“Back in Black but Queensland still left in dark” – Premier

There were 4,077 words in last night’s budget speech.

The word ‘Queensland’ was used only once and then only in relation to the floods.

That’s what’s wrong with the federal budget.

But we heard plenty about Sydney and Melbourne and the vast sums of money lavished on those cities instead of ours.

  • $2 billion for a fast rail link between Melbourne and Geelong.
  • $5 billion for an Airport link for Melbourne, $1.4 billion for the Snowy Hydro scheme and $3.5 billion for a rail link for Western Sydney

These are taxes Queenslanders have paid that Scott Morrison is spending somewhere else.

It gets worse. Under Scott Morrison national economic growth or GDP has been revised down. That means $1.8 billion less GST for Queensland.

The budget shows the Liberal and National Parties’ priorities – everywhere else but Queensland.

There’s no funding for remote housing.

Nothing for Cross River Rail.

No restoration of cuts to dental services.

No $300 million owed to us for health funding or the $245 million owed under the Skilling Australians Fund.

We get less than our population share under the National Partnerships on Community Health, Hospitals and Infrastructure projects.

Credit where it’s due: the budget does recognise the need for better roads in our big decentralised state but you have to read the fine print.

90 per cent of that funding won’t deliver a cent for another two years.

The Prime Minister says he knows we want to get out of gridlock, for tradies to get to their jobs and families to get where they need to go.

But by the time the money reaches us the tradies’ jobs will be finished and the kids will have grown up and left home.

$600 million of the funding announced for the Bruce and Cunningham Highways is existing – not new – funding.

More money will be spent on one rail line in Sydney than all the new funding announced for Queensland’s roads – and three quarters of that money is more than four years away.

There’s also a $3.9 billion Emergency Response Fund to help in natural disasters for which we are grateful.

Since 2015 Queensland has had 35 natural disasters.

That’s equivalent to $111 million each.

The cost of the North Queensland floods is $1.5 billion and climbing.

Like the rest of Canberra’s funding for Queensland – too little too late.

Our state exports more than New South Wales and Victoria combined.

Our electricity bills are cheaper and our energy policies work.

We don’t mind punching above our weight but I do object to having a hand tied behind our back.

My government wants to work with a federal government that wants to work with us.

The numbers don’t lie.

This federal government doesn’t back Queensland.

‘Back in Black’ the federal government says.

But Queensland is still left in the dark.

/Public Release. View in full here.