Toowoomba City Council's wasteful $250,000 flagpole defended ...

"It's not just a flagpole – it's a structure," says Labor government Minister.

Flagpole was apparently chosen by Towoomba City Council's bureaucrats.

Part of a $100 million State-wide spending spree.

Excerpt from Courier Mail:

How the state marks 150 years

21 March 2008

A giant flagpole and a major airconditioning fitout are among $100 million of projects deemed worthy by the State Government of marking Queensland's 150th birthday next year.

The projects have been criticised by local councils and historians as a wasted opportunity to recognise Queensland's past since its separation from NSW in June 1859.

And the Q150 body set up to oversee the celebrations has admitted they did not get to choose the projects that were, instead, handpicked by bureaucrats from the Local Government Department.

The projects include $250,000 for a 46m flagpole to stand on Toowoomba's Picnic Point, $400,000 to aircondition Rockhampton's Customs House and $2.5 million for a Tree of Knowledge memorial at Barcaldine.

Royal Historical Society of Queensland president Denver Beanland said many of the projects could be funded in other budgets.

"It seems capital works by another name," Mr Beanland said.

Scenic Rim Regional Council mayor-elect John Brent said the Government was playing favourites.

"It's all over the place like a dog's breakfast," he said.

But the State Government claims all the projects are significant and any criticism was just "sour grapes".

"Whenever you have a funding round, there are people who complain," Local Government Minister Warren Pitt said.

"Some people are winners, some people don't get what they want, but we all have to get on with life."

Mr Pitt defended the flagpole, saying it would be an icon for the state.

"That's not just a flagpole – it's a structure," he said.

The Q150 Committee was not told how the Government made its decisions.

Q150 executive chairman Peter Coaldrake said the funding was through the Local Government Department.

"I don't know that a hundred million spread across the state, if the choices are good, is a large amount of money," Professor Coaldrake said. "If it's wasted money, it's a fair comment."

Griffith University Centre for Public Culture and Ideas professor Raymond Evans said funding should be prioritised to ensure the state was shown in the right light.

"Some of these things seem to be a bit dodgy," Dr Evans said.

"Do they really need two-and-a-half million dollars for a memorial?"

Dr Evans said some projects appeared to have nothing to do with the sesquicentenary and areas of significance were under-represented with Brisbane City Council only receiving $1 million for "cultural trails", or signage identifying historical sites.

This was compared with grants of $5 million for a multi-purpose indoor sport and recreation centre to be built at Logan and $16 million for the Southport Broadwater Parklands.

"Brisbane and Ipswich were the population centres of 1859. They should be at the centre of the project," Dr Evans said.

"As far as white settlement goes, there was nothing happening at the Gold Coast."

Liberal Party leader Mark McArdle said a $250,000 flagpole was "absolutely ludicrous".

"They really should be putting money into projects that celebrate our past, our image and our future," he said.

See - Toowoomba City Council's $250,000 flagpole labelled ludicrous.

See the full list of projects here - How State government and Councils wasted $100 million.