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Powered by a windfall of coal and oil royalties, the Queensland budget for 2023/24 has seen cash splashed across a number of areas.
The healthy surplus has meant there weren't many losers in Treasurer Cameron Dick's fourth budget, but has the money been spent in the right areas?
Winner: The bottom line
Queensland has recorded a $12.3 billion budget surplus in the current financial year (2022/23), thanks largely to huge revenues from coal royalties.
The surplus is the biggest ever recorded by a state or territory government, and bigger than all but four surpluses delivered by the Commonwealth government.
The high price of coal and oil resulted in a $10.462 billion increase in expected royalty revenue this year, leading to a total General Government Sector revenue of $87.623 billion.
However, the government says it is well aware these huge revenue injections are temporary.
In 2023/24 we can expect to face a $2.182 billion deficit, which the treasurer puts down to a big spend on cost-of-living measures, though returns to surplus (on a smaller scale) are projected in 2025/26 and 2026/27.
With coal prices stabilising and royalties expected to drop considerably, the Labor government knows now is the time to spend.
"The strength of this year's budget gives us the ability to make the investments necessary to ensure Queensland's continued prosperity," Mr Dick said in his budget speech.
"We need to conserve Queensland's fiscal strength because the path ahead remains uncertain."
Neutral: Coal companies
While coal companies dished out record amounts of royalties to state coffers, they also made mammoth profits in 2022/23.
Coal's export value has almost tripled since 2020, with exports in 2022 reaching a record high of $83.5 billion.
Mr Dick argues: "Our decision to take on the mining lobby, to stand our ground and to fight for the people of our state has delivered a rich reward for Queenslanders.
"Those coal companies will earn four times as much revenues as Queenslanders make in royalties."
Winner: Cost of living
The unexpected swelling of the surplus has largely been funnelled into cost-of-living relief for Queenslanders.
The treasurer called it "the highest priority of this budget".
A total of $8.224 billion has been directed to ease the financial squeeze that many are feeling, an increase of more than 21 per cent on last year.
The key pillar of that extra $1.617 billion relief is an electricity rebate of at least $550 to every Queensland home next financial year.
Those on concession cards will continue to receive an extra $372 concession, as well as an additional $150 cost-of-living payment, for a total package of $1,072.
Eligible small businesses will receive an automatic $650 rebate on their electricity bills.
It's the largest rebate package of any state or territory.
Some other cost-of-living measures include:
- $670.5 million towards the Government Managed Housing Rental Rebate Scheme
- $70 million over four years to increase accommodation and fuel subsidies under the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme
- $22 million of additional funding over four years to support the Nursing and Midwifery Student Regional Placements Allowance of $5,000 per student
- $83.2 million for parents and caregivers of secondary school-aged students for the Textbook and Resource Allowance
- $23.1 million to reduce the cost of replacing Queensland driver licences, photo identification cards and industry authority cards to $35
- $315 to provide grant funding to Foodbank to deliver critical food relief
Winner: Infrastructure
The Queensland government is doing the fiscal equivalent of making hay while the sun shines by investing a record $89 billion over four years in its Big Build infrastructure plan.
"Even as construction costs rise significantly across the country, continuing with these investments is a deliberate decision by our government," the treasurer said in his budget speech.
"As our government plans for Queensland's future, we recognise the need for new schools in new growth areas will be enduring."
Some of the biggest spends are:
- About $19 billion total capital investment to support the Queensland Energy and Jobs plan
- Delivering capacity to the health system with 2,200 additional overnight beds at a cost of $9.785 billion over six years
- $4 billion set aside in the 2022-23 budget update for priority regional infrastructure projects
- Provision for $1.9 billion over four years to begin the delivery of venue infrastructure for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games
- More than $1 billion to buy land for new schools, to expand the school halls program and for new general and specialist learning spaces
Winner: Health
The state's health budget in the next financial year will be a record $25.8 billion — a 9.6 per cent increase — which is the largest jump in health spending in Queensland's history.
The $2.888 billion increase will be used to tackle ongoing issue,s like ambulance ramping.
"Our record health funding includes $764 million to specifically address ambulance ramping and healthcare pressures that contribute to emergency department wait times," Mr Dick said.
There is also a $72 million for 200 more paramedics and $28 million for new and replacement ambulances.
The opening of seven satellite hospitals flagged in last year's budget is expected to go ahead in 2023/24.
The government has set aside an additional $586 million over 10 years to LifeFlight, for on-going emergency medical helicopter services to those in rural, regional and remote Queensland — giving the program certainty for the next decade.
It will be used to upgrade equipment including a modern power-stretcher loading system compatible with Queensland Ambulance Service stretchers and the Royal Flying Doctor Service, as well as to upgrade ageing helicopters, create centralised maintenance facilities and invest in aeromedical infrastructure in regional Queensland.
Meanwhile, $42 million will be provided over four years for the expansion of obstetric and gynaecology services for women in rural and remote communities — including telehealth-enabled care and support for birthing services.
"The investment will mean more women living in regional Queensland will be able to give birth closer to home," said Mr Dick.
The Australian Medical Association's Queensland branch has welcomed the new spending on health and hospitals.
But President Maria Boulton said a comprehensive workforce plan is needed if it is to work.
"Without the workforce, all those new beds that are being funded and all those positions are being funded today will be very difficult to achieve," she said.
"That is why we're looking for a long-term sustainable workforce plan that encompasses, not just public hospitals, private hospitals, but also primary care and aged care."
The funding comes in the wake of last year's damning report into the Mackay Base Hospital's obstetrics and gynaecology unit and Gladstone Hospital's birthing bypass from July last year.
The Redland Hospital will get $150 million to build a new mental health facility, with its current building to be rebuilt and its capacity increased by 20 beds, for a total of 43 beds.
Loser: Housing
Not everyone is convinced an extra $1.1 billion into the housing portfolio will alleviate the issues facing Queenslanders.
An additional $322 million has been set aside to build 500 more social homes in the state, building on the $3.9 billion that has already been invested in an attempt to stave off the housing crisis.
Mr Dick said: "We are working with the private sector, community housing, companies and financial institutions like superannuation funds to build, buy or lease more homes for Queenslanders."
Ms Palaszczuk said her government would pull "every lever possible" to ensure Queenslanders had a roof over their heads.
"We recognise that this is a big issue out there for families," she said.
"We are throwing everything at this."
But Queensland Council of Social Services said the announcement was "welcome, but ... woefully inadequate".
The state needs at least 2,700 homes a year, according to CEO Aimee McVeigh.
Ms McVeigh said more needs to be done to provide housing for vulnerable Queenslanders.
"We currently have about 300,000 Queenslanders with unmet housing need and until we have a plan that meets us in this moment, a strategy to deliver sufficient housing, backed up by investment, we will not see an end to the housing crisis," she said.
The 2023-24 Queensland budget will also include $64.3 million for the purchase and lease of emergency accommodation facilities in Brisbane.
The government says the accommodation will provide immediate support for people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness.
Winner: The regions
"One of the cornerstones of this budget is the revenue generated by the coal owned by the people of Queensland," Mr Dick said.
"That revenue is generated in regional Queensland, so it is only right that regional Queensland stands to benefit from what [it] provides."
The treasurer said more than half of the total infrastructure investments in the four budgets he has delivered has been outside greater Brisbane, and amounts to 65 per cent in this budget, or $13.3 billion next financial year.
The money will help the state transition to renewable energy, through investments in projects like Queensland Hydro, the 2-gigawatt Borumba gravity-fed battery, the Wambo and Tarong West wind farms and wind and solar projects in Central Queensland.
"That is a plan that will revolutionise Queensland's economy," the treasurer said.
"Our energy transition will not leave behind the very resource communities in regional Queensland whose toil has enabled so much wealth to be generated."
Loser: Crime prevention
It's shaping as one of the key issues in next year's state election, but compared to cost of living and housing, crime prevention will receive a fraction of the funds.
The budget delivers additional investment of $446.4 million over five years to boost police resources and tackle the "complex causes of youth crime".
That includes $96 million for youth co-responder teams, $30 million to enable seniors to be more secure in their homes and $37 million to implement the Strengthening Community Safety Act 2023.
There will also be $58.3 million over four years to implement the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence review.
"Our government recognises increasing community concerns about youth crime, and we are acting to address those concerns," the treasurer said.
The CEO of the Queensland Council of Social Service Aimee McVeigh criticised the lack of early intervention in tackling crime.
"Investing in more prisons will not keep our communities safer and we do need to see more in early intervention."
Winner: Young families
One of the centrepieces of the budget is the $645 million promised over four years to fund 15 hours per week of kindergarten for all four-year-old children, meaning an average saving of $4,600 for many Queensland families.
More than 50,000 children will be able to attend kindy for free, up from 14,000 currently.
"More parents returning to the workforce because of free kindy is good for the Queensland economy, Mr Dick said.
Queensland families with kids aged 0-4 will be eligible for $150 swimming lesson vouchers in a new SwimStart program aimed at teaching kids how to swim.
The $4.8 million going towards the project is to encourage families under cost-of-living pressures not to ditch potentially life saving swimming lessons.
It's an extension of the program which has seen 141,000 FairPlay vouchers distributed to families to help pay for sport and recreational activities for kids.
Over two years, $2.7 million will be spent to expand school breakfast programs in areas experiencing hardship across Queensland.