Cash splash: ‘Best ever’ budget to freeze all gov fees and charges

Premier Steven Miles says today’s state budget will be the “best ever” despite it containing the second-largest deficit in a decade to help fund a major pre-election cash splash.

Premier Steven Miles says today’s state budget will be the “best ever” despite it containing the second-largest deficit in a decade to help fund a major pre-election cash splash.

The state government has spent weeks drip-feeding major cost of living announcements, but Mr Miles said there would still be “plenty new” for Queenslanders on Tuesday.

As he stares down worsening poll results, Mr Miles insists the government’s focus has not been on the election.

Privately, Labor MPs are holding out hope the budget will deliver a turning point for Mr Miles’s young premiership.

Premier Steven Miles and Deputy Premier Cameron Dick were all smiles the day before the State Budget.

The Courier-Mail can reveal all government fees and charges – including the cost of a driver’s license – will be frozen by Mr Dick in Tuesday’s budget.

It will cost the government about $180m in lost revenue across 2024-25.

The treasurer said the freeze would include the emergency management levy, transport and hospital fees and charges and fishing permit costs.

Queensland will post a $564m surplus this financial year, reversing an anticipated $138m deficit.

However, analysis of a decade of Queensland budgets reveals the $3bn deficit is the second-largest, behind only the $5.7bn loss posted in the Covid-hit 2019-20 financial year.

It is despite revenue soaring to an anticipated $85.7bn this financial year, the second highest on record.

Deputy Premier and Treasurer Cameron Dick, who will deliver his fifth state budget, said it was the start of the election campaign.

Premier Steven Miles and Deputy Premier Cameron Dick, during Caucus meeting at Parliament House. Picture: Liam Kidston.

In a rallying cry to Labor troops on Monday that prompted a standing ovation, Mr Dick told the caucus more cost of living relief would be provided to Queenslanders.

He also challenged Opposition Leader David Crisafulli and called for him to “stop hiding” and lay out what the LNP would do if it won in October.

“We know what David Crisafulli is doing, it’s like he’s in a footy team or a netball team … he’s leading at halftime but now he’s hiding in the sheds and he doesn’t want to come out for the second half,” he said.

“He doesn’t want to put his plans out there.”

“When we come out of the budget, we’re going to fight for Queensland … every day until the 26th of October.”

Dwindling coal royalty revenue over the next four years is expected to put pressure on the government, which has poured billions of dollars into short-term cost of living relief.

Hundreds of millions of dollars more will be dished out to Queenslanders on Tuesday in a pre-election budget Labor MPs hope will pull the government back from an electoral wipe-out in October.

Premier Steven Miles and Deputy Premier Cameron Dick.

In an indication of how the government will fight the election, Mr Dick encouraged Queenslanders to keep a “firm hand on the till” as cost of living and economic pressures continue.

“The seas are still storming and the skies are still dark with so much happening, particularly the impact of inflation and cost of living pressures on Queenslanders,” he said.

“Queenslanders need a firm hand on the till, they need people who can get them through these difficult times, but get to better days next year when cost of living pressures will come off particularly when the Reserve Bank starts cutting interest rates.

“For the time being we are absolutely focused on doing what we need to do for them to help them at a time of difficulty, and that’s what the budget will be about.”

The treasurer, who in The Sunday-Mail played down any ambition to become premier, declared the government would deliver the “greatest cost of living relief budget in Queensland history”.

“Not only will it be the greatest cost of living budget in Queensland history it will be the greatest cost of living budget that any state government has ever done in Australia,” he said.

The government will face some resistance, however.

Its decision to hike foreign property tax charges without consultation is set to spark significant backlash from the industry and the Queensland Resources Council, in the third phase of a long-running campaign, have again taken aim at Mr Dick’s 2022 decision to hike coal royalties without consultation.

Mr Dick said the government had “made some tough choices” in order to fund cost of living relief.

“The toughest choice we’ve made is to take on coal companies to ensure Queenslanders get a fair share,” he said.

Mr Crisafulli has previously pledged to continue Labor’s budget measures if he is elected premier in October.

He is expected to use Thursday’s budget reply speech to outline detail of his plans to increase home ownership, which will include raising stamp duty thresholds.