Qld budget 2023: Toowoomba parents, politicians leaders react to Treasurer Cameron Dick’s latest economic plan

Toowoomba parents are one of the big beneficiaries of the latest Queensland budget, with free kindy available from January 1. Here’s our budget wrap:

Toowoomba residents have seen plenty of investment in the Queensland government’s new budget, with water projects, funding for hospitals and free kindy on the cards in a cash splash worth tens of millions.

Here’s what is in Treasurer Cameron Dick’s plans and how locals reacted:

Parents rejoice over thousands saved in free kindy plan

With their son Byron getting ready to start kindergarten full-time next year, Vicki and Ryan Anderson were bracing for annual costs north of $4000 to send him for just three days a week.

But the Toowoomba family-of-four are breathing a sigh of relief after the state government revealed a $645m free kindy plan in the 2023-24 budget papers.

The significant cost-of-living plan, which will be worth 15 hours per week per child, will save families potentially $4600 a year in fees.

Mrs Anderson, who is studying full-time to be a teacher while working and parenting, said the extra money they will hang onto from 2024 will give the house budget much-needed breathing space.

Toowoomba's Vicki and Ryan Anderson with son Byron and daughter Hailey.

“Because we just wanted to put him in for three days, it was going to be $100 a week, so it’s a big stress release,” she said.

“I’m currently studying and working and trying to be a mum and the guilt of not being to find the money to go those three days was strong.

“It was such a relief, we weren’t sure if we could afford it.”

Fellow Toowoomba mum Shanesse Bradford and her husband Jake said securing 15 hours of free kindy for their son Atticus would enable her to pay down debt and even commit to more saving.

She said Australia’s cost-of-living crisis was biting hard.

Toowoomba's Shanesse Bradford with her son Atticus.

“We’ve struggled from time to time, we’ve asked family for help and we’ve had to cut back on certain things,” Mrs Bradford said.

“(Free kindy) is going to be big, because both of us working, we’ve got a high income threshold so we don’t get much, so to have a bit extra is going to be great.

“It will give us some breathing and hopefully allow us to put some money aside — it’s been a while since we’ve done something.”

Tara Wilson said she and her husband Marcus said kindy for their son Loxley was costing $230 per fortnight for just two days a week.

“We have a bubbie that will be starting daycare at the end of this year, so we were already starting to financially plan for how we can afford to pay for kindy and daycare,” she said.

“As soon as they announced that, it’s a massive burden off us — it means I can actually go to work.”

For more information about eligibility, head to the Queensland government website.

Wivenhoe Dam. Picture: Liam Kidston

Pipeline project gets $13m, questions still unanswered

The Toowoomba Regional Council has welcomed the state government’s advancement of the ambitious water pipeline to Warwick, but questions still remain over its delivery.

The 2023-24 budget will allocate $13m to the $370m pipeline connecting Wivenhoe Dam to Warwick via Toowoomba – one of several projects fast-tracked in the coming 12 months.

Deputy Mayor Geoff McDonald. Picture: Kevin Farmer

The government has also committed to connect four drought-stricken Toowoomba region communities — Cambooya, Greenmount, Clifton and Nobby — with the project.

While deputy mayor Geoff McDonald praised the funding, he said further consultation on the manner of the pipeline’s delivery was needed.

“There’d be still plenty of questions for both the council and the community at large,” he said.

“What the announcement showed is they are clearly committed to the project, it’s going to happen and the $13m provided to connect four of our townships is part of that conversation.

“We clearly have growth outside of the city areas but that growth is only facilitated with connection to infrastructure.”

The construction of a new raw water treatment plant at Greenmount will be required as part of the pipeline’s construction.

New Toowoomba Hospital enjoys $50m boost as projects boosted

Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Paul Antonio. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Toowoomba’s leaders have celebrated regional project wins in the state budget to the tune of $300m, covering energy, health, education and logistics.

The Darling Downs has not been missed by treasurer Cameron Dick, with the budget papers indicating a significant raft of spending on key infrastructure.

This is headlined by $50m towards the $1.3bn Toowoomba Hospital at Baillie Henderson, something praised by mayor Paul Antonio.

“Health, education and infrastructure are the backbone of our economy and have all received funding which will ensure our region remains a powerhouse in the coming years,” he said.

3D renderings of the proposed Toowoomba Hospital at the Baillie Henderson campus.

“I’m particularly pleased to see $50 million in the budget to progress plans on a new Toowoomba Hospital as well as money for the Millmerran Multi-Purpose Health Service and Westhaven Aged Care Facility ($17 million to replace aged infrastructure).”

Mr Antonio also welcomed the $16.1m committed towards intermodal hub InterlinkSQ in Charlton, which will act as a freight link between trucks and the Inland Rail.

A mock-up design for the InterlinkSQ intermodal terminal to be built at Charlton in the new year.

Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise also backed the $64m to be spent this financial year on education, most notably for Oakey State High School ($7.2m for a new single court multipurpose hall with a kinesiology lab) and Pittsworth State High School ($5.7m on new specialist classrooms and deliver a new hall facility).

“Our region’s educational institutions play a pivotal role in attracting both domestic and international students, educators, and researchers, injecting knowledge, and intellectual capital into our community,” the organisation said in a statement.

TSBE also welcomed funding for the Kogan Creek hydrogen project ($1.1m), Wambo wind farm near Dalby ($192.5m) and Chinchilla battery storage facility ($18.5m).

Public emergency services have also benefited, with the Drayton fire station to receive $2.4m and the Dalby police station upgrade earning $10.1m.

For a full list of projects, head to the website.

Toowoomba North MP Trevor Watts and Toowoomba South MP David Janetzki outside the Empire Theatre.

Watts critical of state budget priorities

Toowoomba North MP Trevor Watts lashed the amount allocated to the new Toowoomba Hospital in the 2023-24 state budget, calling it a “disappointment”.

“A five per cent spend over two years begs the question, will the hospital even open in mid-2027?” he said in a statement.

“We were told the day surgery would be open in December 2023, so you can understand the disappointment to find less the half the money has been spent on construction to date.”

Mr Watts said the budget also ignored the future education needs of the growing community of Highfields north of Toowoomba.

We are left without a plan for primary education North of Highfields, no plan for a new North-South Connection Road, and no plan to upgrade road safety around our schools,” he said.

“$5.6m sits in the Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program (QTRIP) for the Highfields Road, Kratzke Road and O’Brien Road intersection upgrade.

“It is an important project that the Highfields community has been campaigning for, so we hope the funding does not sit in QTRIP for the four-year allocation and is constructed sooner rather than later.”