Mr Crisafulli said he would seek to have the annual process chaired independently – such as by the Speaker – and expand time for questions from members of the opposition party.
This year’s budget estimates will kick off on Tuesday, with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk the first to be grilled followed by Treasurer Cameron Dick.
Mr Crisafulli was critical of the time currently used for government ministers to be able to “wind down the clock” by asking “Dorothy Dixer” questions of MPs.
“Budget estimates should be an opportunity for ministers to be held accountable, but it has descended into a farce, shielding underperforming ministers from scrutiny,” he said.
“It’s the best opportunity for an opposition to put the blowtorch on the government, but at present it’s another forum where the sun isn’t allowed to shine in.”
The budget estimates process sees each portfolio committee hold a public hearing each year following the handing down of the state budget.
At each hearing the relevant minister – along with that portfolio’s senior public servants – are alternately questioned by the committee, which contains a split of government and non-government MPs.
But slamming the “stalling” tactics as “dodgy”, the Opposition Leader said the current process was proof “the integrity issues exposed by the Coaldrake Review continue to flourish”.
“The landmark Coaldrake Review exposed deep-seated integrity issues in this government, a lack of ministerial accountability and the culture of fear and cover-up in the public service,” Mr Crisafulli said.
“Queenslanders deserve an end to Labor’s culture of fear and bullying of the public service, which operates as a protection racket during budget estimates.
“An LNP government would reform budget estimates to deliver the true ministerial accountability and transparency Queenslanders deserve from their parliament.”
Last year’s budget estimates saw several fiery moments, including the Premier taking a stab at Mr Crisafulli when he said Ms Palaszczuk was “glitz glamour, no vision”.
“I say to the Leader of the Opposition, don’t come up to me at social events and be nice … then come in here and put on a turn,” she retorted back.
“You come up and be nice, I take your photo with Peter Beattie.”
It was also during the budget estimates process that Deputy Premier Steven Miles revealed the $200m-plus cost to taxpayers of the Wellcamp quarantine facility – a figure the government had refused to provide for months citing “commercial in confidence”.
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Luxury cars and nearly $2m has been seized under a target campaign against delinquent driver who had outstanding fines owing to the state government.
And the State Penalties Enforcement Register raked in a total of $400m in 2022/23, a revenue record and an increase of $100m from the previous financial year.
But the state government still had to write off $107.8m worth of debts in the recent financial year, including because of fines owed by deregistered companies or people who had died.
Treasurer Cameron Dick, speaking at budget estimates, revealed a targeted debt collecting effort by the Queensland Revenue Office in recent weeks resulted in the seizure of 58 vehicles and $1.7m in cash.
Among the vehicles were a Mustang, a Porsche Cayenne, and a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Eight of the vehicles will be sold as the owners have declined to pay their fines.
One of the debtor had racked up 20 traffic fines in 12 months, a dozen of those for speeding, and their vehicle was thus seized.
Applying payroll to GP clinics will hurt patients including those in nursing homes Queensland’s peak medical body has warned, refuting claims by Treasurer Cameron Dick that it would mainly hurt “large corporate medical services”.
It comes as Acting Under Treasurer Maryanne Kelly, in budget estimates, revealed less than a hundred GP clinics had signed up for the state government’s payroll tax amnesty.
But the AMAQ warned the take up was low because many were still working to get legal and accounting advice.
Earlier this year the state government put in place a two-and-a-half-year grace period for GP clinics unaware they were liable for payroll tax, giving them time to tweak their business structures or build a financial buffer to shoulder the bill.
Ms Kelly revealed 93 GP clinics had signed up.
The AMAQ estimates there are 1400 GP clinics across the state, meaning just 6 per cent have put their name on the amnesty ledger.
Mr Dick, speaking at budget estimates, said the amnesty meant a $100m in forgone revenue annually for the government.
He then challenged the Opposition to declare if they supported “giving those large corporate medical practices a permanent tax break”
“But then you've got to follow through. You've got to follow through with how you're going to fund $100 million in cuts,” Mr Dick said.
AMAQ president Dr Maria Boulton said Mr Dick’s claim was a “misunderstanding” of how the tax impacted GP clinics.
She said the vast majority of practices “targeted for auditing” were not large corporates but small suburbs and regional clinics, owned by “mums and dads”.
“This tax will hurt patients, particularly those in nursing homes. Most GPs who visit patients in aged care facilities actually lose money to do so, as the Medicare rebate doesn’t cover the cost of the patient’s care,” Dr Boulton said.
The AMAQ are adamant the payroll tax on GPs is a new interpretation of law in the aftermath of a NSW tribunal hearing.
But Queensland Treasury and the government are adamant nothing has changed since 2008.
The amnesty was put in place by the state government after it discovered clinics liable for tax didn’t realise they were.
The state government paused the implementation of payroll tax assessments after on clinics that had only recently discovered they were liable after a NSW tribunal ruling that would also apply here.
“While we appreciate the Queensland government’s decision to halt auditing and hold off imposing this new tax until 2025, we note the West Australian government has already ruled out applying payroll tax to general practice,” Dr Boulton said.
“The Treasurer’s claim that scrapping this tax would lead to $100 million in cuts to other services does not stand up, as it is not currently being collected.”
A review of Queensland’s government-regulated insurance scheme for motorists has been put on hold after RACQ pulled out of the $1.7bn market.
Treasurer Cameron Dick confirmed a 2023 review of Compulsory Third-Party (CTP) scheme was on hold to allow the Motor Accident Insurance Commission, alongside the Department of Transport and Main Roads, to undertake “urgent action” to ensure motorists remain covered.
Private insurers underwrite mandatory cover for almost 4.7 million vehicles in Queensland, from tractors to motorcycles, with levies and premiums drawing in $1.7bn in 2022.
Motoring body RACQ pulled out of the CTP market, of which it controlled 27 per cent, in June amid growing losses after attracting too many riskier drivers and older vehicles under the scheme, which covers people injured in vehicle accidents.
RACQ will stop offering CTP insurance cover from October 1.
All existing RACQ CTP policies will remain in place and over the following 12 months, Queensland motorists with RACQ CTP insurance will be transitioned to another insurer on renewal of their registration.
There are only three other players in the CTP market; Suncorp, Allianz and QBE.
Mr Dick said MAIC and TMR were working to “ensure a smooth transition” so no motorists experienced a loss of coverage.
The review will continue once the urgent work is complete.
Less than a hundred GP practices have signed up to a state government payroll tax amnesty.
Under Treasurer Maryanne Kelly, in estimates, confirmed 93 GP practices had signed up.
The AMAQ estimates there are 1400 general practices in Queensland.
In February this year the state government put in a place a two-and-a-half-year grace period for GP clinics unaware they were liable for payroll tax, giving them time to tweak their business structures or build a financial buffer to should the bill.
It was a move welcomed by the state’s doctors at the time, but they said compromise was not enough and they will continue to push for a total exemption on the “patient” tax.
Treasurer Cameron Dick had been in talks with NSW counterpart at the time Matt Kean to pause the implementation of payroll tax assessments on clinics that had only recently discovered they were liable after a NSW tribunal ruling that would also apply here.
The state government’s ill-fated multi-jurisdiction land tax would have had “negligible” impact on Queensland’s attractiveness to property investors according to information gathered by Treasury.
But Acting Under Treasurer Maryanne Kelly could not provide further detail on any modelling done into the measure that was eventually sensationally dumped.
“Any modelling or analysis is put before executive government in terms of decision making. I'm really limited in what I can talk about,” she said.
The now-scrapped changes would have seen land tax calculated using the total value of an investor’s Australian land – but they would have only paid for the portion of their land in Queensland.
Queenslanders will be able to save hundreds when purchasing energy efficient appliances in an effort to bring down electricity bills.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced today in budget estimates a $22 million Smart Energy Savers program, which offers rebates for a range of eligible energy efficient appliances in a push to ease cost of living.
The program is similar to a scheme the government had in 2018.
Around 40,000 households will benefit from the key cost-of-living measure with rebates of up to $1000 on offer to buy and install energy-efficient appliances for eligible households.
Rebates are limited to one per households.
This comes on top of existing electricity bill rebates of $550 and $1072 for senior and concession card holders.
Low income households will be able to claim the most on appliances, however all Queenslanders will be eligible to access cost-of-living support on selected appliances.
Energy and Public Works Minister Mick de Brenni asserted “the Smart Energy Savers Program is just another way the Palaszczuk Government is helping households save on electricity bills, following this year’s nation-leading energy rebates.”
– Mikaela Mulveney
Treasurer Cameron Dick has donned the boxing gloves for his opening statement in budget estimates, challenging Opposition members to have a “clear and unequivocal” position on new coal royalty tiers if they choose to ask questions about it.
A whopping $15.3bn coal royalties windfall – three times what the government had expected – helped pay for relief measures in the latest state budget, including at least $550 in energy rebates for every Queenslander.
Mr Dick, in a move that triggered a rare lashing from Japan’s ambassador to Australia at the time, introduced a new coal royalty tier in the 2022 state budget in a bid to take advantage of record high prices.
The new tier was meant to rake in $765m in the 2022-23 financial year, but sustained high coal prices resulted in an estimated $5.7bn in revenue uplift.
Overall, the coal royalties changes will rake in $7.2bn for the state between 2022-23 until mid-2027, up from the $1.2bn Treasury had initially forecast in last year’s budget.
“Progressive coal royalties are one of the central features of this year's state budget,” Mr Dick said.
“Given that, any member asking questions about the measures in this budget can only do so credibly if they have a clear and unequivocal position on those royalties.”
It is a Premier’s “prerogative” to slice and dice major government departments as part of ministerial reshuffles despite the Queensland Auditor General saying the process was “disruptive”.
A raft of “machinery of government” changes were sparked by the rare reshuffle of cabinet with May, with youth justice, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partnerships, and child safety to undergo the biggest shifts.
It is the sixth time in a decade youth justice and child safety has been changed, and the seventh for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partnerships in the same period.
The landmark Coaldrake Review into government integrity last year “urged” for “self-restraint to be applied” by governments to limit changes “to those which are absolutely necessary”.
Ms Palaszczuk again defended her decision to trigger a machinery of government change, saying she “absolutely believes” it is the prerogative of the Premier of the day to be able to do so.
She said the changes through her leadership had been “very minor”.
Auditor-General Brendan Worrall has told Tuesday's budget estimates there is no clause in the Wellcamp quarantine facility contract which would grant the state government "first right of access" to reclaim the lease should another pandemic occur.
Under questioning from Opposition Leader David Crisafulli Mr Worrall said the life of the facility – which the state government paid the Wagner family approximately $220m to build – would likely be 25 to 50 years.
Asked whether it was "normal for a short term lease to cover almost the entire capital cost of a facility", Mr Worrall said "in my experience as Auditor-General, I would say that is novel".
"The other thing we said in (the Auditor-General report into Wellcamp) was that there were alternatives at the time of entering into the agreement, such as continued hotel quarantine, though there had been some issues with that," he said.
– Stephanie Bennett
Laws enabling cabinet documents to be released in 30 days rather than 30 years will be ready this year according to the Public Sector Commissioner.
The move was a recommendation of Professor Peter Coaldrake in his landmark integrity report Let the Sunshine In more than a year ago.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk also asserted it took New Zealand longer than expected to put in place similar changes and that Queensland wanted to do reflecting “best practice”.
Public Sector Commissioner David Mackie said it was the intention, “subjective to executive government”, to bring the law changes required forward this year.
