On 26th October 2024 Queenslanders will head to the polls
It’s an opportunity to shape the future of our state as we face cost-of-living pressures, strong population growth, congestion, a shocking road toll, unroadworthy roads and housing and climate challenges.
In June, we invited our more than 1.7 million members to have their say by voting on our 10 key priority areas in the RACQ State Election Priority Poll.
There were three key standouts.
Fix the Bruce was overwhelmingly voted the State’s #1 priority, followed by Give us a Fair Go on Fuel, and Plan and Build for Growth. You can read more about our poll results here.
RACQ is dedicated to driving a positive future for all Queenslanders and we’ve listened to your priorities.
We’re actively campaigning for the next Queensland Government to Fix the Bruce by committing to a 10-year funding commitment with the Commonwealth to eliminate all two-star sections of the Highway. You can read more about this push here.
We’re also championing A Fair Go on Fuel, speaking with all sides of politics to secure a daily cap on fuel price increases so that they don’t spike more than five cents per day. Find out more about this policy here.
Plan and build for growth has also been gaining public attention with the recent announcement to investigate a tunnel or existing motorway expansion for the Centenary Motorway. You can read more about that here.
Our Quick steps to fix SEQ public transport has also had a win with Brisbane City Council and the current government committing to a plan to extend the metro.
Queensland, thank you for having your say in our RACQ State Election Priority Poll. We will continue to advocate on these priorities ahead of the state election to ensure Queensland is the best state to live, work and play.
RACQ’S Top 10 Election Priorities
From fair fuel prices, to fixing the Bruce Highway, and ditching the double tax on home insurance, we’ve identified 10 key priority areas that the next Queensland Government should commit to, to ensure the safety and resilience of our beautiful state.
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Fix the BruceThe Bruce Highway is the backbone of Queensland’s economic activity, but almost half of it (45.2%) is rated just 2-stars out of five for road infrastructure safety. In desperate need of repairs and upgrades, we need all political parties to lock in a 10-year state and federal funding commitment to reverse the piecemeal approach to Bruce Hwy project delivery and fight for a return to an 80:20 funding split with the Commonwealth for the Bruce.
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Climate proof our roadsDamage to major highways after floods and storms are Queensland’s Groundhog Day. The next Queensland Government must commit, at minimum, an additional $1 billion over four years to address the road maintenance backlog and embed resilience in upgrades by building to a higher level of resilience.
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Give us a fair go on fuelFor the past two years, Queensland motorists have faced eye-watering prices at the bowser. Retail margins on unleaded petrol in 2023 and 2024 have hit unacceptable highs in the south east corner while record highs have been experienced right across Queensland. RACQ is calling on the next Queensland Government to cap daily fuel price increases, (such as 5 cents per litre plus any change in the wholesale price) to bring an end to dramatic spikes.
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Quick steps to fix SEQ public transportOf the four biggest capital cities, Brisbane has the lowest public transport use. We need better services, frequencies, and fairer fares to cope with our predicted population growth. RACQ calls on the next Queensland Government to introduce fairer fares – including capped fares, bring Airtrain into the Translink fare structure, and implement more high-frequency bus and rail services.
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Rein in extreme driversQueensland has a road safety culture problem with extreme driving behaviours on the rise. RACQ calls on the next Queensland Government to rein in extreme driving by toughening hooning laws to include a greater range of drug and drink driving and excessive speeding which would result in the loss of the driver’s vehicle for 30 or 90 days.
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Ditch the double tax on insuranceDid you know you are paying two levels of tax on your home insurance? Between stamp duty (9%) and GST (10%) it means approximately $500 of a $3,000 home and contents policy is tax. The next Queensland Government should do what’s right and remove stamp duty on insurance - or spend it where it collects it by funding disaster mitigation and resilience building.
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Build more resilient homes for QueenslandersAs Queensland faces growing impacts of climate change, thousands of homes have struggled to withstand storms, cyclones and floods. We need to make Queensland homes tougher and stronger before the next major weather event. That’s why we’re calling on the next government to significantly boost the Household Resilience Program (cyclone) and the Resilient Homes Fund (flood).
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Keep powering Queensland’s vehicle transitionRACQ wants to ensure no Queenslander is left behind in the transition to decarbonised transport. We need greater investment in electric vehicle infrastructure and purchase subsidies, electrification support for manufacturing opportunities, biofuels industry development, and support for skills training to address electrified transport workforce shortages.
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Keep the lights onQueenslanders need to be able to keep the lights on and the fridge cold in the next major weather event. We’re calling on the next government to expand the Battery Booster scheme and expedite Vehicle to Grid and Vehicle to Home capabilities to provide necessary backup electricity during blackouts.
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Plan and build for growthCongestion is suffocating South East Queensland. If we don’t get transport planning right, we will grind to a standstill, crippling our enviable lifestyle and economy. We need the next Queensland Government to make transport a top priority in regional planning to ensure stronger connectivity between housing, jobs, education and recreation to cater for an additional 2.2 million people in the next 23 years. We need to build for growth by properly planning and connecting road and public transport infrastructure.