‘Fixing the mess’: Premier says budget won’t reduce public service

Premier David Crisafulli has announced almost $150 million in extra police funding will feature in his government’s 2025-26 fiscal blueprint, as the Labor opposition embarks on a statewide pre-budget media blitz.

Treasurer David Janetzki will hand down the first LNP budget since 2014 on Tuesday, which will be delivered with the backdrop of a cut in GST revenue.

But both the treasurer and premier were at pains on Monday to assure Queenslanders austerity was not on the agenda.

Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki on Sunday, two days before handing down his first budget.Credit: Jamila Filippone

“Today’s announcement, $147.9 million into the services of the front line, is a perfect example of the kinds of investment that we’ll be discussing tomorrow,” Janetzki said.

“This investment into the front line, supporting the work of our brave men and women on the front line, is exactly the kind of investment that needs to be made and is the targeted and focused point of delivery for our government, and I look forward to sharing more tomorrow.”

Speaking at Wacol on Monday morning, Crisafulli said the extra money would go towards police equipment, such as tasers, body armour, tyre deflation devices, body-worn camera and tactical first aid kits.

“This money wasn’t budgeted,” he said.

“It will be now and it will be into the forwards. It will be there to make sure that when police go out to do their job, they know that they have the equipment to do their job.”

Labor frontbenchers, meanwhile, fronted media in Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Toowoomba and the Gold and Sunshine coasts in an 11th-hour push for local projects and services.

In Brisbane, Opposition Leader Steven Miles said he expected the government to deliver a “budget of broken promises” on Tuesday.

Asked whether the budget would include any public service cuts, Crisafulli said any suggestion of public service cuts were a “scare campaign”.

“We are fixing the mess we’ve inherited and part of it involves a public service that is world class, secure in their employment and able to deliver the things that a growing state needs,” he said.

“Now we’ve got a youth crime crisis, a health crisis, a housing crisis. You’re not going to fix that by reducing the public service and, tomorrow, there’s going to be a lot of embarrassment, and it’s going to come from the direction of those who created the mess that we’re fixing up at the moment.”

Miles said public service levels needed to increase, not just stay steady, in a growing state such as Queensland.

“Let us see what the budget says and we will respond once we’ve seen it, but you shouldn’t just swallow that line from the LNP that this is fearmongering,” he said.

“This is their record.”

With several enterprise bargaining agreements under negotiation, Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Jacqueline King said the budget needed to deliver for public servants.

“Queensland is growing, and our public services are under strain. This budget must deliver for the people who deliver for Queensland,” she said.

“You can’t fix workforce shortages or meet rising demand by short-changing the very people who hold our public services together.”

Crisafulli said the government was negotiation with unions in good faith, which would be reflected in the budget.

“[The budget will] also show our respect for them and the need to make sure that they’re secure in their employment, that we’re growing the areas where we said we were going to exactly what we promised for the election,” he said.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.