Brisbane to get $5.6m boost to health and wellness programs

Brisbane City Council is set to inject $5.6 million into its health and wellness initiatives as part of the 2026/2027 budget, aiming to significantly boost active living across the city.

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It's about making sure that Brisbane residents have the opportunity to stay active and healthy, to get out, to enjoy our amazing city, but also without hurting the hip pocket.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner announced that the funding will fuel the expansion of the Move Well Brisbane program. This expansion includes the introduction of nutritional and cooking classes, alongside a doubling of providers and activities. The program builds upon the existing Active and Healthy initiative, which already offers numerous free and low-cost activities.

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We've got opportunities for you to provide services to the people of Brisbane and to provide those free services, free classes, free activities that people really want to get involved with.

"It's about making sure that Brisbane residents have the opportunity to stay active and healthy, to get out, to enjoy our amazing city, but also without hurting the hip pocket," Schrinner stated. The initiative is also designed to create opportunities for local businesses to offer services and classes.

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Cost of living is affecting so many households at the moment so we're hoping that people can come away really understanding how to produce meals for themselves in their households that really are helping them to stretch the dollar a bit further as well.

The investment is part of a broader council focus on cost-of-living relief. Nutrition Australia Queensland will partner to deliver the cooking and nutrition classes, with CEO Kirsty Elliott emphasizing the goal of teaching budget-friendly meal preparation. The program aims to see participating businesses grow to 400 and sessions increase to 20,000 over the next two years.

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We try to keep it delicious, easy, and like I said: very budget friendly.