Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Ninderry MP Dan Purdie has described the State Labor Government’s second Budget akin to being ‘caught with your pants down, long after the the tide has gone out’.
Mr Purdie unleased on a generation of Labor Treasurers who have recklessly wasted the money of hardworking Queenslanders, effectively starving the state and the Sunshine Coast of infrastructure, and leaving an alarming debt bomb in their wake.
“Our state debt bomb has blown out to $90 billion,” Mr Purdie lamented.
“The yearly interest bill alone is $3.5billion, which could be spent on more nurses, more teachers and more police.
“It could also air-condition every classroom in the state twice over, and deliver every infrastructure need not only in my electorate, but across the Sunshine Coast.
“Next summer, when the kids in my electorate are sweltering in 40 degree classrooms and the Premier tells them the government can’t afford air-conditioning, I will remind them it’s because we are paying $400,000 an hour in interest, which is more than enough to air- condition a number of schools in my electorate.
“Only a Labor Government could get a massive coal royalty, bring in nine new taxes and still have to increase borrowings to plug the budget black hole, while racking up more and more debt.”
Mr Purdie questioned what the residents of the Sunshine Coast were receiving in exchange for a growing tax bill.
“The Budget has failed to deliver any reprieve from cost of living expenses, car registration is increasing and there is still no real plan to reduce hospital wait times and improve access to health services.
“One of our most critical needs, road infrastructure, continues to be under-funded while more and more of our taxpayer dollars are being funnelled into big ticket items in the south-east, like the $5.4billion Cross River Rail.
Mr Purdie said he welcomed funding to build Coolum’s new police station, and an election commitment for a new undercover area and upgraded facilities at Eumundi State School, but other critical infrastructure projects including the Coolum roundabout and Seib Road pedestrian access still hadn’t been funded.
He said Sunshine Coast residents were also sick of the squabbling over who is responsible for what percentage of critical infrastructure projects like the north coast rail duplication and the six laning of the Bruce Highway.
“This Budget fails to recognise those who are doing the hard yards, dutifully paying taxes but not receiving the investment in critical infrastructure projects that will keep the Sunshine Coast moving.
“In the words of this State’s most respected Treasury boss, Sir Leo Hielscher, referring to this Labor Government’s debt bomb and economic incompetence – ‘sorry kids, sorry grandkids’.”