Federal Govt needs to build budget confidence for Qld’s transport infrastructure
RACQ has welcomed the Federal Budget’s cost-of-living relief for millions of Queenslanders but is concerned about the lack of future investment in vital transport infrastructure.
The Club’s Head of Public Policy, Dr Michael Kane, said the Federal Government needed to build confidence among Queenslanders that our state’s infrastructure would be able to cope with population growth, particularly ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“The Budget maintains funding for transport infrastructure for the next two years however investment then declines,” Dr Kane said.
“We understand the Federal Government recently announced a 90-day review into its land transport infrastructure spend to make it more transparent and less politicised, and we welcome that, however we are concerned about the third and fourth year funding in this Budget.
“Queensland is the growth state of the country and investing in the Sunshine State will help grow Australia’s productivity and economy. It is vital that land transport is adequately funded.”
Dr Kane said more transport projects could be funded through the fuel excise that motorists pay every time they fill the tank.
“When you look at the forward estimates, only 89% of fuel excise revenue is being spent on land transport and investment in road safety. We need to see 100% of this being reinvested,” he said.
RACQ supports the continued investment in Australia’s transition to a decarbonised future but wants to see the Government ensure no Queenslander is left behind.
“We welcome the $1.3 billion investment to establish the Household Energy Upgrades Fund which will support home upgrades, improve energy performance and save energy,” Dr Kane said.
“Again, we want to reiterate that this transition must be fair and not forced on Queenslanders without the proper investment in reskilling and building new industries to replace the jobs that won’t be there in the future.”
The Club also welcomed the investment in new disaster communication technologies and hoped to see this investment deliver faster, more targeted emergency warnings in disasters.
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