Budget looks north
AS the State Member for Thuringowa, I would like to draw some attention to the article by the former federal candidate for the Katter Party in the opinion piece TB State of Affairs on August 20.
Nanette Radeck’s statements demonstrated a lack of understanding in relation to the dollar spend in the regions where the writer says it’s all about southeast Queensland and the Cross River Rail project, and attempts to go even further in that North Queensland is missing out.
Here are the facts as reported in the 2019-20 Budget papers.
The average annual per capita spend of around $2500 per person in regions outside of greater Brisbane, compared with $1900 per person in greater Brisbane over the forwards.
The capital program is $49.5 billion over the forward estimates with 60 per cent being spent in regions outside greater Brisbane.
I am pleased to see our Townsville Health and Hospital Service receive a 5.5 per cent increase from $938 million to over $1 billion in the last State Budget, that comes from good local representation.
In the last State Budget local MPS delivered $930.7 million in infrastructure investment in Townsville in 2019-20 alone, supporting 3200 jobs.
I don’t often agree with the LNP on a range of things, however the former federal member for Herbert, Ewen Jones, was correct in his views on a separate state. We simply do not need another level of bureaucrats or more politicians.
The reality is we simply don’t have the population base to even fund such a proposal. We would have to fund the road network, schools, hospitals, create new agencies such as police, fire and ambulance services, create and pay for another public service and the list just goes on and on. Imagine the taxes that would need to be collected.
It would cost billions to even start that and that would have to be borrowed. Then the question of where you would place a capital? This would just divide the North. It is simply unrealistic.
Ms Radeck also had a cheap shot at Mr Jones on him trying to be politically relevant. That is interesting. This from a failed minor party representative who I have observed has never delivered anything of substance compared to the record job generating infrastructure spend that our State Labor Government has actually delivered in Townsville and we have much more to deliver for North Queensland.
KAP have pulled the same lever a bit early. This separate state stuff is usually trotted out each election from Ol’ Bob, saying he is fighting for the North and “this just has to happen”. It never gets any real traction, it is an attempt to be seen to be doing something, but the reality is it results in achieving absolutely nothing.
Lastly, and let’s get real here, we have one Queensland State of Origin team and many other proud sporting teams, why on earth would you want to split them? Our Queensland State is a great and diverse State that we should all be proud of. #1Stateqld
AARON HARPER, Member for Thuringowa.