Why Mackay Isaac Whitsunday must get fair share in budget
Our region provides billions in royalties to the government each year, it’s time our voices are heard, Melanie Whiting writes.
Opinion
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IN fewer than 24 hours, the Queensland Government will hand down the most important budget in our state's history.
In light of the ongoing pandemic, there is no doubt the financial blueprint will be a road map to economic recovery with a focus on projects and initiatives that will help prop up our future.
The Mackay and Issac regions will have a huge role to play in the future prosperity of the Sunshine State.
Mackay is the gateway to the Bowen Basin and a major METS hub.
Resource projects in the Isaac region provide billions in royalties to the government each year.
While the lead-up to last month's Queensland election brought a slew of commitments and promises for various projects in the region - politicians can't be complacent.
It was a great outcome for projects like Harrup Park Country Club's Great Barrier Reef Arena upgrade, which received the remaining $10 million required to get off the ground.
But other projects, such as the Pioneer Valley Mountain Bike Trail, received much less funding than what was sought.
Isaac Regional Council was forced to practically beg political parties to put their plans for the region on the table, and got very few commitments even after that exercise.
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Qld election 2020: Recovery focus for Whitsunday campaign
While much attention was focused on tourism in the Whitsundays in the lead-up to the election, it remains unclear whether funding promises from the Palaszczuk Labor Government will be delivered since Labor candidate Angie Kelly failed to secure the seat.
We know the resources sector will be key to the country's economic recovery.
So then it's fair to say the Mackay Isaac Whitsunday region will be the epicentre, or ground zero if you like, for this recovery.
If the region does not get its fair slice of budget pie come December 1, one would have to question how serious the government is about getting Queensland's economy moving again.
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