Pitt denies budget buys seats

Labor pledges 22,000 jobs for regional Queensland

SIX billion dollars of infrastructure and programs to support 22,000 regional jobs have been promised in the Queensland Budget – but the treasurer has rejected claims of pre-election pork barrelling.

Treasurer Curtis Pitt denied the money was pork barrelling in Labor-held seats designed to stave off the LNP and One Nation ahead of an impending election, which must be held by May 2018.

Mr Pitt yesterday handed down the 2017-18 budget, promising to spend $10.17 billion on capital works statewide. That figure will grow to $42.75 billion over the next four years.

Regional economics expert Christine Smith said there was no disputing certain marginal seats were in Labor’s sights.

“I think there are particular regional areas being targeted ... where the government would be interested in shoring up the Labor vote,” the Griffith University professor said.

“There’s an element of attempting to pork barrel but I don’t think that’s the whole story.”

Mr Pitt denied the money was buying marginal seats.

“We have a number of big projects happening throughout parts of far north Queensland, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton. Are there local Labor members of parliament there? Absolutely,” he said.

“These are the centres ... that require the sort of funding arrangements that we’re putting in place.”

Deputy Opposition leader Deb Frecklington said the budget was a “con” that had let down the regions.

She said the government’s Building Our Regions program was nearly out of money, with just $110 million left, and had not been replenished.

“This is a major issue. The government is continuing to starve regional Queensland,” she said.

The Back to Work program will be expanded into the south-east corner to target unemployment in areas like Ipswich, Toowoomba and the Sunshine Coast.

The Local Government Association of Queensland welcomes a $200 million boost for council infrastructure.