24 June | 2025-26 QLD Budget Summary

The Crisafulli Government’s first budget handed down today by Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki, centres on the LNP’s theme of promising Queenslanders a fresh start and delivering for Queensland.

Crisafulli was elected on tackling a Youth Crime Crisis, Cost of Living Crisis, Health Crisis and Housing Crisis, all of which in turn get attention in this budget.

The Treasurer outlined what he considered a deteriorating budget position inherited by the LNP from the Palaszczuk/Miles Labor Governments, which he has stabilised.

Total state debt is now forecast to reach $205.7 billion at the end of the forward estimates in 2028–29. Under Labor, debt was forecast to reach $252 billion in 2028–29.

The 4-year capital program is $116.8 billion with the government claiming to have addressed unfunded or under-scoped projects commissioned by the previous government.

The operating deficit forecast for 2025–26 is $8.6 billion. The previous Labor Government’s deficits of $9.2 billion deficit in 2027–28, have been reversed across the forward estimates, reducing the operating deficit to $1.1 billion in 2028–29.

The Treasurer has taken aim at the Federal Labor Government and the sharp drop in forecast GST revenue for the deficit position. Queensland’s GST reduction of $2.3 billion between last year and this budget has affected these forecasts. This redistributive loss comprises more than 25 per cent of this year’s operating deficit and strips $5 billion from revenue over the next 3 years.

The Crisafulli Government and Treasurer Janetzki have started their first budget in a strong position – pointing the finger where appropriate at their predecessors for budget decisions taken over nine years of the Palaszczuk and Miles Labor Governments and setting the budget on a trajectory to fund and deliver the two lodestones which will dominate the LNP’s first term: delivering on election promises across safety, health and housing, and getting on with the preparation for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

HOUSING

  • The 2025-26 Queensland Budget contains measures to redress Queensland’s structural housing crisis, including:

    • A $165 million capital injection into a new Boost to Buy shared equity scheme, engineered to ‘reduce the deposit gap’. The scheme is capped at 1,000 first home buyers and will enable the acquisition of a home with a deposit of 2 percent.

    • The abolition of stamp duty for first home buyers purchasing a new build.

    • A 12-month extension to the First Home Owner Grant, which has been elevated to $30,000

    • A $1 billion injection into the Residential Activation Fund to accelerate the construction of critical infrastructure. This fund comprises a key pillar of the Crisafulli Government’s $8.1 billion Securing Our Housing Foundations Plan, which is oriented on unlocking housing supply statewide.

LAW ENFORCEMENT + CRIME PREVENTION

Measures engineered to counter proliferating crime rates and bolster Queensland’s law enforcement capabilities form a key part of the 2025-26 QLD Budget. These measures include:

  • $2.4 billion for the construction of new correction facilities to expand prisoner capacity across Townsville and Brisbane.

  • $347.7 million for the implementation and enforcement of the Making Queensland Safer Laws.

  • $560 million for crime prevention measures, encompassing early intervention and rehabilitation programs.

  • $147.9 million for the acquisition of modern police equipment, including Body Worn Camera replacements and Load Bearing Vests and Ballistic Plates replacements.

TRANSPORT

The 2025-26 Queensland Budget accounts for:

  • A $41.7 billion allocation for the Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program, funding key infrastructural projects and integrated transport solutions that enhance network connectivity and reduce congestion. This capital allocation includes a $40 million injection into The Wave to accelerate Stage 2 and Stage 3 planning processes.

  • A $100 million Country Roads Connect program to enhance the flood resilience of regional road networks.

  • A permanent cap of 50 percent on public transport fares across the TransLink network in Queensland.

 HEALTH

The 2025-26 QLD Budget makes provision for substantial capital injections into Queensland’s health to enhance healthcare accessibility and enhance system capacities across the state’s hospital network:

  • $18.5 billion injection into Queensland’s Hospital Rescue Plan. The plan accounts for the construction of three new hospitals and the Queensland Cancer Centre, expansion of 10 key hospitals, and operational and capacity enhancements at health facilities across the state.

  • $6.5 billion allocation to stabilise bed and system capacity across Queensland, expand the elective Surgery Connect program, and fund Stage 2 of the Mater Springfield project.

  • Abolition of the patients’ tax, reducing the financial burden of consulting general practitioners.

ENERGY + ENVIRONMENT

  • Energy measures contained in the 2025-26 QLD Budget are centred on bolstering energy reliability, maintaining base load generation capacity and delivering structural cost relief for energy in Queensland:

    • $1.6 billion injection into a five-year base Electricity Maintenance Guarantee. This Guarantee will fund the maintenance of key power assets and generators in Queensland for the purposes of enhancing the state’s energy reliability and putting downward pressure on energy bills, and impose robust accountability frameworks on government-owned energy companies.

    • $2.4 billion investment in the CopperString transmission project, projected to deliver 1,000 kilometres of high-voltage overhead electricity transmission lines connecting Townsville and Mount Isa.

    • $479.2 million allocation for the Brigalow Gas Peaker Project, a 400MW natural gas power station developed by the government-owned utility entity CS Energy.

    • $26.3 million allocation for the Supercharged Solar for Renters program. This program will provide eligible landlords with rebates of up to $3,500 for the installation of photovoltaic systems on their rental properties, reducing electricity bills for tenants.

OLYMPICS INFRASTRUCTURE

The 2025-26 Budget allocates $4.7 billion for the implementation of the 2032 Delivery Plan in advance of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This encompasses:

  • $3.8 billion provision for the total venues program over the forward estimates, including the Victoria Park Stadium.

  • $847 million allocation to fund the procurement and delivery of key infrastructure projects, including Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast Mountain Bike Centre, Moreton Bay Indoor Sports Centre, Barlow Park Stadium and Logan Indoor Sports Centre Projects.

  • $308.5 million injection into the Olympic Games independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority to progress with a delivery partner.

  • $950 million allocation for the delivery of athlete villages with the private sector.

EDUCATION + COMMUNITY SPORT

  • Education and community sport are salient in the Crisafulli Government’s 2025-26 Budget. It capitalises on the upcoming 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games to promote physical activity and drive the uptake of sport across the state. Measures include:

    • $250 million investment in the GamesOn! program to upgrade in excess of 100 local sporting club facilities.

    • $250.5 million capital allocation over five years for $200 PlayOn! sports vouchers to enhance the accessibility of community sport.

    • Permanent adoption of the $100 Back to School Boost measure to drive down cost pressures associated with primary school essentials.

    • The delivery of 15 new schools and campuses statewide, including two primary schools, one high school, six specialist schools, a Health Sciences Academy and Youth Justice and Crime Prevention Schools.

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