Qld budget 2025: Crack team to drive private investment in infrastructure

A crack team of bureaucrats will woo private investors to build Queensland’s critical road and rail infrastructure, the Treasurer has revealed.

Private investors will be wooed to build Queensland’s critical road and rail infrastructure, Treasurer David Janetzki has revealed, as the state looks elsewhere to plug a multibillion-dollar revenue black hole.

Mr Janetzki, in a major post-budget speech, confirmed a crack team of bureaucrats called the Treasury Transaction Team would begin working from August 1.

Their mission is to “attract private capital to help deliver infrastructure projects needed for a growing state”, in a sign Mr Janetzki is paving the way for private-public partnerships to deliver major projects.

It comes as the state stares down the barrel of the worst operating deficit ($8.6bn) in the coming financial year since Covid-19, and a total debt burden set to hit $205bn in 2028-29. Queensland has also taken a multibillion-dollar hit to its GST revenue, which Mr Janetzki has sought to blame on the federal government’s complex GST split.

The state government plans to explore private investment options for the Gabba precinct and renewable energy projects.

However, Mr Janetzki also refused to rule out the privatisation of road and rail infrastructure.

“Well-directed and efficient capital investment ultimately reduces operating costs over time and it is important it is directed where it needs to go,” he said.

Treasurer David Janetzki delivers his state budget address to CEDA on Monday. Picture: Glenn Campbell/NCA NewsWire

According to data from Infrastructure Partnerships Australia in a September Treasury report, public-private partnerships have been declining since 2008, falling to just seven procurements between 2021-22 and 2022-23 financial years.

“They’ll (TTT) invest their time, their efforts with the private sector to make sure we get the balance right and we get interest into those areas that we need to,” Mr Janetzki said.

Mr Janetzki took another swipe at the federal government’s GST distribution on Monday at the CEDA post-budget forum, following earlier claims Victoria and NSW did not deserve a larger share due the policy failures of those states.

His comments drew an explosive retort from Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan, who called his views “bulls--t” and “complete nonsense”.

Mr Janetzki has argued that the continuation of the current distribution model could worsen productivity rates and should be reworked to reward jurisdictions, like Queensland, who are doing the heavy lifting when it came to energy investment.

“Our gas is solving the southern states’ energy crisis; and our GST revenue is going to Victoria to keep their hospital lights on,” he said.

But he stopped short of demanding federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers revoke Western Australia’s sweetheart GST deal brokered under the Morrison government.

“I think when the horizontal fiscal equalisation review is undertaken in the Productivity Commission review, you know, there shouldn’t be an ordained outcome,” he said.

“The next review cannot be used to lock in that deal, or worse, to lock in the deal while removing the No Worse Off Guarantee top-up payments.”

Originally published as Qld budget 2025: Crack team to drive private investment in infrastructure