Qld election 2024: Claims $383m not enough for LNP child safety plan

The LNP hasn’t pledged enough money to its ambitious child protection plan, the state government has alleged, slamming the Opposition for rubbery figures.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli with youth justice spokeswoman Laura Gerber (left) and child protection spokeswoman Amanda Camm. Picture: Richard Walker

The LNP hasn’t pledged enough money to its ambitious child protection plan, the state government has alleged, slamming the Opposition for rubbery figures.

But Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has insisted the plan is fully costed and fully funded, and pointed the finger at the government for not knowing the true cost of its centrepiece renewable energy project.

The LNP this week unveiled a $383m plan to reform the child protection system, with a pledge to hire more child safety officers, put more carers in residential care facilities and build a new safe house as central pillars.

Treasurer Cameron Dick and Child Safety Minister Charis Mullen slammed the plan as “desperately underfunded”, claiming there was not enough money set aside by the LNP to deliver a promised 20 per cent uplift in child safety officers or have two carers on 24/7 at resi-care facilities.

In particular the government is claiming the LNP’s plan to build a 12-bed “secure care” facility for children deemed by a court to require intensive wraparound therapeutic care would cost far more than $50m.

Ms Mullen confirmed her department was looking at the idea and it was “definitely” worth more than $50m.

Mr Crisafulli said the plan was fully costed and fully funded, and noted the Opposition had already confirmed it would not go ahead with the Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro mega project, slated by the state government to cost $12bn with the possibility of a price tag as high as $24bn.

“You can get a lot of child safety officers for $24 billion. The question for the government is, what’s their plan? Is it new taxes to pay for that explosion,” he said.

Mr Dick said the government had no current plans in relation to tax policy, but those announcements would be made as the election loomed closer.

Asked to outline the cost of the state government’s proposed water desalination plant — the core of its water security policy — Mr Dick couldn’t outline a price tag or how big the facility would be.