Brisbane’s south-east was hit with rate rises of more than $100 a year in the 2018-19 council budget handed down on Wednesday, but lord mayor Graham Quirk still claimed his budget was a “perfect 10”.

Opposition Leader Peter Cumming said the rates increase would take $59 million out of ratepayers’ pockets.

He slammed Cr Quirk as being arrogant and out of touch with what the people of Brisbane really needed.

“Where is the extra $59 million and what has it been spent on? Ratepayers have a right to know where their money has gone,” he said.

At a playground in Mansfield, mothers Larissa McCrea, Sinead Higgins and Phoebe Francey said while adding $2.04 per week to their rates might not sound like much, it would have a flow-on effect in the suburb.

“You try to give your kids dance lessons and all the rest of it, and then when childcare goes up and now the rates are going up, it just makes it harder at the end of the day,” Mrs McCrea said.

Mrs McCrea said the rate rise would also hurt local businesses such as her children’s swim and dance schools as it would force people to cut back on perceived luxuries.

“What are they going to give us for this extra money? Are they going to go and upgrade all the parks and roads?” she said.

“It’d be nice to get some decent explanation for why the rates are going up.”

Ms Higgins wanted to know why rates in the suburb were jumping so much compared to suburbs just 10 minutes away such as Mount Gravatt, which saw a 4.3 per cent, or $1.18, rise.

In 2018-19 there will be a $2043 difference between the highest and lowest average rates bills.

Cr Quirk said the city’s rates were based on three-year average valuations.

“The reason that some parts of the city go up and others come down or have less increases is because of the valuation movements,” he said.

“This tends to average out across the city over time, but it means that there are some areas that do face more rate increases than other areas.”

Cr Quirk said the council was always faced with financial challenges.

“There is always more to be done, but we have to balance the capacity of [the] people that pay against the needs of the city,” he said.

“The one message people continue to give me is, 'lord mayor don’t fall behind with the infrastructure build' and so that’s what we’ve tried to address.

“I understand the need to keep them [rates] down as low as possible, but also the need to progress Brisbane.

“People will never forgive the lord mayor that lets the build fall behind.”

Join us and lord mayor Graham Quirk on our Facebook page at 3pm Thursday for a live discussion on the budget.