Queensland Budget: Cost of Living Relief and Public Service Changes

Budget

Tuesday, 23 June 2026, 2:01 pm

The Queensland government says its new budget has the biggest cost of living relief package in the state's history.

In short:

The government's second budget includes more money for back-to-school payments and a limit on senior public service jobs.

Treasurer David Janetzki said the budget has the largest cost of living relief package in Queensland's history.

What's next?

The budget will be in deficit until 2029-30, when it is expected to have a surplus of $619 million.

Families will get an extra $50 for back-to-school payments for primary school students.

The government's debt will still increase, but at a slower rate.

The government will also limit the number of senior executive roles in the public service to save money.

The budget has the largest cost of living relief package in Queensland's history, says David Janetzki.

The back-to-school payment will increase by $50 to $150.

The money will be used as credit on a student's school account for things like uniforms and excursions.

The state government has delivered its 2026/27 budget.

The government will make public transport fares 50 cents, but there are no short-term relief measures for everyone.

The electricity rebate scheme will increase by 3.4 per cent to almost $400.

The government is freezing bulk water prices for households in South East Queensland, saving them $130 over two years.

Premier David Crisafulli says the government is providing relief that Queenslanders can rely on.

David Crisafulli says the budget measures are more than just temporary help.

Opposition Leader Steven Miles says families will not get any help from the budget.

Steven Miles says there is no relief in sight for the increasing costs.

The Labor leader says the projected surplus in 2029-30 is very small.

Steven Miles has criticised the government's approach to cost of living relief.

Shadow treasurer Shannon Fentiman says there is no relief for cost of living pressures in the budget.

Shannon Fentiman compared Queensland's budget to New South Wales' budget, which has more relief measures.

Queensland Council of Social Service chief executive Aimee McVeigh says the government has failed to address cost of living pressures.

Aimee McVeigh says the budget will not help Queenslanders with the cost of living.

Aimee McVeigh says the budget does not have a package to help families now.

Business Chamber Queensland chief executive Heidi Cooper says the government has not provided enough relief for businesses.

Heidi Cooper says Queensland businesses want real relief from high costs and a tough employment landscape.

Heidi Cooper says the budget does not provide the relief that businesses need.

The government says it will get back to a surplus.

The budget will be in deficit until 2029-30, when it is expected to have a surplus of $619 million.

The last time Queensland's budget was in the black was in 2023-24.

The Queensland treasurer has handed down the state budget, which includes relief measures and a limit on public service jobs.

The government will post a deficit of about $8.85 billion this financial year and $6.18 billion in 2026-27.

The total debt will reach $216.47 billion by 2029-30, an increase of 52 per cent over four years.

The total debt for the coming financial year is expected to be $162.62 billion, which is $7.9 billion less than forecast.

David Janetzki says the government is delivering lower debt and a pathway to surplus with no new taxes.

David Janetzki says the budget has the largest cost of living relief package in Queensland's history.

The government warns that a credit downgrade is likely due to the previous Labor government's policies.

Interest expenses will climb to almost $10.9 billion by 2029-30.

This is more than the funding for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Public service

The government will lower the cap on non-frontline senior executive roles in the public service.

The cap will drop from 842 to 793, saving about $54 million over four years.

There were 279,577 full-time equivalent positions in the public service in March, an increase of 8,700 from the year before.

The government says only 34 of the 8,693 new jobs were corporate roles.

The wages bill for public servants will be $40.51 billion next financial year and climb to $44.21 billion by 2030.

Where is the money coming from?

The government will make $6.9 billion from coal royalties in 2026-27, but this will decrease in the following years.

The government will make $8.35 billion from transfer duty revenue in 2026-27, a slight decrease from the year before.

David Janetzki blames the reduction on federal government policies.

Land tax revenue will jump by almost half a billion dollars next financial year to about $3.16 billion.

David Janetzki says the reduction in transfer duty revenue is due to federal government policies.

The government will make $2.72 billion from motor vehicle registration fees and $546 million from the waste levy.

Revenue from the waste levy will climb 48.6 per cent over four years to $709 million by 2029-30.

The budget papers note the levy will generate an extra $569.7 million over four years.

The government will spend $119.2 billion on capital works and promises a record health spend of over $33 billion in 2026-27.

The budget papers do not show specific allocations for stages two and three of the Wave public transport project.

This is because contracts have not been awarded.

An estimated $823 million in fines and forfeitures was paid in 2025-26, which was $27 million less than forecast.

The budget papers attribute this to improved driver behaviour and a revised rollout of the camera detection program.

The government expects to make over $1 billion from fines by 2027-28.

New laws have boosted enforcement activities for illicit tobacco, drug offending, and e-mobility devices.

The Queensland Revenue Office will get more resources for tax compliance and to collect penalty debts.

This is expected to raise $220 million in revenue and $612 million in debt recovery over the forward estimates.

Tuesday, 23 June 2026, 2:01 pm

Tuesday, 23 June 2026, 4:58 pm

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