbane Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA), accounting for just under half its population. As such, it has a larger population than any other local government area in Australia. The City of Brisbane was the first Australian LGA to reach a population of more than one million. Its population is roughly equivalent to the populations of Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory combined. In 2016–2017, the council administered a budget of over $3 billion, by far the largest budget compared to those of the City of Sydney and City of Melbourne LGAs.
The City derives from cities, towns and shires that merged in 1925. The main offices and central library of the council are at 266 George Street, also known as Brisbane Square. Brisbane City Hall houses the Council Chamber, the offices of the Lord Mayor and Deputy Mayor, meeting and reception rooms and the Museum of Brisbane.
In the 2021 census, the City of Brisbane had a population of 1,242,825 people.

## Suburbs

The City of Brisbane includes the following settlements:

### Inner suburbs

* Bardon
* Bowen Hills
* Brisbane CBD
* East Brisbane
* Fortitude Valley
* Herston
* Highgate Hill
* Kangaroo Point
* Kelvin Grove
* New Farm
* Newstead
* Paddington
* Petrie Terrace
* Red Hill
* South Brisbane
* Spring Hill
* Teneriffe
* West End
* Woolloongabba
Total: 19

### Northern suburbs

* Albion
* Alderley
* Ascot
* Aspley
* Bald Hills
* Banyo
* Boondall
* Bracken Ridge
* Bridgeman Downs
* Brighton
* Brisbane Airport
* Carseldine
* Chermside
* Chermside West
* Clayfield
* Deagon
* Eagle Farm
* Everton Park
* Ferny Grove
* Fitzgibbon
* Gaythorne
* Geebung
* Gordon Park
* Grange
* Hamilton
* Hendra
* Kalinga
* Kedron
* Keperra
* Lutwyche
* McDowall
* Mitchelton
* Myrtletown
* Newmarket
* Northgate
* Nudgee
* Nudgee Beach
* Nundah
* Pinkenba
* Sandgate
* Shorncliffe
* Stafford
* Stafford Heights
* Taigum
* Virginia
* Wavell Heights
* Wilston
* Windsor
* Wooloowin
* Zillmere
Total: 50

### Southern suburbs

* Acacia Ridge
* Algester
* Annerley
* Archerfield
* Burbank
* Calamvale
* Coopers Plains
* Darra
* Doolandella
* Drewvale
* Durack
* Dutton Park
* Eight Mile Plains
* Ellen Grove
* Fairfield
* Forest Lake
* Greenslopes
* Heathwood
* Holland Park
* Holland Park West
* Inala
* Karawatha
* Kuraby
* Larapinta
* MacGregor
* Mackenzie
* Mansfield
* Moorooka
* Mount Gravatt
* Mount Gravatt East
* Nathan
* Pallara
* Parkinson
* Richlands
* Robertson
* Rochedale
* Rocklea
* Runcorn
* Salisbury
* Seventeen Mile Rocks
* Sinnamon Park
* Stones Corner
* Stretton
* Sumner
* Sunnybank
* Sunnybank Hills
* Tarragindi
* Tennyson
* Upper Mount Gravatt
* Wacol
* Willawong
* Wishart
* Yeerongpilly
* Yeronga
Total: 54

### Eastern suburbs

* Balmoral
* Belmont
* Bulimba
* Camp Hill
* Cannon Hill
* Carina
* Carina Heights
* Carindale
* Chandler
* Coorparoo
* Gumdale
* Hawthorne
* Hemmant
* Lota
* Lytton
* Manly
* Manly West
* Morningside
* Murarrie
* Norman Park
* Port of Brisbane
* Ransome
* Seven Hills
* Tingalpa
* Wakerley
* Wynnum
* Wynnum West
Total: 27

### Western suburbs

* Anstead
* Ashgrove
* Auchenflower
* Banks Creek
* Bellbowrie
* Brookfield
* Chapel Hill
* Chelmer
* Chuwar
* Corinda
* England Creek
* Enoggera
* Enoggera Reservoir
* Ferny Grove
* Fig Tree Pocket
* Graceville
* Indooroopilly
* Jamboree Heights
* Jindalee
* Karana Downs
* Kenmore
* Kenmore Hills
* Kholo
* Lake Manchester
* Middle Park
* Milton
* Moggill
* Mount Coot-tha
* Mount Crosby
* Mount Ommaney
* Oxley
* Pinjarra Hills
* Pullenvale
* Riverhills
* Sherwood
* Sinnamon Park
* St Lucia
* Taringa
* The Gap
* Toowong
* Upper Brookfield
* Upper Kedron
* Westlake
Total: 43

### Moreton Bay

* Bulwer
* Cowan Cowan
* Kooringal
* Moreton Bay
* Moreton Island
Total: 5

## History

The Government of Queensland created the City of Brisbane with a view to uniting the Brisbane metropolitan area under a single planning and governance structure. The City of Brisbane Act 1924 received assent from the Governor on 30 October 1924. On 1 October 1925, twenty local government areas of various sizes were abolished and merged into the new city, namely:
* Cities:
** Brisbane
** South Brisbane
* Towns:
** Hamilton
** Ithaca
** Sandgate
** Toowong
** Windsor
** Wynnum
* Shires:
** Balmoral
** Belmont
** Coorparoo
** Enoggera
** Kedron
** Moggill
** Sherwood
** Stephens
** Taringa
** Tingalpa
** Toombul
** Yeerongpilly
The council also assumed responsibility for several quasi-autonomous government authorities, such as the Brisbane Tramways Trust.

## Demographics

| Selected historical census data for City of Brisbane local government area | Selected historical census data for City of Brisbane local government area | Selected historical census data for City of Brisbane local government area | Selected historical census data for City of Brisbane local government area | Selected historical census data for City of Brisbane local government area | Selected historical census data for City of Brisbane local government area | Selected historical census data for City of Brisbane local government area | |
| Census year | Census year | Census year | 2001 | 2006 | 2011 | 2016 | 2021 |
| Population | Population | Estimated residents on census night | 873,780 | 956,129 | 1,041,839 | 1,131,155 | 1,242,825 |
| Population | Population | LGA rank in terms of size within Queensland | | 1st | 1st | 1st | |
| Population | Population | % of Queensland population | 24.37% | 24.49% | 24.05% | 24.05% | |
| Population | Population | % of Australian population | 4.66% | 4.82% | 4.84% | 4.83% | |
| Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | | | | | |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | English | | | 25.0% | 24.3% | |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Australian | | | 23.1% | 20.2% | |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Irish | | | 9.5% | 9.7% | |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Scottish | | | 7.4% | 7.4% | |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Chinese | | | 4.1% | 5.2% | |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Mandarin | 1.4% | 1.9% | 2.6% | 4.1% | |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Cantonese | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.5% | |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Vietnamese | 1.3% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.6% | |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Italian | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0.8% | | |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Greek | 0.8% | 0.7% | | | |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Spanish | | | 0.7% | 0.9% | |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Korean | | | | 1.0% | |
| Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | | | | | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | 28.0% | 27.1% | 26.3% | 23.1% | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Anglican | 19.5% | 17.2% | 14.8% | 11.0% | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | No religion | 15.0% | 18.5% | 23.3% | 31.6% | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Uniting | 7.8% | 6.6% | 5.6% | 4.0% | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Presbyterian | 3.7% | 3.2% | | | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Buddhism | | | 3.0% | | |
| Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | | | | | |
| Personal income | Personal income | Median weekly personal income | | A$556 | A$696 | A$770 | |
| Personal income | Personal income | % of Australian median income | | 119.3% | 120.6% | 116.3% | |
| Family income | Family income | Median weekly family income | | A$1403 | A$1873 | A$2091 | |
| Family income | Family income | % of Australian median income | | 119.8% | 126.5% | 120.6% | |
| Household income | Household income | Median weekly household income | | A$1157 | A$1547 | A$1746 | |
| Household income | Household income | % of Australian median income | | 112.7% | 125.4% | 121.4% | |
| Dwelling structure | Dwelling structure | Dwelling structure | | | | | |
| Dwelling type | Dwelling type | Separate house | 74.7% | 71.9% | 70.9% | 67.4% | |
| Dwelling type | Dwelling type | Semi-detached, terrace or townhouse | 6.7% | 7.9% | 9.7% | 10.4% | |
| Dwelling type | Dwelling type | Flat or apartment | 17.2% | 19.3% | 18.8% | 21.3% | |

## Heritage

The Brisbane City Council maintains the Brisbane Local Heritage Register, a list of nominated sites that satisfy the council's heritage criteria.

## Governance

The City of Brisbane is governed by the Brisbane City Council, the largest local council in Australia. The Brisbane City Council has its power divided between a lord mayor, a parliamentary-style council of twenty-six councillors representing single-member wards of approximately 30,000 voters (roughly equivalent in size to state electorates), and a civic cabinet comprising the lord mayor, the deputy mayor (drawn from the majority on council) and the chairpersons of the seven standing committees drawn from the membership of council. Due to the City of Brisbane's status as the country's largest LGA, the lord mayor is elected by the largest single-member electorate in Australia. Like all mayors in Queensland, the lord mayor is vested with very broad executive power.
The Brisbane City Council operates under the City of Brisbane Act 2010, while other local governments in Queensland are governed by the Local Government Act 2009. Council meetings are held at Level 2, City Hall, 64 Adelaide Street, Brisbane City every Tuesday at 2pm except during recess and holiday periods. This temporary venue is in use due to the restoration work being performed on the traditional venue Brisbane City Hall. Council Meetings generally open to the public, excluding the Civic Cabinet.

## Wards

The city of Brisbane is divided by 26 wards, each of which is represented by a councillor. Elections for these positions are held every four years. The results of the March 2024 elections delivered a Liberal National Party majority, with the wards of the City of Brisbane represented by the following councillors:
| Party | Wards | Current Chamber (Total 26 Wards) |
| Liberal National | 19 | 19 |
| Labor | 5 | 5 |
| Greens | 2 | 2 |
| Independent | 1 | 1 |
| Ward | Party | Councillor |
| Bracken Ridge | LNP | Sandy Landers |
| Calamvale | Labor | Emily Kim |
| Central | LNP | Vicki Howard |
| Chandler | LNP | Ryan Murphy |
| Coorparoo | LNP | Fiona Cunningham |
| Deagon | Labor | Jared Cassidy |
| Doboy | LNP | Lisa Atwood |
| Enoggera | LNP | Andrew Wines |
| Forest Lake | Labor | Charles Strunk |
| Hamilton | LNP | Julia Dixon |
| Holland Park | LNP | Krista Adams |
| Jamboree | LNP | Sarah Hutton |
| MacGregor | LNP | Steven Huang |
| Marchant | LNP | Fiona Hammond |
| McDowall | LNP | Tracy Davis |
| Moorooka | Labor | Steve Griffiths |
| Morningside | Labor | Lucy Collier |
| Northgate | LNP | Adam Allan |
| Paddington | Greens | Seal Chong Wah |
| Pullenvale | LNP | Greg Adermann |
| Runcorn | LNP | Kim Marx |
| Tennyson | Independent | Nicole Johnston |
| The Gabba | Greens | Trina Massey |
| The Gap | LNP | Steven Toomey |
| Walter Taylor | LNP | Penny Wolff |
| Wynnum Manly | LNP | Alex Givney |

## Heraldry

The motto of the City of Brisbane is Meliora sequimur, Latin for We aim for better things. The council's corporate slogan is Dedicated to a better Brisbane. The city's colours are blue and gold. Its corporate logo was introduced in 1982 in preparation for the Commonwealth Games hosted in Brisbane that year. It features a stylised version of Brisbane's City Hall which opened in 1930. The city's floral emblems are the (exotic) poinsettia and Brisbane wattle, and its faunal emblems are the graceful tree frog and the koala.

## Amenities

Brisbane City Council operate libraries in Annerley, Ashgrove, Banyo, Bracken Ridge, Brisbane CBD (Brisbane Square), Bulimba, Carina, Carindale (Westfield Carindale), Chermside, Coopers Plains, Corinda, Everton Park, Fairfield, Upper Mount Gravatt (Garden City), Grange, Hamilton, Holland Park, Inala, Indooroopilly, Kenmore, Mitchelton, Mount Coot-tha (Botanic Gardens), Mount Gravatt, Mount Ommaney, New Farm, Nundah, Sandgate, Stones Corner, Sunnybank Hills, Toowong, West End, Wynnum, and Zillmere. In addition, it operates a mobile library service to Aspley, Bellbowrie, Brighton, Ellen Grove, Forest Lake, Manly West, Mount Crosby and The Gap. There is also a pop-up library that attends community events and festivals, as well as visiting various parks around Brisbane for children's storytime sessions (a list of dates and places is published some months in advance).

## Sister cities

Brisbane's sister cities are:
* Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (2009)
* Auckland, New Zealand (1988)
* Chongqing, China (2005)
* Daejeon, South Korea (2002)
* Hyderabad, India (2010)
* Kaohsiung, Taiwan (1997)
* Kobe, Japan (1985)
* Semarang, Indonesia (1993)
* Shenzhen, China (1992)
Nice, France was formerly a sister city of Brisbane until the relationship was severed in 1995 as protest against the Chirac government's decision to resume nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean. Bangkok became a sister city of Brisbane in 1997, but the partnership ended in 2017 at the latest.