The Miles government has been demanding more Commonwealth funding,particularly given Queensland’s continued strong population growth,and will now go to the October state election having to explain the lack of support from Labor colleagues in Canberra.
Budget papers released on Tuesday night reveal federal Treasury underestimated interstate migration to Queensland by 7300 people this year,and expects to be 1600 above its forecast for next year.
South-east Queensland has proved so popular,the Australian Bureau of Statistics predicts Brisbane will house the majority of the state’s population by the end of 2027-28.
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers,an MP from Logan,used his third budget speech to promise cost-of-living relief for Australians,and ongoing efforts to rein in inflation,but focused more on long-term reform than Queensland’s immediate pressures.
“We are building an economy that will position our people to benefit from the opportunities of the decades ahead,” Chalmers told parliament.