Brisbane City Council

Brisbane City Council has been recognised as an ABA100® Winner for Community Contribution in The Australian Business Awards 2016. The Australian Business Award for Community Contribution recognises organisations for initiatives that positively impact on the community and generate outcomes that have a long term benefit.

Brisbane City Council (herein Council) is Australia’s largest local government in both population and budget. It is dedicated to ensuring Brisbane is a great place to live and has a fundamental role to play in making the city the best it can be. Guiding this is the Brisbane Vision, the Council’s long-term community plan for the city. It details the aspirations for the city’s future and outlines ideas for achieving this vision.

Council’s Inclusive Brisbane Board (IBB) is an advisory board made up of volunteer members, who address community issues associated with development and planning. IBB identifies emerging social inclusion issues — particularly those affecting the not-for-profit sector in Brisbane — and shares information, generates ideas and identifies research needs and partnership opportunities to address these issues. The board also regularly considers research and findings of projects undertaken within Council, universities and other groups on the factors affecting Brisbane’s communities, such as demographics, trends in housing, service delivery, the ageing population, social issues and societal trends. IBB supports a diverse range of community groups representing those that are disadvantaged or vulnerable.

In 2013, Council established the Inclusive Brisbane Professional Advice Alliance (the Alliance) to provide pro bono advice to community and not-for-profit organisations about organisational sustainability, planning, development and infrastructure issues. The establishment and ongoing operation of the Alliance fulfils a need for community and not-for-profit groups who provide a wealth of services and facilities to Brisbane’s community. IBB sought to establish the Alliance with the objective of increasing capabilities and resiliency, and leveraging the positive benefits to the community provided by this sector.