By Member for Springwood Mick de Brenni
Bus services need to keep up
The introduction of 50-cent fares under Labor in 2024 has been a huge success, with more Queenslanders choosing to leave the car at home and make big savings on public transport.
But as more people get on board, our bus services also need to keep pace.
That is becoming an issue for residents travelling between Logan and Brisbane, with locals experiencing increasingly overcrowded services.
The problem is not just the traditional morning and evening peaks either.
Construction workers, hospital staff, shift workers and others often need to be at work well before the 9 to 5 work day begins, and travel home late.
Route 555 between Loganholme and Brisbane is a good example.
The first weekday service leaves Loganholme at 5am and Springwood at 5.15am, with residents telling me it can already be heavily patronised and standing room only from Springwood.
For workers starting at 5.30am or 6am, that first bus may simply be too late once they still have to travel from the city to a worksite or workplace.
That is why I wrote to Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg asking Translink to examine patronage and passenger-loading data for the 555 and assess whether extra and earlier and later services are needed.
The same information should be used across Logan to identify where earlier or later buses, more frequent services or additional capacity are needed.
That’s particularly important while our community continues to wait for major transport improvements, and the government prioritises everything but the basics.
The Daisy Hill to Logan Motorway project includes extending the South East Busway south from Springwood, but remains in planning with no fixed delivery timeframe.
The proposed Brisbane Metro extension to Springwood also remains without a clear delivery timeframe.
Those projects are important to get right, but Logan residents using public transport today should not have to wait years for better services.
Queenslanders responded to 50-cent fares by getting on board.
Now our bus network and our government needs to catch up.
Help make our roads safer
It’s important to start by congratulating Logan City councillor Mindy Russell for listening to our community and taking steps to improve safety on Chatswood Road. A new raised pedestrian crossing is already making a difference, but there is more to do.
The delayed M1 upgrade between Daisy Hill and the Logan Motorway was meant to include the replacement of the two heavily congested roundabouts near Chatswood Central Shopping Centre. Instead, motorists are being left to navigate them indefinitely, while more traffic spills onto Chatswood Road, due to M1 congestion.
Accidents and near misses are a serious concern for locals, particularly involving school students and seniors living in the area.
Local residents are proposing to approach the local and state governments with a pitch to slow motorists down through the stretch.
I’m backing residents Jayne, Kaylene and Mary, who are surveying the community about reducing the speed limit to 50km/h through the stretch until the M1 upgrade is delivered. They are also seeking feedback on a safer bus stop drop-off zone.
The Federal Government has committed $500 million towards the M1 and Busway project, but Queensland remains responsible for delivering it.
Locals deserve clarity about when this project will proceed.
If you use Chatswood Road and want to have your say, the community survey is available at bit.ly/ChatswoodRdSafetySurvey.
Logan’s bush poets shine at the Ekka
Two local poets have given our community plenty to celebrate after an outstanding showing at the 2026 Ekka Bush Poetry Competition.
Daisy Hill’s Justin Geange was crowned Queensland Bush Poetry Overall Champion, while Springwood’s Gerry Mannion took first place in the special 150 Years of Ekka category with his original poem, EKKA 150.
The competition formed part of the Ekka’s 150th anniversary celebrations and brought together poets performing established works, original compositions and poems inspired by the history of Queensland’s much-loved show.
Justin earned the overall title for his performances across the open classes, taking home a new Akubra hat, trophies, sashes and, importantly, plenty of bragging rights.
It was his third overall Ekka championship, following victories in 2023 and 2025.
Gerry’s winning poem offered an original tribute to 150 years of the Ekka and the place it holds in Queensland life.
Gerry said he appreciated the opportunity the Ekka provided for bush poets to perform their craft, keep traditional poems alive and bring new poets, younger poets and new works to the stage.
The result continues a remarkable run for the Logan Performance Bush Poets. A member of the group has now claimed the Ekka’s overall championship every year since 2023, with Justin winning three times and Gerry taking the title in 2024.
Gerry is president of the Logan Performance Bush Poets and Queensland representative of the Australian Bush Poets Association. Other members of the local group performing at this year’s Ekka included Paul Wincen, Max Borchardt and Ian Stevenson.
Bush poetry has a wonderful way of bringing Australian stories to life through humour, rhythm and a good yarn. The success of Justin, Gerry and their fellow performers shows just how much creative talent we have right here in Logan.
Congratulations to Justin and Gerry on these terrific achievements. Our community can be very proud to call both champion poets locals.
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