As Brisbane celebrates 160 years as a city, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner reflects on how far the city has come and the ongoing positive initiatives that are pouring out of his administration.

Cr Schrinner said Saturday, 7 September would mark 160 years since Brisbane became a city with its own government.

“Brisbane is one of the best cities in the world and it’s getting better all the time,” he said.

“Our city has a rich history – it is a friendly and safe city – it’s a healthy and active city.

“Brisbane is clean and green – it is smart and prosperous.

“Brisbane’s local government has evolved over the past 160 years and I am so proud to be the Lord Mayor.

“I am focused on making sure the Brisbane of tomorrow is even better than the Brisbane of today.

“Brisbane is the perfect place to live, work and relax, with more than 280 days of sunshine each year, world-class dining and entertainment precincts and thousands of festivals and events each year,” he said.

“As part of our commitment to improve and enhance Brisbane, we will continue to introduce initiatives that improve our quality of life and create more for people of all ages to see and do.

“From October, we will be introducing two cost-saving initiatives – first-home buyers will receive a 50% discount on rates in the first 12 months of ownership and senior residents will enjoy free off-peak travel and we are already supporting small-businesses by reducing our fees by $2 million.”

Cr Schrinner said that Brisbane had a rich history from humble beginnings as native land for the Jagera and Turrbal people to the wider city that now hosted 2.2 million people.

“The area of Brisbane has been home to the Jagera and Turrbal people for tens of thousands of years and in 1824 it was established as a penal colony, before becoming a small town with a population of around 6000 people under the first elected Mayor John Petrie,” he said.

“It was key moments like the 1982 Commonwealth Games, World Expo 88, the 2001 Goodwill Games and the 2014 G20 Summit that boosted Brisbane’s worldwide reputation and encouraged the fantastic infrastructure and planning that we enjoy today.

“We will continue introducing projects and initiatives that will build a better Brisbane for next 160 years.”

For more information, visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au or call Council on (07) 3403 8888.