Queensland budget 2015: Winners and losers

July 14, 2015

Neutral: Employment

Unemployment to stay at 6.5 per cent until at least 2017, falling back to about 6 per cent in 2018-19.
Implementing a $1.6 billion Working Queensland jobs plan to create the conditions for growing jobs and building new businesses.
The jobs plan will focus on five key priorities: improving skills and training, enhancing business productivity, boosting government services, fostering emerging and innovative industries and building regions.
The jobs plan includes $240 million over four years to reinstate the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative, aiming at helping up to 32 000 Queenslanders to find work through targeted skills and training programs.
Providing $40 million over four years to establish Jobs Queensland as an independent statutory authority to provide advice to government on skills demand and long-terms workforce planning.

Providing $34 million over three years and ongoing funding of $500,000 a year from 2018-19 to restore TAFE Queensland’s status as the state’s premier provider of vocational education and training.
Almost $250 million over four years to lower class sizes and provide an extra 875 teachers – including 275 specialist teachers for high schools.
A total of $6 million over three years to develop an enhanced new teacher classification system and pay structure to modernise and improve the teaching profession.

Queensland Health’s budget to grow by 4 per cent this year to $14.2 billion.
$361 million over four years to implement the Outpatient Long Wait Reduction Strategy to address the “wait list for the wait list”.
Up to 4,000 new graduate nursing places.
Employing 400 Nurse Navigators to help patients navigate across the health system.
$27.2 million over four years for Health for Life! Taking Action on Diabetes – a program targeting 10,000 Queenslanders at high risk of developing diabetes and helping them make positive changes to their lifestyle.
$193.5 million over four years for the start up of the Sunshine Coast Public University Hospital – to support the transition of clinical services, staff recruitment and medical school placements.
$180 million over four years for the Enhancing Regional Hospitals Program to upgrade Caloundra Hospital Service, Roma Hospital, Hervey Bay Emergency Department and Gladstone Emergency Department.

Payroll tax threshold increase on hold.
The former LNP Government had promised to lift it by $100,000 from July 2015.
Labor will maintain current arrangements, resulting in a saving of $40 million this financial year, and up to $160 million by 2018-19.

No additional benefits, but pensioner concessions for electricity, water, gas and transport will be fully funded ($347 million) by the State Government, after the Federal Government withdrew funds.
Concessions of up to $710 a year are available for eligible pensioners, and discounts of 50 per cent will be available for car registration and public transport fares.
The Queensland Government says it’s covering a $52 million shortfall after the Federal Government cut its funding to the pensioner scheme.

An estimated $10.1 billion for infrastructure across Queensland, supporting 27,500 direct jobs.
It includes funding of $20.2 million to establish a new independent statutory authority, Building Queensland, to provide independent, expert advice on infrastructure priorities.
It includes funding of $4 billion for a Transport and Roads program to build and upgrade key transport arteries: upgrading the Gateway Motorway North to six lanes, the commencement of the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing, a suite of roads projects on the Gold Coast in preparation for the Commonwealth Games, and further duplication works on the Bruce Highway.
It includes $300 million for rail improvements, including 75 new trains by December 2018.

$32 million over four years to address alcohol-fuelled violence across the state.
A further $20 million will be provided over four years to the police service to target organised crime, alcohol-fuelled violence and the drug ice.
$6 million allocated over three years for body worn cameras to improve safety for Queensland Police officers.
Police frontline services will be bolstered with 266 new police officers and 977 new and replacement police vehicles.

Car registration increased by 3.5 per cent on July 1 after a three-year freeze. The cost of putting a four-cylinder car on the road rose by $12 while the cost of putting a six-cylinder car on the road rose by $17.