Queensland Government Plans to Fix Dams in Budget

Topic: Budget

Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 6:00pm

North Pine Dam gives water to Moreton Bay and Brisbane.

In short:

The state government wants to fix North Pine and Lake Macdonald Dams.

The budget will also include $10 million to find a new dam site.

What next?

The LNP government will give its second budget on Tuesday.

The Queensland government will spend $545 million on water and fill two dams.

Treasurer David Janetzki says there will be no cuts to the public service.

North Pine and Lake Macdonald Dams will be fixed to full capacity.

If we use these dams fully, we'll have a new dam, two-and-a-half times bigger than the Bjelke-Petersen Dam.

We can invest in our existing infrastructure to build water security for homes and farms.

Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki says there will be no cuts to the public service.

The Bjelke-Petersen Dam can hold 134,000 megalitres of water.

The North Pine Dam was at 54% capacity last year and needs upgrades.

Work is happening on Noosa's Lake McDonald Dam, which was at 42% capacity last year.

The budget includes $10 million to find new dam sites, but no timeline is set.

Mr Janetzki says talking to the community is important for new dam projects.

North Pine Dam's capacity was lowered to 54% last year.

The 2026-27 budget includes $59.8 million to rebuild Paradise Dam.

Mr Janetzki won't say when work will start on the 300,000-megalitre Bundaberg dam.

The government still wants to build the Bundaberg dam, despite some concerns.

'Uncertainty and instability'

The LNP's second budget will focus on making the state's finances stronger.

Mr Janetzki hasn't said if the budget will show a surplus in the next four years.

He's focusing on making the budget better.

The state's debt is expected to reach $204.89 billion by 2028-29.

Mr Janetzki says no changes will be made to coal royalties, but revenue streams might change.

The LNP government will give its second budget on Tuesday.

Mr Janetzki is watching stamp duty revenue and changes in other states.

There's a lot of uncertainty globally, making it hard to manage the budget.

The treasurer says the opposition is running a 'scare campaign' about public service cuts.

Opposition Leader Steven Miles says the government isn't renewing some public service contracts.

Treasurer defends ad spend

The state government has been advertising its policies on billboards and social media.

Mr Janetzki says the government is spending less on ads than the Labor Party did.

The treasurer says advertising is a normal part of government.

The government has spent $622,251 on Facebook and Instagram ads from March 21 to June 18.

'It's an entirely normal part of government,' Mr Jentzki said.

He says advertising 50-cent fares is important to help people get home faster.

Mr Jantzki says the ads are not political, but rather about government policies.

When asked about ad spending, Mr Janetzki said it's not more than what the Labor government spent.

Shadow Treasurer Shannon Fentiman says the number of government ads has increased a lot.

Shadow Treasurer Shannon Fentiman wants the government to stop spending so much on ads.

She says the government's ad spending has 'exploded' and they will be held accountable.

Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 6:00pm

Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 6:56pm

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