2020-21 Budget Sittings
Treasurer Cameron Dick delivered the State’s 2020-21 pandemic budget on Tuesday. The budget was delivered a week after the Victorian Budget and a fortnight after the NSW Budget.
Mr Dick said the budget is pro-growth and pro-business, with with no new or increased taxes, while delivering on the Government's commitments.
The budget forecasts deficits across the 4-years of the forward estimates.
The Treasurer's speech can be found here and commences at 2.06 pm.
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli delivered his budget reply on Thursday. He was ‘hard out of the gates’ with his criticisms of the Budget and the Government, saying the government had a mandate for no more that $4 billion of debt; while the budget papers provide for $28 billion of borrowings.
While Mr Crisafulli is out-of-step with most public commentary – including from the Reserve Bank – in relation to borrowing, he may be taking a longer view.
Public debt is not like fine wine. It ages poorly.
During the Global Financial Crisis the Rudd Government was widely applauded for avoiding a recession by responding to the then Treasury Secretary’s encouragement to “go early and go households”, by pumping many billions into the economy.
Despite this, ‘debt and deficit’ was the most successful attack point on the Government over the following 4 years.
The Opposition Leader's Budget Reply Speech can be found here commencing at 11.14am.
Border scrutiny
A positive COVID-19 test of a room cleaner in the New South Wales’ hotel quarantine program has caused concern in Queensland government. At this stage there are no plans to reinstitute border restrictions, while the Chief Health Officer and health authorities are closely monitoring the NSW response.
Plastics Ban
Legislation to ban single-use plastics was reintroduced into Queensland Parliament this week.
Fraser Island Fire Inquiry
A review has been called into the handling of a bush fire on Fraser Island (K’gari), It is to be conducted by the Inspector-General for Emergency Management. Around 50% of the island has burnt, while weather and sensitive ecosystems make the blaze very difficult to combat.
Greens scrutiny of the Chief Health Officer
Queensland Parliament’s two Greens MPs moved a motion to establish a new parliamentary committee to scrutinise the decisions of the Chief Health Officer (CHO) and the Government’s health response. The move was seen by some as politicising the health response and the role of the CHO.
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