Annastacia Palaszczuk flags energy rebates in Queensland budget

Annastacia Palaszczuk has flagged big energy rebates in the upcoming state budget after new inflation figures revealed Brisbane suffered the highest CPI increase in the country.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Anthony Albanese in Brisbane on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Annastacia Palaszczuk has flagged big energy rebates in the upcoming state budget after new inflation figures revealed Brisbane suffered the highest CPI increase in the country.

State-owned generators delivered a $175 power rebate to all households last year and the Queensland Premier said the next rebate would be “ a lot more”.

“You will see in this budget, that we hand down in June, there will be a lot of measures in there addressing cost of living; we acknowledge this is a big issue out in the community,” she said.

“I am giving you very key inside information here, a lot more than $175 rebate will be in this year’s state budget.”

A recent YouGov poll, commissioned by The Courier Mail, shows voters blamed the state government more than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for rising living costs but Ms Palaszczuk insisted it was a national problem.

“It is not just happening in Queensland, it is happening in NSW, in Victoria,” she said.

Inflation hits Brisbane harder than any other city in Australia

Emeritus professor at the University of Queensland Phil Bodman said rebates would help ease cost pressures on households but “down the track will fuel inflation … It is all well and good to try to help people out but somewhere there will be a trade-off.”

“It depends how this is targeted,” he said.

“If it is across-the-board relief then it has to be paid for and it is likely to be a little bit more ­inflationary.

“If it is more targeted to those who really need the money to pay off inflated electricity bills, and that is all they are doing with it, it will be less inflationary.”

New ABS data this week revealed living costs hit Brisbane harder than any other capital city, with CPI rising by 1.9 per cent in the Queensland capital compared with the national average of 1.4 per cent.

House prices in Brisbane increased by 3.4 per cent – almost double the second highest rates in Sydney and Hobart – while education costs were up 7.4 per cent and health by 5.4 per cent.

LNP Treasury spokesman David Janetzki welcomed “any support that can be given to Queenslanders”.

‘The problem we face here is the Palaszczuk Labor government has failed to plan for the long term and now it is Queenslanders who are paying for it,” he said.