That's it for question time.
Parliament will return on June 21 for the budget.
Annastacia Palaszczuk announces $175 discount on next power bill
Power bills will be slashed by $175 under a cost of living rebate announced by the Palaszczuk government this morning, with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk saying it would make life 'a little bit easier'.
Power bills will be slashed by $175 under a cost of living rebate announced by the Palaszczuk government.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk this morning revealed the state would act to ease the high cost of living pressures, with a $175 rebate provided on electricity bills.
“In February we announced Queensland households would receive $50 off their power bills later this year because Queenslanders own their power assets – the generators, the transmission and the distribution,” she said.“With wholesale prices going up due to global instability, we have moved to raise it to $175 because we know the pressure Queenslanders face.
"$175 might not sound like much to some people but for those facing those hard choices it is a help.
The rebate will cost the government $385m, and is the fourth paid over four years totalling $1.185bn.
"This dividend is not available in states that sold off their electricity assets," Ms Palaszczuk said.
"This dividend offsets strong economic headwinds impacting electricity prices."
It comes amid a warning South East Queensland households and small businesses will pay hundreds of dollars more on electricity from July this year after wholesale electricity prices quadrupled.
The Australian Energy Regulator, in a double-whammy of reports released on Thursday, revealed wholesale electricity prices in Queensland had quadrupled in the first three months of the year compared to the same time in 2021.
And the prices will remain “the most expensive” in the region over the next quarter.
The soaring price of wholesale energy has resulted in the so-called standing offer—or cap on how much households that don’t shop around can be charged for power—increasing by at least $165 a year for southeast Queensland households in nominal terms.
“Residential customers in south-east Queensland will see increases above expected inflation of 5.5 per cent to 6.8 per cent (11.3 per cent to 12.6 per cent increases in nominal terms),” the AER stated.
For small businesses in the region, the annual cost of power bills may rise by about $705 a year.
According to the AER, the La Nina weather pattern in Queensland—and the increased warmth and humidity it brought- was a major factor behind electricity demand reaching “near record levels”.
“This high demand was met with supply issues caused by planned and unplanned generator outages and limits on the Queensland-NSW Interconnector (QNI),” the AER stated.
“(This) caused high prices, particularly in the evenings between 6pm and 9pm. As a result, Queensland prices during this evening time slot averaged over $200/MWh in the quarter.”
According to the AER, factors including a reduction in thermal general due to unplanned outages, higher coal and gas costs, slowing investment of new capacity, the war in Ukraine and extreme weather in Queensland disrupting coal supplies had led to higher forecast prices.
There are nearly 160,000 southeast Queensland households—or 10 per cent of consumers—that are on the standing market offer, with 20 per cent or 21,686 small businesses in the region also on the default price.
If those households and businesses shopped around for better deals, they could save up to $456 or $1134 a year respectively.
Updates
That's all folks
'I don't lick the stamps': Dick's response to SPER bungle
LNP treasury spokesman David Janetzki has asked Treasurer Cameron Dick about revelations in The Courier-Mail today that 10,300 motorists' fines and private details were sent by SPER to the wrong people.
Mr Dick thanked Mr Jantezki for his "annual question" from the Opposition – implying the LNP asked him very few questions during Question Time.
Mr Dick noted Brisbane City Council was an issuing authority.
"Now, there is an interaction with a third-party issuing authority here, I'm not saying it's the Brisbane City Council, but that is one of them," Mr Dick said.
He said he hoped Mr Janetzki would hold the LNP administration to account just if it turned out to be involved, as he would with the state.
Mr Dick suggested the data error was due to an interaction SPER had with a third party issuing authority.
The Treasurer noted he was not the one to lick the stamps and post the letters.
He said an external forensic review had been engaged, because in matters like this the state always reserved its legal position.
– Jack McKay & Jessica Marszalek
Queensland Health 'close' to appointing forensic services reviewer
LNP frontbencher Amanda Camm has asked Health Minister Yvette D'Ath whether the review of the forensic services lab will be undertaken by a person not chosen by Queensland Health – which is the subject of the review.
Ms D'Ath said there was only a small group of people who could do the work, and said it was regularly the department who selected a reviewer.
She asked: "If the department is not appointing a reviewer, who do they think should?
"I'm certainly not going to take the advice from the Member for Whitsundays."
Ms D'Ath said Queensland Health was "close" to finalising the appointment of the reviewer.
KAP: Will mandatory vaccine requirements be withdrawn?
Katter's Australian Party MP Shane Knuth has asked Annastacia Palaszczuk whether mandatory vaccination requirements would be withdrawn in light of staff shortages across the education and health system.
The Premier said it was an important question and that the government would continue to take the health advice.
– Domanii Cameron
Enoch to raise National Affordability Rental Scheme with federal government
Independent Noosa MP Sandy Bolton has asked about housing initiatives in regards to the incoming Albanese Government.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch would raise the National Affordability Rental Scheme with the new federal Labor government.
"When it comes to housing, I think it will be a new dawn when it comes to dealing with issues of housing," Ms Palaszczuk said.
– Jessica Marszalek
Minnikin: Will the Premier follow Anna Bligh's lead?
LNP transport spokesman Steve Minnikin has asked Annastacia Palaszczuk if she will follow former premier Anna Bligh's lead by admitting Queensland Health is broken.
Ms Palaszczuk hit back by questioning how many times Mr Minnikin rang former Prime Minister Scott Morrison to ask him to put health on the national agenda.
She said she would not be lectured to by the LNP as she accused all of them of failing to raise the health issues with the former Morrison government.
"Yes there are pressures in Queensland, but there are pressures right across (the country)," Ms Palaszczuk said.
The Premier said hospital staff had also been sick with Covid and influenza.
She did not directly answer Mr Minnikin's question.
– Jack McKay
Questions about Bundaberg Hospital
Opposition backbencher Stephen Bennett has asked about reports of unprescribed medication being given to patients at Bundaberg Hospital.
"Two days ago, the Minister said there was only one nurse involved in cases of unprescribed medicine being given to patients at Bundaberg Hospital," he said.
"Yesterday the Minister said there were several nurses."
Mr Bennett asked how the people of Bundaberg could trust that Health Minister Yvette D'Ath was across the detail.
Ms D'Ath said she had already given Mr Bennett a briefing.
– Domanii Cameron
Perrett probes D'Ath over death in Bundy
Gympie MP Tony Perrett has asked Health Minister Yvette D'Ath to clarify media reports which claim a patient died shortly after being administered unprescribed medication at Bundaberg Hospital.
Ms D'Ath said she had advised the parliament of the outcomes of a review into the prescription of incorrect medication, and cautioned Mr Perrett of linking a death to clinical procedure.
"I have been completely honest and upfront about what's been provided to me," she said.
'Clinical excellence Queensland is investigating."
– Hayden Johnson
Opposition: Thousands "stranded" on elective surgery waiting list
The Opposition has asked about the 58,895 Queenslanders "stranded on the elective surgery waiting list".
Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said those people included people who hadn't waited longer than the clinically recommended times.
She said the LNP seemed to be the only people in the country who didn't know about the pressures the entire country's health system was under.
"It has been such a difficult time," Ms D'Ath said.
"We've seen thousands of workers die from Covid around the globe."
She said the Queensland Government was very proud of the way it had responded to the pandemic.
– Jessica Marszalek
D'Ath: These were unprecedented times
LNP health spokeswoman Ros Bates has kicked off her question to Health Minister Yvette D'Ath by suggesting the latest hospital performance data showed an "extraordinary" number of Queenslanders were waiting to see specialists.
Ms Bates asked Ms D'Ath why patients could trust the Palaszczuk government to deliver health services in light of the recent figures.
Ms D'Ath said it would be nice if the Opposition acknowledged the good results from the past quarter given the unprecedented circumstances of the pandemic.
She suggested she was proud of the results as she pointed to hospitals that had improvements in their ambulance ramping figures.
"These were unprecedented times considering what they were facing," Ms D'Ath said of the state's hospital system, as she was met by noisy interjections from the Opposition.
– Jack McKay
Join the conversation
‘Never, ever thought I’d be here’: Homeless scourge hits everywhere
The number of families experiencing homelessness in Brisbane has almost tripled in 18 months, leading housing advocates to demand more housing supply.
Read more
Labor may put women last in allocating preferences
Premier Steven Miles has indicated Labor may put politics above women’s abortion rights when determining the party’s preference allocations.
Read more