Hitting the Jim: Treasurer’s Budget blitz coming to Queensland

Federal ministers will be making 20 stops the length of Queensland as they sell Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ budget.

• Editor’s view: Salesman with no pitch

Federal ministers will blitz Queensland in the coming week, as they try to sell a budget copping criticism for fuelling inflation and not doing enough for middle Australia.

Cabinet Ministers, including Logan-based Treasurer Jim Chalmers, will be making 20 stops between Coolangatta and Cairns in the next five days to spruik the cost-of-living, housing and health measures announced last week.

Labor holds just five out of 30 seats in the state, having gone backwards in last year’s election, with the blitz understood to partially be about rebuilding its political fortunes in Queensland.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek will be in Brisbane on Monday to announce $236 million over 10 years to fix the state’s ageing rain gauge and flood warning system.

There is little in the way of new road or rail upgrades for the Albanese Government to sell, with a 90-day audit of the $120 billion infrastructure pipeline expected to cut some, while the $3.4 billion in funding for Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games venues had already been announced.

The focus is expected to be more on tripling the Medicare rebate incentive, which as expected to make it easier for parents, pensioners and people on concession cards to be bulk billed when seeing the doctor, build-to-rent tax incentives to tackle the housing crisis, as well as cost-of-living measures like the energy bill relief.

Mr Chalmers, who began the budget sales pitch in Brisbane last week, said the budget did not just have a national focus, but targeted the sunshine state.

“Queensland makes such a big contribution to the national economy and this is a budget that recognises that – with substantial investments in energy and the Olympics that will deliver a lasting legacy,” he said.

“Whether it’s our energy rebates, bulk billing incentives or our energy efficiency package – we’ll be talking to Queenslanders this week about what’s in the budget for them.”

Agriculture and Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said the number of Ministers hitting the state this week showed the Labor was “governing for the whole country”.

“This budget delivers to Queensland, providing responsible cost-of-living help to millions of our people, while investing in the areas that will help grow the economy,” Senator Watt said.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt

But the budget has been criticised for its $21 billion in new spending measures, which Opposition treasury spokesman Angus Taylor said meant the government could not keep using Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an excuse for rising inflation.

“Inflation is coming from Canberra now not from the Kremlin,” he said.

“It‘s hard to find economists who think that this budget is putting downward pressure on inflation. There’s a debate about whether it’s waiting and making it worse or it’s neutral. But there’s very few saying this is putting downward pressure on inflation.”

Meanwhile, Ms Plibersek said the $236 million would go toward purchasing and upgrading high-priority flood gauges in flood prone areas.

“Reliable flood warnings will help Australians prepare for moments of extreme weather. It will keep people safer as they happen. And being better prepared will, when the water recedes, help reduce the financial impact of flooding on families and businesses,” Ms Plibersek said.

But the cash injection is slower than what the Local Government Association of Queensland had been calling for, which was seeking $210 million over four years.