Last Week in Queensland – 20 June 2016

The State Budget dominated the news last week in Queensland, and licensed venues are facing imminent commencement of new “safe night out” regulation.

Governing

• The Queensland State Budget dominated reporting for several days this week:
  • … The secrets in making a budget www.theage.com.au/comment/the-hermit/queensland-budget-2016-secret-tunes-in-the-budget-opera-20160614-gpj109.html
  • … all of the details are here http://budget.qld.gov.au/
  • … Treasurer says budget looks to the future and helps those in need www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/queensland-budget-2016-treasurer-curtis-pitt-says-investing-in-the-future-is-key/news-story/477e516f63492ccd192acf498d8e79fd
  • … winners and losers www.afr.com/news/politics/qld-budget-2016-winners-and-losers-20160613-gpi5u7 and www.news.com.au/national/queensland/politics/first-home-buyers-and-commuters-biggest-winners-in-queensland-budget/news-story/3533891b266d02a4daa2c3a2d0f34475
  • … mixed reactions from stakeholders www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-14/qld-budget-2016-key-industy-community-groups-welcome-pitts-plan/7510680 and www.9news.com.au/national/2016/06/14/16/34/reaction-to-the-queensland-budget
    

    Treasurer Curtis Pitt

  • … first home owners scheme details http://budget.qld.gov.au/budget-highlights/queensland-first-home-owner-grant/
  • … foreign property ownership surcharge www.afr.com/news/politics/tax-on-foreign-homey-buyers-passes-in-queensland-20160617-gpl839
  • … rural Queensland: support package and new Office of Rural Affairs www.southburnetttimes.com.au/news/state-government-throws-support-behind-rural-qld/3046497/ and significant Queensland Drought Mitigation Centre funding www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-16/drought-centre-queensland-budget-funding/7518032
  • … core budget and debt strategy questioned by business www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/states-budget-super-raid-questioned-by-business-leaders-20160615-gpjz91.html
  • … Information and Communication Technology projects in the budget www.cio.com.au/article/601776/queensland-budget-puts-ict-works-agenda/ and www.zdnet.com/article/queensland-budget-peppered-with-it-upgrades/ including Health’s $120m www.computerworld.com.au/article/601739/queensland-earmarks-119-9-million-health-tech/ though IT workload is shrinking www.itnews.com.au/news/queensland-govts-tech-workload-shrinks-420766
  • … North Queensland infrastructure and jobs focus www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-15/qld-budget-invests-more-than-$600m-in-fnq-infrastructure/7512668 and www.northweststar.com.au/story/3969490/editorial/ and www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/100m-boost-for-regional-jobs-in-the-queensland-state-budget/news-story/dac90bc3e0a1040e08b2a514b2c43968
  • … Budget reports increased size of the public sector www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queensland-government/queenslands-public-service-wage-bill-to-surpass-20-billion-for-the-first-time-in-2017/news-story/5305e812fbeb3ac8be62a08a7c2dd18a
  • … $27.7m to attract small business to Queensland www.smartcompany.com.au/business-advice/politics/70401-queensland-government-to-spend-27-7-million-to-attract-small-businesses-to-the-sunshine-state/
  • … major investment in innovation www.computerworld.com.au/article/601667/queensland-government-unveils-225-million-innovation-spend/
  • … Treasurer predicts Queensland will have the strongest economy in several years www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/queensland-treasurer-predicts-the-state-will-have-the-strongest-growing-economy-in-australia/news-story/82e7f8474c4f2633a521d8a6becff815
  • … Financial Review is disappointed www.afr.com/news/politics/qld-budget-has-fallen-short-and-debt-soars-20160613-gpi5r9
• Does the budget do enough to address climate change? www.qt.com.au/news/analysis-budget-elephant-room-palaszczuk/3046322/
  

  Prestige Bar is closing

• Leak from Parliamentary Committee may lead to contempt finding www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-17/parliamentary-ethics-committee-urges-contempt-ruling-on-mp/7522024
• Will venues use lockout laws as an excuse for collapse? First bar announces closure www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/fortitude-valley-bar-blames-impending-lockout-laws-as-it-shuts-its-doors-for-good/news-story/f8306e87904d670d4bc829e3b872832a
• See below under politics

 

The Opposition and Crossbench

Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls

• Opposition Leader’s Budget Reply speech attacks Government “trickery” www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/queensland-budget-2016-tim-nicholls-slams-trickery/news-story/85c2208ded10e6d067d7b49649a741eb
  • … and focusses on a jobs plan www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/qld-lnp-delivers-state-budget-reply-speech/news-story/fc0ce8745fca73a8c141920762cd4d4e
• Government “soft on crime” says Opposition www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-18/new-youth-justice-laws-show-labors-marshmallows-approach-qld-opp/7522620
• See below under politics

 

Politics

• Courier Mail says both Government and Opposition lack a way forward for the Queensland budget www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/opinion-queensland-budget-presents-a-clear-and-present-danger-for-opposition/news-story/03a3253a249238588894e9f9c3a7dc54
• AgForce escalates campaign against tree-clearing restrictions www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-16/agforce-campaign-against-tree-clearing-laws/7517286

 

Community

BJD infection

• Ergon / ENERGEX merger causes job losses www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-17/geiger-electrical-job-losses-ergon-energex-merger/7519216
• Major changes to biosecurity barriers for BJD www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-16/bjd-new-approach-queensland/7516422
• Education needed as new policies bite www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/education-needed-before-queenslands-lockout-laws-tackling-alcoholfuelled-violence-can-start-to-be-effective/news-story/fa0693b6c161a83ad0cf999e1113d292
• Major changes proposed to drive education system improvement www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queensland-government/queensland-budget-2016-changes-to-education/news-story/2360124a5d22259ed5f44f8cb2380bc7

 

Economy and Infrastructure

• Many items are covered under the budget reports, above
• Car registration a bigger revenue raiser in Queensland than coal? http://newmatilda.com/2016/06/17/the-big-coal-con-car-registration-in-queensland-brings-in-more-revenue-than-coal/
• ENERGEX/Ergon merger creates Australia’s biggest energy company www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/palaszczuk-push-creates-giant-energy-merger/news-story/d6e3bedf6fd36c8fd69be744a25cfce2
• State budget delivers regional road improvements www.northqueenslandregister.com.au/story/3970903/knuth-welcomes-road-funding-budget-win/
• $634m to improve SEQ rail capacity www.gympietimes.com.au/news/qld-spend-634m-remove-seq-railway-bottleneck/3044799/

 

Parliament

• Queensland’s Parliament sat last week, principally for the State Budget, and from 19 to 22 July, and 26 to 28 July Estimates Committee hearings are shceduled to examine the State Budget
• The Queensland Parliament’s summary of what’s new, including newly-introduced and passed legislation, is here www.parliament.qld.gov.au/work-of-assembly/whats-new
• The Federal Parliament has been prorogued until after the Federal Election on 2 July – see www.aph.gov.au

 

Sleeper Issues?

• The first climate-change-caused mammal extinction? www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/06/14/island-dwelling-rat-is-first-climate-change-mammal-extinction/

 

 

 

* We’re not representing that this is a complete coverage of news in Queensland – it certainly isn’t, and it’s what we find interesting or important, and sometimes what’s unusual.  Some of the links will require subscriptions to read content.