All of the major promises ahead of Qld state election
Queenslanders have been promised a lot in recent months ahead of October’s state election – but what can we trust and what is simply a vote-grab? HAVE YOUR SAY
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Queenslanders have been promised a lot ahead of October’s state election – but what can we trust and what is simply a vote-grab?
Premier Steven Miles in August vowed to fight the election on bold ideas, framing himself as unashamedly ambitious in a direct challenge to Opposition Leader David Crisafulli.
From the LNP going after youth crime to Labor’s mysterious “Bribey” Bridge pledge, have your say on these major election topics.
Vote below on 10 of the biggest election promises >>>
Crisafulli’s crime pledge
Businesses will get a share of $40m to upgrade security systems and drive down soaring insurance costs if the LNP is elected, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli revealed in October.
Mr Crisafulli made the announcement in Bundaberg, the state’s most marginal seat, on his first stop of the official election campaign.
The regional Queensland seat, known for its farming and rum, was won by Labor’s Tom Smith in 2020 as older voters backed Annastacia Palaszczuk’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Crisafulli said the $40m security fund would be available to small businesses or councils through their chamber of commerce, capped at $25,000 and $100,000 respectively.
Crisafulli’s crime pledge
Young criminals committing serious crimes would be slapped with adult sentences under a major pre-election pitch by Opposition Leader David Crisafulli made in July.
The policy found support from some community leaders including Queensland Police Union President Ian Leavers and Northern Territory senator Jacinta Price.
Mr Leavers said the LNP proposal was a “good first step” but that thousands of new police and child safety officers would be needed and the judiciary must be held to account.
Mr Crisafulli used his speech to the LNP State Convention to reveal his government would change the law to ensure youth committing serious crime including murder, manslaughter, grievous bodily harm and dangerous operation and unlawful use of a motor vehicle would be sentenced as adults.
He declared the “generation of untouchables must end”.
Petrol promise
A re-elected Queensland Labor government would open state-owned fuel stations in an extraordinary market intervention designed to lower prices.
Premier Steven Miles in August also vowed to spare motorists from bowser shock by banning fuel giants from hiking prices by more than 5c a litre a day.
Mr Miles used his first agenda-setting State of the State speech to outline the major cost-of-living election promises, and declare the household budget of Queensland families is the most important economic yardstick.
In an extraordinary move, he will promise a Labor government awarded a fourth term will use planning “call-in powers” and government-owned land so that smaller players and independents in the fuel station sector could set up shop.
50 cent fares
It was announced in May that public transport fares would be slashed to just 50c under a major pre-election trial aimed at easing traffic gridlock and stemming cost-of-living pressures for Queenslanders.
In his most significant announcement since becoming Premier, Steven Miles revealed the cost of all TransLink public transport services in the state would be slashed to 50c from August 5 – no matter how far people travel.
The move, costing about $150m, is aimed at unclogging the South East’s congested roads by significantly boosting public transport patronage.
However many quickly slammed the move as merely vote-grabbing before the election.
Cash splash
High-income earners unaffected by cost of living would be handed $1000 from the state government in a pre-election spending spree Treasurer Cameron Dick insisted was not aimed at buying votes.
Under the plan unveiled in May, Mr Dick doubled the power bill rebate to $1000, meaning most Queenslanders wouldn’t pay anything for power in the July quarter, but it was a move slammed by one economist as “grossly irresponsible”.
The $2.5bn rebate policy was aimed at reducing cost of living pressures, but was not means tested – prompting questions to Mr Dick about giving taxpayer cash to high-income earners on the eve of the October state election.
Mr Dick repeatedly defended the policy, sensationally declaring wealthy Queenslanders “deserve assistance” as well.
Housing plan
Every Queenslander on the brink of homelessness will be found crisis accommodation in hotels or aged care facilities, Premier Steven Miles insisted in March.
Mr Miles reiterated a pledge for the state government to offer a roof to every Queenslander at risk of ending up on the streets.
“We will offer crisis accommodation, which in most cases involves using hotels or similar crisis accommodation … we will offer that accommodation to every homeless person in the state, everyone sleeping rough,” he said.
Taking down CFMEU
The Opposition in August declared it will overhaul the CFMEU through a productivity commission and work with the Labor federal government on placing the union into administration, if elected in October.
It came as the state government vowed to crack down on CFMEU-linked bad behaviour following an alleged attack on a non-union worker at his Logan home, with Premier Steven Miles saying it had spoken to the “culture within the construction industry”.
The federal government, through Senator Murray Watt, put the CFMEU construction and general national office and Queensland, Victorian, New South Wales and South Australian branches on notice, giving the union until August 12 to consent to administration, after the Fair Work Commission found it was no longer effectively operating.
Budget bonanza
Treasurer Cameron Dick set aside a $184m war chest and urged Queenslanders to forget the past nine years as part of his high-spending pre-election budget packed with political sugar hits and a bomb for the next government.
Mr Dick quietly put aside $184m for decisions “made but not yet announced”, to be used by the government ahead of the election.
In a staggering effort to distance Premier Steven Miles from his predecessor Annastacia Palaszczuk, Mr Dick asked Queenslanders “not to express an opinion about the past”.
“The 26th of October is a fight about the future of our state, not a referendum on the last nine years,” he said.
LNP’s leap of faith
Faith leaders in June welcomed an election commitment by the LNP to introduce a build-to-rent scheme aimed at using vacant church land for social housing.
Under the plan, the LNP would alter the planning scheme to rezone church land, allowing faith groups to bypass impact assessment requirements while also funding the social homes.
The church would retain ownership of the land and enter extreme long-term lease agreements with community housing organisations.
‘Bribey’ Bridge
The state government in July vowed to spend $700m duplicating a bridge its own transport department said is unnecessary for the “foreseeable future”.
Premier Steven Miles’ inaugural infrastructure election commitment, in the critical swing seat of Pumicestone, was also made without a finalised business case.
Labor, if re-elected in October, vowed to spend $700m duplicating the Bribie Island Bridge to make it two lanes each way. This is the equivalent of spending nearly $34,000 on each of the island’s 20,612 residents.
Analysis of the latest Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program also shows the bridge duplication will be the most expensive transport project funded unilaterally by the state government since Cross River Rail.
‘No forced redundancies’
David Crisafulli in November 2023 moved to put Campbell Newman’s war on the public service behind the LNP, promising no forced redundancies and an end to the current “bullying” of bureaucrats.
In a bold pitch to the 250,000 Queensland public servants, Mr Crisafulli insisted the Newman-era sackings didn’t work, saw the party punished by Queenslanders and would not be repeated by a government he led.
He also pledged to create a new two-year graduate program to attract new talent to the public service and make it the best-performing public service in the nation.
$1bn social housing pledge
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli in August promised to spend $1bn on boosting housing and infrastructure in regional Queensland if elected in October.
The housing announcement, dubbed the “Regional Infrastructure Guarantee” was made at the Bush Summit in Townsville.
The $1bn commitment will come from an existing $2bn infrastructure fund pledged by Mr Crisafulli two months ago as part of the LNP’s major housing policy pitch heading into the election.
Funding will be divided based on project merit, with councils invited to pitch their infrastructure needs to the LNP.
Mr Crisafulli said he had already had some “very good discussions” with regional mayors, but would not be drawn on specific projects earmarked for funding.
$1.2bn more pledged to Copperstring project
The government’s prized Copperstring transmission line project blew out by $1.2 billion following skyrocketing material prices unforeseen by the Treasurer prior to the June budget.
Just weeks after the first sod turning for the project in Hughenden, Treasurer Cameron Dick confirmed the once $5bn Copperstring 2.0 would now cost $6.2bn, with the additional billion dollars to be paid for through more government borrowings.
Mr Dick used the announcement to challenge the LNP’s commitment to Copperstring post-election, aiming to wedge Opposition Leader David Crisafulli on the project.
“(He) has repeatedly said he won’t accept cost overruns on any infrastructure projects,” he said.
“If David Crisafulli will not borrow to build he’s got to walk away from Copperstring, that’s just the truth.
“Our government has signed off on an additional $1.2bn in funding ... if we are re elected in October.
“We’ll be borrowing additional funds to deliver that.”
LNP announces child sex offender register
Parents will be able to search photos, names and locations of convicted child sex offenders under an LNP plan to expose pedophiles.
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli in September revealed details of the “three-tier’’ public register on the Gold Coast.
Under tier one of the plan, offenders who are at large or fail to comply with reporting and other conditions, will be named and their picture flagged on a website.
Tier two will allow the public to apply to find out which dangerous or high-risk offenders were currently living in their area and request photographs of them.
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Originally published as All of the major promises ahead of Qld state election
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