Federal budget 2025: Gold Coast civic leaders give their funding wishlists
Gold Coast civic leaders have revealed what they want to see Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers unveil in Tuesday night’s budget. FIND OUT MORE
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Support for tropical cyclone Alfred recovery and housing relief have topped federal budget wishlists of Gold Coast civic leaders.
The budget, which is expected to set the stage for Labor’s re-election bid, will be brought down on Tuesday night by federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers.
While hopeful for some relief, property industry leaders say they have low expectations for the budget, tipping any funding for infrastructure projects to be held back for the election campaign.
Mayor Tom Tate eschewed his normally long infrastructure funding list and said his sole hope for tonight’s budget was funding to help get the city back on its feet from the impact of the cyclone.
“Our focus will be to ensure there is funding for our continuing recovery from TC Alfred, specifically the restoration of our iconic beaches as soon as possible,” he said.
Premier David Crisafulli and Mr Tate revealed last week they had launched negotiations with the federal government to secure funding to replenish the city’s devastated coastline.
It will cost at least $10m to replenish the sand while a long-term solution to the erosion issue is mulled over.
There is not expected to be any funding for key infrastructure projects including the Coomera Connector or the light rail, with the future of the Burleigh to border extension under a cloud.
Tuesday’s budget has been put together in just a handful of weeks after the arrival of cyclone Alfred forced Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to delay calling an election.
He is now tipped to visit Government House this weekend to call the election for either May 3 or May 10, with the last possible date on May 17.
Property sector leaders are hoping the budget will contain some relief for the housing market or a plan for housing to increase the number of dwellings, given the city’s dramatic population growth.
Ray White Surfers Paradise boss Andrew Bell said it was critical to unlock more housing, but admitted he was not hopeful of any major announcements.
“I would hope to see the answers to all the things we would like to have – good housing policy or decisions which would lead to lower interest rates – but I am not optimistic at all,” he said.
“The government has had three years and I cannot imagine anything big will happen tonight.
“If they had a silver bulletin or any real answer on this stuff then we would have heard it by now.
“Knowing there is an election to follow, I suspect they will be keeping any major announcements for the campaign, so budget night will be a non-event.”
The government, in last year’s budget, announced an $11.3bn housing package which included a new five-year national agreement on social housing and homelessness, along with a further $1bn for crisis housing and $2.5bn to address bottlenecks in the property market.
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