Jonathan Sri

Cr Jonathan Sri is a Queensland Greens councillor for the Brisbane City Council, representing The Gabba Ward.[1]

Councillor

Jonathan Sri
Member of the Brisbane City Council
Assumed office
12 April 2016
Preceded byHelen Abrahams
ConstituencyThe Gabba Ward
Personal details
BornBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
Political partyQueensland Greens
Alma materUniversity of Queensland
(LLB, BA)
Websitejonathansri.com

Early life and education

Sri has a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Bachelor of Arts with majors in Journalism and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies from The University of Queensland. He has previously worked at a corporate law firm. Prior to being elected he was a musician and beat poet.[2]

Political career

2015 State Election

Cr Sri stood as the Greens candidate for South Brisbane at the 2015 Queensland state election, where he received 21.8% of the primary vote.[3] He was defeated by former Labor MP Jackie Trad, and placed third after the Liberal National Party.

2016 Brisbane City Council Election

Cr Sri stood as a candidate for The Gabba Ward at the 2016 Brisbane City Council election, held on 19 March, where he received 31.7% of the primary vote.[4] Preferences from the Labor candidate, Nicole Lessio, gave Cr Sri 55% of the two-party-preferred vote, and he declared victory on 23 March after receiving a concession call from Lessio.[4][5][6]

He was sworn in on 12 April 2016,[7] becoming the first Greens councillor anywhere in Queensland, and the first of Sri Lankan Tamil heritage.[8]

At the 2016 election, Cr Sri's ideas included:

  • Hold a plebiscite with local residents to determine if various neighbourhood plans in the Gabba Ward should be scrapped.
  • Introduce an online voting system for residents to inform him of issues.
  • Fix Stanley Street and Annerley Road intersection.
  • Install pedestrian crossings along Vulture Street, Stanley Street and Montague Road.
  • Make public transport cheaper.
  • Establish a network of home-owners with spare bedrooms to accommodate people who cannot find affordable housing.[9]

In 2016, Cr Sri organised human barricades and protests against the controversial West Village development in West End.[10] The development still went ahead.

In 2018, Cr Sri was accused of harassing and stalking a local real estate agent. Official investigations were launched into the complaint and the Brisbane City Council opted not to pursue misconduct charges.[11][12]

Cr Sri believes the Queensland Police is a violent and racist organisation.

In October 2019, Cr Sri was fined $1,300 for "inappropriate conduct" by the Councillor Conduct Review Panel, after "posing as a concerned resident in a hoax voicemail" left for state MP Jennifer Howard.[13]

2020 Brisbane City Council Election

Cr Sri stood as a candidate for The Gabba Ward at the 2020 Brisbane City Council election, held on 28 March, where he received 45.6% of the primary vote, an increase of 13.9% from the previous election.[14]

Beliefs
Sri at Rebellion Day, Brisbane

Sri has campaigned for a right to the city, and has argued that the function of cities should be centred around democratic control rather than capital accumulation.[15] He is supportive of "public disobedience" as a valid form of political action[16] and has posted information to assist followers in avoiding being fined.[17] He has criticised the behaviour of the Queensland Police Service, describing them as a "violent and racist" institution.[18]

Personal life

Cr Sri lives on a houseboat moored in the Brisbane River with his partner, stating his purpose for this as wanting to donate half of his $157,782 salary.[19]

He is a saxophonist and vocalist with Brisbane band The Mouldy Lovers.[20] He is known for his spoken word performances.[8]

References
  1. "The Gabba Ward". www.brisbane.qld.gov.au. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  2. "Jonathan Sri, Councillor for the Gabba Ward". The Australian Greens. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  3. "South Brisbane - Queensland Election 2015 - Qld Election 2015 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC News. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  4. "The Gabba - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC News. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  5. "Greens win first Queensland local government seat". ABC News. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  6. Robertson, Joshua (23 March 2016). "Queensland elects its first Greens councillor, Jonathan Sri". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  7. Atfield, Cameron (12 April 2016). "Four new Brisbane councillors, representing three parties, with one aim". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  8. Cooper, Nathanael (27 April 2016). "Sri lays down his roots in council with a rap". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  9. "Jonathan Sri - Greens Candidate for The Gabba Ward #bccvotes". Westender - West End 4101. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  10. "West Village protest shut down". www.couriermail.com.au. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  11. Sri, Jonathan. "Cr". Why I’ve Decided to Name and Shame Real Estate Agents. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  12. Swanston, Tim (31 October 2018). "Brisbane councillor investigated over 'harassment, stalking' claims by real estate agent". ABC News. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  13. "Greens councillor Jonathan Sri apologises over fake voicemail". ABC News. 18 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  14. "The Gabba - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC News. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  15. "How Australia's Greens Are Winning a Left-Wing Vote in the Heart of "Conservative Queensland"". jacobinmag.com. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  16. Jul 23, About the author Jonathan Sri Facebook Twitter Website Published; 2019. "Can Roadblocks Help Change the Political Climate?". Jonathan Sri. Retrieved 17 December 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. Sep 28, About the author Jonathan Sri Published; 2018. "Peaceful Assembly Act - Organising protests without getting fined". Jonathan Sri. Retrieved 17 December 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. Stone, Lucy (15 October 2019). "Brisbane council condemns Jonathan Sri's comments on police violence". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  19. Malo, Jim. "Brisbane councillor Jonathan Sri lives on a houseboat so he can donate half his pay". Domain. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  20. Snowdon, Tom (13 August 2017). "Brisbane Greens councillor Jonathan Sri on Japanese jaunt with his band". Courier Mail. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
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