Brisbane vs Zürich :-)

Is Brisbane really that bad?

Brisbane has ranked lowest among major Australian cities when it comes to quality of life, prompting outrage from some offended locals.

A global survey has found Sydney to be Australia's most liveable city – coming in at No.9 on the annual international index ahead of Melbourne at 17, Perth at 21 and Adelaide at 30.

Brisbane slipped back one place in this year's rankings to 32 – a move that angered Lord Mayor Campbell Newman. "I'm deeply offended," Cr Newman said. "How Adelaide can be a couple places ahead of us rather than 10 below defies belief." The Lord Mayor said the author of the survey, human resources consultancy firm Mercer, had overlooked evidence of Brisbane's liveability. "A thousand to 1500 people a week can't be wrong. They're moving from Sydney. They're moving from Melbourne. They've voting with their feet," he said. "And they're definitely not going to Adelaide – a place where not a lot has happened since 1979."

Queensland Tourism Minister Margaret Keech also dismissed the survey as "completely wrong" and offensive. "I think it is a joke, a late April fool's joke," said Ms Keech, who moved to Brisbane from Bundaberg more than 30 years ago. "I think Brisbane is right up there with the best in the world."

Brisbane Institute executive director Kay Saunders said Brisbane deserved a higher ranking because it was more affordable than Sydney and had a better climate than other Australian capitals. "I suppose it's the stereotype that we're not exciting and cosmopolitan, although Zurich is No.1 on the list and it is quite a boring city. It's very safe and very dull."

Brisbane's ranking also prompted fierce debate on The Courier-Mail's website yesterday, with some readers rising to Brisbane's defence. "I have been to Adelaide a number of times and it seriously is the most boring place! Brisbane is way better," said one reader. But others said Brisbane deserved its poor ranking, citing its lack of infrastructure.

The Worldwide Quality of Living Survey looked at 39 criteria to judge the liveability of 215 cities. In what may spark trans-Tasman envy, Auckland ranked fifth, behind Zurich, Geneva, Vancouver and Vienna. Wellington was also in the top 20, while Baghdad was rated the worst city to live in, just behind Brazzaville in the Congo.

Melanie Christiansen
April 04, 2007 12:00am

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