Brisbane councillor Nicole Johnston critical of Schrinner administration on housing and services
He battled the council in court, was removed from the City Hall chamber by police and spent years arguing with former party colleagues about the future of Brisbane.
In a fierce political arena, Nicole Johnston has been the city’s only independent local government representative since leaving the LNP in 2010.
And Tennyson has revealed that the councilor has no plans to resign anytime soon and will seek another term in the 2028 election.
“I feel very strongly that it is my job…to stand up for our community,” Johnston explains over iced chocolate at Pineapple Espresso in Graceville.
“I’m sure he’ll tell me when he thinks it’s time for our community to go… I think I have another term because there’s unfinished business.”
Johnston grew up on the north end and worked in Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra before moving to Tennyson Ward 20 years ago.
He worked for Queensland attorney general Denver BeanlandOn behalf of John Howard’s federal justice and customs secretary, Chris Ellison, and on the contracting giant’s corporate affairs Leighton HoldingsSince renamed CIMIC.
Elected to Brisbane City Council on the Liberal ticket in 2008, Johnston resigned after two years following an ugly dispute with the partyBy then it had merged with the National Party to form the LNP.
He has been arguing with his former colleagues ever since. The LNP majority found he had repeatedly engaged in disorderly conduct. When in 2017 police were called to take him out of the roomhe He successfully fought them in the Supreme Court.
“I think they’re still fighting a war that happened 16 years ago,” Johnston says.
“I would say the chamber is one of the most biased forums in Australia… It is open, it is discriminatory, it is biased and it does not lead to a good democratic process.
“That’s not the point of democracy.”
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner’s office chose not to comment when contacted for this article. LNP colleagues frequently use council meetings to accuse him of disrupting order.
Few people watch these meetings in the Tennyson Ward, which covers 10 southern suburbs around Graceville, Corinda, Sherwood and Fairfield. But many people know Johnston.
“She’s amazing,” long-time resident Peter said of the tag as he headed to Sherwood train station. “HE [engaged] and he does a lot for the community.
Jenny, who lives in Oxley Road, was among those who described Johnston as a strong ambassador for the area.
“When he says he’s going to do something, he gives the impression that he’s going to do his best,” she says.
Johnston says the biggest issues raised in his office are congestion and traffic issues; maintenance, including footpath and road repairs; construction of new infrastructure, including cycle paths; and developments and housing.
The surface of Oxley Road has become frustrating and he regularly lobbies for repairs.
Driving along the six-mile route, Johnston points out areas that he says have become disruptive and sometimes dangerous to his constituents.
“It’s so busy, it’s stuck together, there’s grass growing on it… there’s potholes, there’s patches,” he says.
“There are no plans to reintroduce it… it all depends on having it centrally controlled in Brisbane Square.”
Residents who spoke to this imprint also expressed the same concerns, saying that the road surface had become unsafe and traffic was so heavy that pedestrians and school children were being put at risk.
The council defended its record on road maintenance, saying it filled 62,000 potholes in the last financial year, the most in its area during that time.
“The councilor has nothing but contempt for us, never says thank you, never asks nicely, is very rude and frankly disgusting,” the council’s head of infrastructure, Ryan Murphy, said in February.
“In any case, if Councilor Johnston wants to let us know which part of Oxley Road we can prioritize [we’re] I’m so glad I took a look.
Housing and planning policy under Schrinner put Johnston offside.
like Labor opposition leader Jared CassidyJohnston is adamant that he is not a NIMBY, but he is concerned about development not being approved in areas where the infrastructure can best handle it.
“There is no doubt that the LNP administration is a pro-development council and the people listening to that council are developers, not the local community.
“The model isn’t working. We’re not getting the houses we need. If it were working, maybe you’d say ‘the market is good,’ but the market isn’t.”
Despite jousting with former colleagues, Johnston says he sees green shoots at City Hall, which influenced his decision to run again.
“I hope the council will be more collaborative and constructive… I hope some of the new councilors can change that in the future.”
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