Steven Miles lashes Crisafulli government for ‘Labor-lite’ budget, says public service cuts coming

Opposition Leader Steven Miles claims public service cuts are coming and has accused David Crisafulli of failing to deliver promised cost-of-living relief for Queenslanders.

Opposition Leader Steven Miles delivers his budget reply speech. Picture: Liam Kidston

You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles.

Queensland Opposition Leader Steven Miles has lashed the new Liberal National Party government’s first budget as “Labor-lite”, claiming public service cuts are coming and accusing David Crisafulli of failing to deliver promised cost-of-living relief for Queenslanders.

Labor leader Mr Miles’s budget reply on Thursday took aim at the LNP’s first budget in more than a decade, alleging it did not do enough to help vulnerable Queenslanders, address food security or build sufficient new homes.

Tuesday’s budget revealed the state’s debt burden would hit $190.4bn in 2027-28, before exceeding $200bn for the first time the following financial year. While the 2027-28 is lower than the $217.8bn outlined by Treasurer David Janetzki in the January Mid-Year Financial and Economic Review, it is higher than the $172bn forecast in Labor’s last budget.

The government’s so-called “calm and methodical” plan unveiled by Mr Janetzki was in contrast to Labor’s pre-election budget, which included an $11.3bn cost-of-living package that offered cheaper vehicle registration and $1000 electricity rebates for every Queenslander.

Last year, then opposition leader Mr Crisafulli said he would accept the budget in full before it was delivered.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli (right) and Treasurer David Janetzki on Tuesday before delivering the LNP government’s first budget. Picture: Dan Peled/NewsWire

Mr Miles said “any good” in Tuesday’s budget was policies introduced by the former government, including 50-cent public transport fares and children’s sports vouchers. However, he said the overall package fell short of offering real relief for households doing it tough.

“You might have expected me to say this budget is all that, but it’s not,” Mr Miles told parliament.

“There’s a lot in this budget we agree with. That’s because everything good in this budget was a Labor plan, some of it watered down or delayed, but not a single new initiative that will make a positive difference.

“The most obvious thing missing is cost-of-living relief … the LNP has no interest in lending a helping hand or doing what matters for young people, students, for families, for workers or for vulnerable people.

“It’s a great shame this budget is not even worth the blue glossy paper it’s printed on, because it does nothing to help with the here and now, nor does it set out our state’s vision.”

A $2.5bn drop in allocated funding in the budget for public servant wages and expenses between the MYFER and Tuesday’s budget was also flagged by Mr Miles as a baked-in cut to the state’s workforce in the final years of the LNP’s first term.

He said there is no possibility the government would be able to employ more frontline workers and offer them the promised “nation-leading pay and conditions” without reducing the workforce.

The budget calculated the public service wage bill on the state wage offer of 3 per cent in 2025 and 2.5 per cent annually over the following two years, which was rejected by the unions, which are in the process of enterprise bargaining negotiations.

“How gullible does the premier think Queenslanders are?” Mr Miles asked. “How fickle does he believe us to be?”

Mr Janetzki denied this claim when contacted by The Australian.

Mr Miles criticised the lack of detail for the rollout and delivery of key health and transport infrastructure, with exact funding for some major projects not outlined in the budget papers.

He also took aim at the Crisafulli government’s recent decision to rebrand the state’s coat of arms from maroon to blue and questioned whether it was tested in the secret polling conducted earlier this year, as revealed by The Australian.