We call on Redland City Council to immediately cease funding bull riding events through public grants and sponsorship, and to review its funding assessment criteria to explicitly exclude events that involve the use of animals for entertainment purposes.

Redland City Council has approved $90,000 in ratepayer funds — $30,000 per year over three years — to Grass Roots Bull Riding under the Signature Events Attraction and Retention Fund. This is in addition to prior Council funding received by the same organisation. This allocation has been made to a commercial event operation, not a community organisation.

Bull riding requires the use of animals who cannot consent to participation. Standard practices associated with the sport — including the use of flank straps, confinement in chutes, and documented instances of electric prod use — cause distress and, in some cases, physical harm to the animals involved. The RSPCA has stated publicly that rodeo events, including bull riding, raise serious animal welfare concerns that are not adequately addressed by existing codes of practice. In 2020, a formal animal cruelty complaint was lodged with RSPCA Queensland in relation to a Grass Roots Bull Riding event held in the Redlands. This complaint was supported by video footage and documented in writing. Council does not appear to have taken this history into account when approving subsequent funding.

Council's Signature Events fund requires that funded events deliver positive community outcomes, wellbeing benefits, and reputational benefit to the Redlands. Events involving contested animal use practices do not meet these criteria for a significant portion of the Redlands community. The Redlands is a peri-urban coastal community with a strong record of environmental stewardship and wildlife conservation, including its leadership in koala protection. Public funding of bull riding is inconsistent with this identity and with contemporary community expectations.

We call on Council to:

• Withdraw remaining funding committed to Grass Roots Bull Riding under the current grant agreement, or at minimum not renew or extend it.
• Introduce explicit animal welfare exclusions into all Council grant and sponsorship funding criteria
  Consult with recognised animal welfare organisations — including the RSPCA — as part of any future assessment of events involving animals
• Provide a public, transparent account of how this funding was assessed and approved
• Ratepayer and public money must reflect community values. Ours do not include the public subsidisation of animal cruelty.