Blame game erupts over fallen fig tree
Report & Photo: Rob Lockyear
Brisbane City councillors are playing hot potato over the Chinese Banyan Fig tree that crashed onto a playground in New Farm park last week.
Labor leader Shayne Sutton placed blame firmly in the Liberal camp after the Lord Mayor's two-month closure of the park to investigate the trees failed to prevent the incident.
But the ruling Liberals say the problems should have been fixed when Labor ran the parks.
Cr Sutton attacked Lord Mayor Campbell Newman for not getting modern technology to assess the health of trees.
"When the Lord Mayor reopened New Farm Park he said it was safe. Now a giant fig has crushed the public shelter at the New Farm Park playgrounds just 15 minutes after people were seen using it," Cr Sutton said.
Gabba councillor Helen Abrahams quizzed Environment and Parks chair Cr Peter Matic at last week's council meeting about whether he had done everything in his power to ensure the park was safe.
But Cr Matic said investigations into the New Farm trees took place when Cr Abrahams was herself chair.
"The problem actually went back to before February when she was the chair and it was her responsibility to deal with it. She should ask herself the same question," Cr Matic said.
Cr Matic said the collapse of the tree resulted from a combination of a root-rotting Phellinus Noxious pathogen and last week's heavy rain.
He said trees in the playground and along the river would be re-examined immediately.
"Until the trees in the playground have been tested, it is in the best interest of the public that the playground remains closed," Cr Matic said.
New Farm resident Peter Crowther, who had come to see the fallen tree with his daughter, said he was stunned by the incident.
"This is such a big surprise because it was such a strong-looking root system. The leaves were falling off a lot but I thought that must have been the drought," Mr Crowther said.
He said many other parents who used the park were concerned that other trees could fall over.
"If it's dangerous you don't want your children playing in there," he said.
Labor leader Shayne Sutton placed blame firmly in the Liberal camp after the Lord Mayor's two-month closure of the park to investigate the trees failed to prevent the incident.
But the ruling Liberals say the problems should have been fixed when Labor ran the parks.
Cr Sutton attacked Lord Mayor Campbell Newman for not getting modern technology to assess the health of trees.
"When the Lord Mayor reopened New Farm Park he said it was safe. Now a giant fig has crushed the public shelter at the New Farm Park playgrounds just 15 minutes after people were seen using it," Cr Sutton said.
Gabba councillor Helen Abrahams quizzed Environment and Parks chair Cr Peter Matic at last week's council meeting about whether he had done everything in his power to ensure the park was safe.
But Cr Matic said investigations into the New Farm trees took place when Cr Abrahams was herself chair.
"The problem actually went back to before February when she was the chair and it was her responsibility to deal with it. She should ask herself the same question," Cr Matic said.
Cr Matic said the collapse of the tree resulted from a combination of a root-rotting Phellinus Noxious pathogen and last week's heavy rain.
He said trees in the playground and along the river would be re-examined immediately.
"Until the trees in the playground have been tested, it is in the best interest of the public that the playground remains closed," Cr Matic said.
New Farm resident Peter Crowther, who had come to see the fallen tree with his daughter, said he was stunned by the incident.
"This is such a big surprise because it was such a strong-looking root system. The leaves were falling off a lot but I thought that must have been the drought," Mr Crowther said.
He said many other parents who used the park were concerned that other trees could fall over.
"If it's dangerous you don't want your children playing in there," he said.
Park benches and swings will remain empty until testing is complete
Additional photo not published
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