A massive infrastructure spend for the state, tax cuts and long-term tax reform, an aged care boost and hundreds of millions to protect the Great Barrier Reef form the centrepiece of a Federal Budget that really delivers for Queensland, LNP Leader Deb Frecklington said today.
Ms Frecklington said state Labor’s reaction was sad but not surprising given the only thing Annastacia Palaszczuk cares about is getting Bill Shorten into the Lodge – not helping Queenslanders.
"Labor’s reaction to the Budget has, to be frank, been unhinged," said Ms Frecklington.
"It shows Annastacia Palaszczuk’s only mission is to serve Bill Shorten and not Queensland.
"For months, Annastacia Palaszczuk has dared me to get Queensland’s fair share out of Canberra and last night this was delivered in spades.
"$5.2 billion in infrastructure projects for Queensland is second only to Victoria and three times more than what New South Wales is receiving.
"Today I am calling on Annastacia Palaszczuk and Jackie Trad to put their toys back in the cot and work with the Federal Government to jointly fund projects such as the M1 upgrade, the Sunshine Coast rail duplication and the Bruce Highway upgrades.
"All Jackie Trad can talk about is Cross River Rail, a project that Labor said was fully funded.
"In fact Labor gave back the $10 million the Federal Government gave them for the business case.
"The other big infrastructure announcement which will be most welcomed is the $3.5 billion Roads of Strategic Importance initiative, including $1.5 billion for Northern Australia to upgrade key freight corridors in regional Queensland and increase productivity by connecting our major agricultural and resource areas with our cities and ports.
"Busting congestion will be a focus of a Government I lead so the $1 billion program to fund projects that get people home sooner will mean businesses can increase productivity and people have more time to spend with their families."
Ms Frecklington said it wasn’t just major infrastructure projects set to benefit Queensland.
"As a regional MP, I know how important the funding commitments for mental health services and more doctors in regional Queensland is," she said.
"Tax relief of up to $530 a year for middle and lower income earning individuals is of course welcome but it is the long-term seven-year restructure of the tax system which will have long term benefits for the majority of working Australians.
"Aged care has also received a timely boost. The $1.6 billion to go to providing an extra 14,000 high-level home care packages for seniors who want to remain in their homes is a great initiative.
"Protecting the reef has also been a priority of mine and that’s why the $500 million is such a good announcement for Queensland’s future."
