The editor: The budget blame game ends on Tuesday
This budget is a chance for the Crisafulli government to draw a line in the sand and focus on fiscal responsibility and setting up this state for a future we can all be proud of. And that is now in the LNP government’s hands – not the Labor opposition’s.
Opinion
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Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki has already laid the groundwork to blame the previous Labor government for any difficult decisions he has had to make in his maiden state budget.
And he does have a point – Labor’s largesse and abysmal planning for the future has, in part, created the debt bomb he has now been forced to deal with.
But Tuesday, when Mr Janetzki releases his budget, should mark the last time this government deflects the blame.
It is time to roll up their sleeves and get on with it.
Queenslanders know the Labor government squandered their taxes – they voted them out for it.
David Crisafulli and Mr Janetzki were voted in because there was a belief they could fix it.
Mr Janetzki now faces a cascade of cost blowouts worth a staggering $45bn across major infrastructure projects and services.
That is in addition to the $23bn in department overruns and $7.1bn in election commitments, which he must attempt to meet without raising taxes or royalties, selling assets or cutting services and infrastructure, as promised.
Today, the government has revealed a new health funding hole of $638m, which he now also has to factor into his budget.
He has his work cut out for him.
And to his credit, he has been upfront with Queenslanders that this is a budget focused on repair.
The era of handouts for all is over and they will now be targeted at those who need it the most.
Mr Janetzki has to figure out a way to fund the Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure build and fix the dilapidated Bruce Highway – two huge projects that will benefit this state for decades to come.
He has been forced to back away from his pre-election pledge to keep debt below the $171bn forecast in Labor’s last budget.
In January, he declared that because of Labor’s “deception” the target would now be $218bn.
Again, to his credit, he has been upfront and the majority of voters understand a responsible budget is what this state needs right now – not free school lunches for all.
By now, Mr Janetzki already realises being in government is much harder than being in opposition.
That will never be more evident than when he fronts up on Tuesday to hand over his first budget and cops the scrutiny previously reserved for his Labor counterparts for the better part of 10 years.
It is hard to imagine that Mr Janetzki will face a more difficult budget than his first.
There is much to do, but he must hold firm and, as he has said in his own words, “begin the task of laying the foundations for budget repair”.
This budget is a chance for the Crisafulli government to draw a line in the sand and focus on fiscal responsibility and setting up this state for a future we can all be proud of.
And that is now in the LNP government’s hands – not the Labor opposition’s.
Originally published as The editor: The budget blame game ends on Tuesday
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