Qld budget 2024: LNP to accept it in full to maintain ‘stability’

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli will honour the government’s state budget to maintain “stability” if he becomes premier – despite not knowing what is contained in it.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli will honour the government’s state budget to maintain “stability” if he becomes premier – despite not knowing what is contained in it.

Treasurer Cameron Dick next Tuesday delivers his fifth budget, the last before the state goes to the polls on October 26.

The razor-thin $122m deficit forecast in December has now deepened to $3bn, with significant housing and cost of living measures and the state’s construction program blamed.

Mr Dick attacked Mr Crisafulli’s “lack of announcements” and questioned what he would cut to reduce taxes.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli. Picture: Liam Kidston

The LNP leader labelled Mr Dick’s comments a “scare campaign” and said whatever measures were contained in Mr Dick’s budget would be continued if he became premier on October 26.

“Anything that’s in the budget is going to be honoured,” he said.

“I know the government’s trying to run a scare campaign saying otherwise, but if things are in the budget they’ve got to be honoured for the stability of the public service and for Queenslanders to have a sense of trust.

“What will change is the culture of waste and blowouts will change.”

Mr Crisafulli, questioned whether he’d keep funding for the Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro project, said he was more focused on “projects that are delivering things”.

“It doesn’t have any planning scheme, the project hasn’t even been approved,” he said.

Further, Mr Dick described Mr Crisafulli’s endorsement of his budget as “gobsmacking”.

“If David Crisafulli is accepting the four years of spending of our entire budget that I’ll hand down next week Queenslanders will rightly ask why he has been whinging and whining for the past four years about what our government’s been doing?”