source : the age
She’s fought the council in court, been removed by police from the City Hall chamber, and spent years scrapping with her former party colleagues about the future of Brisbane.
In a fiercely political arena, Nicole Johnston has been the city’s only independent local government representative since breaking from the LNP in 2010.
And the Tennyson councillor has no plans to quit any time soon, revealing she will run for another term at the 2028 election.
“I feel very strongly that it’s my job to … stand up for our community,” Johnston tells this masthead over an iced chocolate at Ananas Espresso in Graceville.
“I’m sure our community will tell me when they think it’s time for me to go … I think I’ve got another term in me because there’s work left unfinished.”
Johnston grew up on the northside, working in Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra before moving to Tennyson Ward just over 20 years ago.
She worked for Queensland attorney-general Denver Beanland, for John Howard’s federal justice and customs minister, Chris Ellison, and in corporate affairs for contracting giant Leighton Holdings, since renamed CIMIC.
Elected to Brisbane City Council in 2008 on the Liberal ticket, Johnston resigned two years later after an ugly fallout with the party, which had by then merged with the Nationals to become the LNP.
She has sparred with her former colleagues ever since. The LNP majority has repeatedly found her to have engaged in disorderly conduct. When in 2017 police were called to escort her out of the chamber, she successfully fought them in the Supreme Court.
“I think they’re still waging a battle that happened 16 years ago,” Johnston says.
“The chamber is one of the most biased forums I’d say in Australia … It is overt, it is discriminatory, it is biased, and it’s not leading to a good democratic process.
“That is not what democracy is about.”
The office of Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner chose not to comment when contacted for this article. His LNP colleagues often use council meetings to accuse her of disruption.
In Tennyson Ward – which takes in 10 southside suburbs around Graceville, Corinda, Sherwood and Fairfield – few people watch those meetings. But many know Johnston.
“She’s brilliant,” longtime resident Peter told this masthead on his way to Sherwood train station. “She’s [engaged] and does so much for the community.”
Jenny, who lives on Oxley Road, was among those who described Johnston as a strong ambassador for the area.
“She comes across as if when she says she’s going to do something, she’ll do it to her utmost,” she says.
Johnston says the biggest issues raised with her office were congestion and traffic problems; maintenance, including footpath and road repairs; construction of new infrastructure, including bike lanes; and developments and housing.
The surface of Oxley Road has become a pet peeve, and she regularly lobbies for repairs.
Driving along the six-kilometre road, Johnston points out areas that she says have become irritating, and at times dangerous, for her constituents.
“It’s so busy, it’s glued together, there’s grass growing up out of it … there are potholes, there are patches,” she says.
“There’s no plan to resurface it … it all goes to it being centrally controlled in Brisbane Square.”
Residents who spoke to this masthead reflected the same concerns, saying the road surface had become unsafe and the traffic was so busy, pedestrians and school children were put at risk.
The council has defended its record on road maintenance, saying it filled 62,000 potholes last financial year, and had repaired more roads in her ward than any other during that time.
“The councillor … has nothing but disdain for us, never says thank you, never asks nicely, is just so rude and, frankly, nasty,” council’s infrastructure chair Ryan Murphy said in February.
“In any case, if Councillor Johnston wants to let us know what part of Oxley Road we can prioritise, [we’re] more than happy to have a look.”
Housing and planning policy under the Schrinner administration have put Johnston offside.
Like Labor opposition leader Jared Cassidy, Johnston is adamant she’s not a NIMBY, but is concerned that development is not being approved in areas where the infrastructure is best able to handle it.
“Without question, this LNP administration is a pro-development council, and the people who have their ear are the developers, not the local community.
“The model is not working. We’re not getting the houses we need. If it was working, maybe you’d go, ‘the market’s OK’, but the market’s not.”
For all the jousting with her former colleagues, Johnston says she sees green shoots at City Hall, which has factored into her decision to run again.
“I wish council was more collaborative and constructive … I hope that some of the newer councillors might change that in the future.”
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