June 17, 2026 — 11:00amRoads, rates and rubbish are the bread and butter of any local government budget.Don’t have time to read the full in-depth article about the $3.9 billion budget from our council reporter, William Davis?Who wins and who loses after the 2026 Brisbane council budget is handed down.Aresna VillanuevaHere’s a winners and losers guide with some of the headline announcements:WinnersThe average owner-occupier – Depending on how you look at it, a homeowner who pays rates is a winner as average rates across Brisbane for owner-occupiers will increase 3.97 per cent this year. This is below the Brisbane CPI of 4.6 per cent in the 12 months to April 2026. It’s a lot better than the rates increase of 9.7 per cent on the Sunshine Coast. However, people in some Brisbane suburbs will face a bigger hike than others. We’ll update the suburb-by-suburb breakdown when we get it later today.An artist impression of the new cycleway along Shafston Avenue.Brisbane City CouncilBike and scooter riders – There’ll be new and improved bikeways, including on Shafston Avenue in Kangaroo Point, Minnippi Link at Cannon Hill, Prebble Street connecting Rochedale and Wishart and Melbourne Street at South Brisbane. About $980,000 will be spent to progress the council’s vision for Kedron Brook, including the bikeways and lighting.Park lovers – There will be park upgrades at Keating Park, Indooroopilly, 7th Brigade Park, Chermside, Honeyeater Street Park, Upper Kedron, Pallara District Sports Park, Upper Kedron, Carindale Recreational Reserve, Dorrington Park, Ashgrove, and Teralba Park dog park, Everton Park – and others. There will also be a new inclusive nature-based and water play playground at The Lake Parklands, Forest Lake.Road users - There will be a $110 million road resurfacing program, featuring some of the city’s busiest roads, such as Albion Road at Windsor, Eagle Farm Road at Pinkenba, Forest Lake Boulevard at Forest Lake, Hawken Drive at St Lucia, High Street at Toowong, Ipswich Road at Annerley, Learoyd Road at Acacia Ridge, Mt Nebo Road at Enoggera and Toohey Road at Salisbury.Pensioners – The maximum pensioner rebate will increase to $1350 a year, with almost 40,000 people to benefit. Seniors will continue to receive free off-peak transport on Brisbane Metro, buses, CityCats and ferries.Swimmers – The council’s $2 Summer Dips program will return this summer at council pools.People who like to exercise – The council’s Move Well program will increase annual sessions of exercise programs from 9000 to 20,000.LosersPeople who like comparing budget books – Finance chair Fiona Cunningham said the council was moving to a new cost model, which would modernise the way the council managed its financial information and “better reflect the true cost of delivering services and projects”. Previously some indirect overhead costs were attributed to projects, however these will now be held centrally. This means the 2026-27 budget cannot be compared with the previous year’s because costs were being allocated differently. She insists this means people will have a clearer picture of what it costs to deliver projects and services. However, it makes it pretty difficult for an outsider to track changes against previous years.A Brisbane Metro vehicle.Courtney KrukMetro lovers – As we flagged after securing a leaked draft copy of the council’s updated transport plan last month, the council is going to have trouble delivering its mooted Metro expansion to Carseldine, Springwood, Capalaba and the airport before the Olympics. Today’s budget allocates almost $60 million in spending to the existing Metro operations and also the business case over the next two years. Cunningham said with just six years until 2032, how much of the expansion that was delivered would “depend on the commitments that are made by other levels of government”.People who pay council fees – Fees for various services the council delivers will increase this year, as they do every year. It will cost $48.50 to register a desexed dog for the first year, up from $46.30. The hourly rate to park at a three-hour meter, 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday in traffic area zone one will increase to $6.85, up from $6.35.More:Brisbane budgetFor subscribersCity councilBrisbaneFrom our partners