Annastacia Palaszczuk shrugs off Qld’s $1b budget cuts

Despite Queensland copping $1 billion in major projects cuts in the federal budget, the Premier has given it her stamp of approval. VOTE IN OUR POLL

Matthew Killoran and Madura McCormack

3 min read

October 27, 2022 - 1:00AM

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Despite Queensland copping cuts of more than $1bn in the federal budget for major projects, Annastacia Palaszczuk has given it her rubber stamp of approval.

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers hacked, slashed and delayed funding for roads, dams and rail across the state when he handed down Labor’s budget on Tuesday night.

Although that did not stop Ms Palaszczuk standing up and backing the budget in during a speech in parliament on Wednesday.

She said the budget “delivered on much needed cost of living relief” and backed “good Queensland jobs”, despite the potential for a 56 per cent increase in energy costs over the next two years, as a fallout of the budget.

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But Ms Palaszczuk said she also expects “more to come for Queensland” in future federal budgets, noting the lack of a decision to share the costs of health funding 50/50 and no firm dollar value to fund the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

Ms Palaszczuk did concede that she was “disappointed that there are delays to some transport projects and I will absolutely be discussing that with the federal government”.

The state LNP lashed their government counterparts, as proxy, over parts of the federal budget, slamming the Health Minister and the Premier for the lack of 50/50 health funding in particular.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk speaks during Question Time at Parliament House on Wednesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Nanango MP Deb Frecklington, who lashed Water Minister Glenn Butcher for “failing to fight” for projects like Hells Gates Dam, said the federal government had turned “their back on rural and regional Queensland”.

Analysis of the budget papers show money in the budget for road and rail programs in Queensland over the next four years has dropped by $1.03bn, but no details have been provided on which projects have been axed.

Federal Nationals leader David Littleproud accused the Albanese government of lacking the courage to look Queenslanders in the eye and tell them why projects are being delayed or cut.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers defended the choices made in the budget, saying it was responsible and that many projects that were delayed lacked proper business cases.

Leader of the National Party David Littleproud speaks during a press conference in Brisbane on Wednesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Mr Littleproud said Queensland had gone backwards in infrastructure spend compared to Victoria, while questions remains over which projects had been cut.

“You know if you want to be transparent, as they said they were going to be, you’d look people in the eye and you tell them whether they’ve got it or not,” he said.

But Dr Chalmers said the claims from the Nationals were “complete rubbish”.

“There is a huge amount of investment in regional communities and a massive amount,” Dr Chalmers said. “That’s one of the pressures we’re managing, but also some of these commitments have been made without any regard, and we’re trying to introduce a bit more rigour so that people get value for money.”

It follows Labor’s first budget in almost a decade cutting funding for the $5.6bn Hells Gates Dam, the $483m Urannah dam and indefinitely delaying funds for the Emu Swamp Dam and water pipeline and Hughenden irrigation system.

State Transport Minister Mark Bailey said he was disappointed some projects had been delayed, but he “understood the difficult situation” the Albanese government was in.

Water Minister Glenn Butcher said the Coalition had allocated funds to projects which didn’t have detailed business cases as a desperate ploy to shore up support for the Nationals, calling it the “biggest con job in election history”.

The entire Urban Congestion Fund has been axed, but all the projects for Queensland have been reallocated to different funding pots including the four commuter car parks at Loganlea, Mango Hill, Coomera and Beenleigh.

A statement of which projects are on the chopping block has not yet been provided, but Infrastructure Minister Catherine King confirmed funding for the $1.6 billion Sunshine Coast Rail will go ahead. Mr Bailey said there was new and confirmed funding for key projects from Coolangatta to Cairns.