New Qld Treasurer predicts bumper surplus

New Queensland Treasurer Jackie Trad has predicted a surplus for the 2017-18 financial year more than three times that forecast in the June budget.

A file image of Queensland Treasurer Jackie Trad

New Queensland Treasurer Jackie Trad will release her first mid-year budget update on Monday. (AAP)

Queensland will record a budget surplus more than three times what was predicted in the June budget, according to the latest economic update from newly appointed Treasurer Jackie Trad.

In her Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Review on Monday, Ms Trad revealed the operating surplus for the 2017-18 financial year would be $485 million, up from the $146 million predicted in June.

Ms Trad said that was mostly due to an increase in mining royalties.

"These surpluses are working for Queensland, reducing the need for borrowing and going towards our growing infrastructure program; in short, they're growing jobs," she told reporters.

"Almost all of it is from the royalties, but over the forward estimates the revenue measures will be going into ensuring we are paying for our election commitments."

The revenue measures include four new taxes announced by former treasurer Curtis Pitt in the final days of the election campaign, including a luxury car tax.

Ms Trad acknowledged that most of the economic groundwork for her announcement on Monday was laid by Mr Pitt, who has been shifted out of cabinet to the Speaker's chair for this term of government.

Queensland's new Shadow Treasurer Tim Mander criticised the government's approach, saying it was doing nothing to pay down state debt, which is still forecast to hit $81 billion by 2021.

Mr Mander said the government's bumper surplus was down to "good luck, not good management".

"This government is very fortunate that commodities prices have increased and that has meant we've had increased royalties with coal," he said.

"But it continues to spend more money than it raises, and its mantra is tax, tax, tax."

Mr Mander did not specifically outline how the LNP would raise revenue without raising taxes, but said it was important to reduce spending.

Labor has already promised about a billion dollars in "reprioritisation" measures such as removing duplicate services, with the health department quarantined from any such measures.

The MYEFR documents indicate Labor has fully funded its $1.4 billion worth of election promises with the help of about $500 million generated by its new taxes.

Queensland Resources Council CEO Ian Macfarlane said the increase in coal royalties showed the sector was still important to the state.

"This is a massive amount of money which the government relies on and it's also 300,000 jobs underpinned by the Queensland resources industry," he said.

The documents also show economic growth of two-and-three-quarter per cent in 2017-18, building to three per cent in 2018-19.

That is coupled with stronger employment growth of two-and-a-quarter per cent, up from one per cent predicted in the June budget.


Share

3 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world