The Story Bridge should serve as a warning
It really should not have come as a surprise, but it did.
The future of the Story Bridge, one of the few Brisbane landmarks truly worthy of 'iconic' status (take note, self-promoting restaurateurs), remains a little uncertain as questions about its long-term maintenance finally catch up to the 85-year-old landmark.
The footpaths on either side of the bridge were closed in March as Cyclone Alfred approached, and have remained closed since. Months on, we still don't know when they'll reopen with the Brisbane City Council citing 'extreme risks' associated with concrete falling off the structure.
There's been plenty of finger-pointing since. Late last month, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused the council of letting the Story Bridge fall 'into disrepair', but Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said experts found they had been 'excellent stewards' of the famous bridge.
But the fact remains, for a structure so frequently maintained, the problems should have been found – and addressed – years ago.
Which is why it is so important history doesn't repeat itself a couple of kilometres downstream, where the Captain Cook Bridge has already reached middle-age.
The concrete box girder road bridge, which feeds into the aesthetically jarring Riverside Expressway, opened its lanes to traffic in 1973 – almost 40 years after its steel companion downstream.
A 1997 paper notes the bridge has a 'nominal 100-year' design life, as did the Riverside Expressway, as then-transport minister Paul Lucas confirmed in 2007. The previous year, a two-metre hairline crack appeared on the Ann Street on-ramp.
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The Age
2 days ago
- The Age
Tents have disappeared, tunnels cleared. Where are homeless sleeping?
By day, the tunnel next to the Albert Street Cross River Rail construction site is a hive of pedestrian activity. Retail and office workers stride purposefully towards the CBD, as a slower tide of uni students and day trippers move towards the Botanic Gardens. By night, the tunnel becomes a place of shelter for rough sleepers. Sometimes they are still there, faces pressed into worn sleeping bags or turned against the concrete, when the morning rush descends. At least, that was until the signs went up, warning 'this area is to be kept clear at all times, any items found risk being removed'. There have been similar crackdowns on visible rough sleeping in other parts of the city. A month ago, police and council officers cleared one of the largest encampments from South Brisbane's Musgrave Park. Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner dismissed suggestions it was done for the upcoming Paniyiri Greek Festival, pointing instead to a directive issued in March. The festival packed down weeks ago, but Musgrave Park remains 'closed for maintenance', its perimeter surrounded by fencing. A council spokesperson said this will be the case until the grass has fully rehabilitated, which could take up to 12 weeks. Before Paniyiri, there were at least a dozen tents spread across the grounds. Sometimes this number reached closer to 40. Today, there are none. It's the same in other pockets – Kurilpa Point and Orleigh Park, rotundas along the Brisbane River – usually frequented by rough sleepers. But out of sight does not mean the city's homelessness crisis has been miraculously solved in the last few weeks. Signs in Albert Street list three contact numbers for those in need of housing: HART4000, a homelessness assessment and referral team; the Queensland government's homeless hotline; and not-for-profit support and advocacy organisation Micah Projects. Micah works feverishly to support the city's rough sleepers, but is caught in a failing system. There is no long-term affordable housing available. The best they can offer is crisis accommodation – if it's available. Micah Projects chief executive Karyn Walsh says recent months have been particularly difficult. Loading 'The crackdown just means people are less visible,' Walsh explains. 'We're getting a lot of calls from businesses about people sleeping under their [storefronts], in commercial car parks or at the back of businesses, all through West End and South Bank. 'That has become more apparent [since the tents] were cleared out of Musgrave Park.' Micah estimates its referrals from council have doubled since March, and say early figures from Brisbane Zero show a similar increase since April. Walsh adds that people are still sleeping in usual hotspots, but are being moved on quickly. Council maintain the city's rough sleepers have been offered temporary accommodation, and criticise those who they say have refused. Micah disputes this, saying not all have 'refused', and that some hotels won't accept people without identification. The not-for-profit says it is currently supporting 895 people in motels, including 467 children. Walsh says people in crisis accommodation often end up back on the streets during peak demand periods. 'When events are on, people have to move out and come back.' Inner-city hotel Turbot House, which has been providing crisis accommodation through Micah since April 2024, recently announced it would no longer accept bookings to allow for urgent repair works on the building. Micah said it was supporting 56 people at the property when news of the closure arrived on May 19. Relocating them was made more difficult as visitors filled Brisbane hotels before the first game of the State of Origin. Queensland's capital has been grappling with an escalating homelessness problem for years. Charities who provided tents never intended them as a long-term solution, just a stop-gap measure to provide some level of protection and dignity. Now, as winter settles in and rough sleepers return to park benches and alleyways, huddled under awnings and in abandoned buildings, advocates are again asking for all levels of government to step up. Loading The rhetoric hasn't changed: Brisbane needs more social and affordable housing, and quickly. But even if developments were to manifest, there are some rough sleepers who wouldn't manage in this type of housing. These are the chronically homeless who struggle with acute mental health disorders. Many are unemployed and battling addiction. Others are escaping abuse or years of violence. They are traumatised and have complex needs. Without support to secure and maintain a tenancy, they might never access housing. Walsh calls it a 'dual problem': a mental health system that is overstretched and a housing crisis. The number one solution put forward is supportive housing, developments that include on-site, wrap-around services like Common Ground in South Brisbane. Queensland's housing minister Sam O'Connor recently visited Common Ground and met with chief executive Sue Pope. In a Facebook post after the tour, O'Connor wrote that 'the only way we're going to fix the homelessness crisis is by delivering more supportive housing like this', pointing to a similar model under construction and due to open in 2027 on the Gold Coast. The Brisbane project is a unicorn. The 146-unit development was built in 2012, well before current housing and infrastructure demands, and was largely funded through philanthropy and a federal economic stimulus program introduced under Kevin Rudd's prime ministership. Pope recently returned from a tour of the United States, which saw her travel to New York and San Francisco to observe their housing solutions. She says Australia needs to think creatively about ways to unlock funding for more projects. Walsh says with the current time constraints on new builds, that would only be half the problem. 'We've got to plan for the future to have more new units, but in the meantime, we need [the government] to see if it's possible to buy and renovate hotels … so we're not moving people all the time.' The Department of Housing owns five properties in the Brisbane council area that were once hotels or aged care facilities, and now provide crisis accommodation or are being repurposed for long-term social housing. It is open to converting state-owned or leased crisis accommodation into supportive housing, if feasible, and O'Connor says his team has established a working group to provide advice on scaling works and making supportive housing a core part of the government's approach. Loading The government is on board, but the question is now meeting the urgency. 'We know the community wants homelessness to be solved, not just to be hidden,' Walsh says. 'The tents were making it visible, but it didn't solve the problem of homelessness taking them away.'
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Tents have disappeared, tunnels cleared. Where are homeless sleeping?
By day, the tunnel next to the Albert Street Cross River Rail construction site is a hive of pedestrian activity. Retail and office workers stride purposefully towards the CBD, as a slower tide of uni students and day trippers move towards the Botanic Gardens. By night, the tunnel becomes a place of shelter for rough sleepers. Sometimes they are still there, faces pressed into worn sleeping bags or turned against the concrete, when the morning rush descends. At least, that was until the signs went up, warning 'this area is to be kept clear at all times, any items found risk being removed'. There have been similar crackdowns on visible rough sleeping in other parts of the city. A month ago, police and council officers cleared one of the largest encampments from South Brisbane's Musgrave Park. Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner dismissed suggestions it was done for the upcoming Paniyiri Greek Festival, pointing instead to a directive issued in March. The festival packed down weeks ago, but Musgrave Park remains 'closed for maintenance', its perimeter surrounded by fencing. A council spokesperson said this will be the case until the grass has fully rehabilitated, which could take up to 12 weeks. Before Paniyiri, there were at least a dozen tents spread across the grounds. Sometimes this number reached closer to 40. Today, there are none. It's the same in other pockets – Kurilpa Point and Orleigh Park, rotundas along the Brisbane River – usually frequented by rough sleepers. But out of sight does not mean the city's homelessness crisis has been miraculously solved in the last few weeks. Signs in Albert Street list three contact numbers for those in need of housing: HART4000, a homelessness assessment and referral team; the Queensland government's homeless hotline; and not-for-profit support and advocacy organisation Micah Projects. Micah works feverishly to support the city's rough sleepers, but is caught in a failing system. There is no long-term affordable housing available. The best they can offer is crisis accommodation – if it's available. Micah Projects chief executive Karyn Walsh says recent months have been particularly difficult. Loading 'The crackdown just means people are less visible,' Walsh explains. 'We're getting a lot of calls from businesses about people sleeping under their [storefronts], in commercial car parks or at the back of businesses, all through West End and South Bank. 'That has become more apparent [since the tents] were cleared out of Musgrave Park.' Micah estimates its referrals from council have doubled since March, and say early figures from Brisbane Zero show a similar increase since April. Walsh adds that people are still sleeping in usual hotspots, but are being moved on quickly. Council maintain the city's rough sleepers have been offered temporary accommodation, and criticise those who they say have refused. Micah disputes this, saying not all have 'refused', and that some hotels won't accept people without identification. The not-for-profit says it is currently supporting 895 people in motels, including 467 children. Walsh says people in crisis accommodation often end up back on the streets during peak demand periods. 'When events are on, people have to move out and come back.' Inner-city hotel Turbot House, which has been providing crisis accommodation through Micah since April 2024, recently announced it would no longer accept bookings to allow for urgent repair works on the building. Micah said it was supporting 56 people at the property when news of the closure arrived on May 19. Relocating them was made more difficult as visitors filled Brisbane hotels before the first game of the State of Origin. Queensland's capital has been grappling with an escalating homelessness problem for years. Charities who provided tents never intended them as a long-term solution, just a stop-gap measure to provide some level of protection and dignity. Now, as winter settles in and rough sleepers return to park benches and alleyways, huddled under awnings and in abandoned buildings, advocates are again asking for all levels of government to step up. Loading The rhetoric hasn't changed: Brisbane needs more social and affordable housing, and quickly. But even if developments were to manifest, there are some rough sleepers who wouldn't manage in this type of housing. These are the chronically homeless who struggle with acute mental health disorders. Many are unemployed and battling addiction. Others are escaping abuse or years of violence. They are traumatised and have complex needs. Without support to secure and maintain a tenancy, they might never access housing. Walsh calls it a 'dual problem': a mental health system that is overstretched and a housing crisis. The number one solution put forward is supportive housing, developments that include on-site, wrap-around services like Common Ground in South Brisbane. Queensland's housing minister Sam O'Connor recently visited Common Ground and met with chief executive Sue Pope. In a Facebook post after the tour, O'Connor wrote that 'the only way we're going to fix the homelessness crisis is by delivering more supportive housing like this', pointing to a similar model under construction and due to open in 2027 on the Gold Coast. The Brisbane project is a unicorn. The 146-unit development was built in 2012, well before current housing and infrastructure demands, and was largely funded through philanthropy and a federal economic stimulus program introduced under Kevin Rudd's prime ministership. Pope recently returned from a tour of the United States, which saw her travel to New York and San Francisco to observe their housing solutions. She says Australia needs to think creatively about ways to unlock funding for more projects. Walsh says with the current time constraints on new builds, that would only be half the problem. 'We've got to plan for the future to have more new units, but in the meantime, we need [the government] to see if it's possible to buy and renovate hotels … so we're not moving people all the time.' The Department of Housing owns five properties in the Brisbane council area that were once hotels or aged care facilities, and now provide crisis accommodation or are being repurposed for long-term social housing. It is open to converting state-owned or leased crisis accommodation into supportive housing, if feasible, and O'Connor says his team has established a working group to provide advice on scaling works and making supportive housing a core part of the government's approach. Loading The government is on board, but the question is now meeting the urgency. 'We know the community wants homelessness to be solved, not just to be hidden,' Walsh says. 'The tents were making it visible, but it didn't solve the problem of homelessness taking them away.'
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The Story Bridge should serve as a warning
It really should not have come as a surprise, but it did. The future of the Story Bridge, one of the few Brisbane landmarks truly worthy of 'iconic' status (take note, self-promoting restaurateurs), remains a little uncertain as questions about its long-term maintenance finally catch up to the 85-year-old landmark. The footpaths on either side of the bridge were closed in March as Cyclone Alfred approached, and have remained closed since. Months on, we still don't know when they'll reopen with the Brisbane City Council citing 'extreme risks' associated with concrete falling off the structure. There's been plenty of finger-pointing since. Late last month, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused the council of letting the Story Bridge fall 'into disrepair', but Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said experts found they had been 'excellent stewards' of the famous bridge. But the fact remains, for a structure so frequently maintained, the problems should have been found – and addressed – years ago. Which is why it is so important history doesn't repeat itself a couple of kilometres downstream, where the Captain Cook Bridge has already reached middle-age. The concrete box girder road bridge, which feeds into the aesthetically jarring Riverside Expressway, opened its lanes to traffic in 1973 – almost 40 years after its steel companion downstream. A 1997 paper notes the bridge has a 'nominal 100-year' design life, as did the Riverside Expressway, as then-transport minister Paul Lucas confirmed in 2007. The previous year, a two-metre hairline crack appeared on the Ann Street on-ramp.
