Budget Week 2022 held no surprises for Noosa, as our ‘big ticket items’ were not ready for funding. This included the remaining stages of the Tewantin Bypass, with the business case being finalised before end of year, and the remaining ‘bookend’ on the Kin Kin Range waiting on its reviewed assessment. As well, the expansion of the Noosa emergency department as it is a private hospital with public contracts, however we are waiting on an imminent update regarding.

The task of trawling through the Service Delivery Statements is never quick or easy, searching for goods news, as well what may be missing. Found for Noosa so far is listed below, continuations of previous commitments are in italics, with a couple of new additions.

Overall for across QLD, there was good news, including as reported on almost every indicator this year, QLD is outperforming the rest of Australia.

Substantial extra funds have been allocated in several sectors, including health, specifically hospitals and mental health which amongst will see a mental health co-responder via QAS based on the Sunshine Coast.

With ambulance delays impacting our community, the new initiatives such as the QAS Clinical Hub was welcomed and delivers similar to what we had been advocating for in the reinstatement of the previous STAR pilot.

However in amongst the good news, I have not found anything to address our long surgery wait lists, nor to quickly minimise the impacts of our housing crisis or address the need for better funding models for our palliative care hospices, and I speak on this and more in my speech at the link provided below.

Small business had a win with cuts to payroll tax, however tourism has less funding than previously. Though it has been good to hear about the allocation for the Tourism Recovery strategy for the next 10 years, there was no movement to address the inequity of programs such Work in Paradise, that preclude Noosa based on its proximity to Brisbane.

The Treasurer touched on a number of arenas that I have not as yet investigated including the increases in policing, with 2025 extra police engaged by 2025, as to how this will translate to our requests for extra resources is to be seen.

With extra funding to increase the volume of protected land, I have only been able to unearth minimal increases in maintenance and monitoring for National Parks which we need.

In a nutshell, with the Minister advising of a $1.9 billion net surplus, from the increases to coal and oil royalties after a 10-year freeze, there has been as I said before, good news on a number of fronts, however as always the devil is in the detail including around our level of debt, and we shall update on this after Estimates 2022.

All budget papers are available at Budget Papers – Queensland Budget 2021-22 for those who would like to trawl with me over the next fortnight?

My Budget Reply speech is available here and via Facebook and this website under ‘parliament/speeches’.

Note – Those allocations in italics I have announced previously, with these amounts committed as part of their continuation.

Happy reading everyone, and if I have missed something, I will amend in future posts. ????

Transport and Main Roads

  • $18,000,000 – Kin Kin Road, Six Mile Creek replace timber bridge continuation – $10.805 million has been confirmed for this coming financial year
  • $9,810,000 – Tewantin Bypass Stage 1, Cooroy – Noosa Road and Beckmans Road intersection upgrade continuation – $3.904 million has been confirmed for this coming financial year
  • $837,838 – Tewantin Bypass (Beckmans Road) business case – $86,606 of $837,838 been confirmed for this coming financial year
  • $4,460,000 Noosa Parade, Munna Point Bridge to Garth Prowd Bridge, construct active transport facilities continuation – $557,500 of $4.46 million has been confirmed for this coming financial year
  • $1,071,726 – Weyba Road, Reef Street and Mary Street roundabout Noosaville, upgrade roundabout – $535,863 of $1.071 million has been confirmed for this coming financial year
  • $984,964 – Cooroy Noosa Road and Sivyers Road intersection, improve channelisation – $260,000 of $984,964 has been confirmed for this coming financial year
  • $6,000,000 Kin Kin Road Strengthening and widening project continuation to upgrade approximately 800m section of Kin Kin Road adjacent to the section of road that was widened in 2012.
  • $5,000,000 – Kin Kin Road, Sallwood Court to Turnball Road, strengthen and widen pavement –survey, design and investigation works 23/24
  • $8,000,000 – Kin Kin Road, Williams Road to Western Branch Road, strengthen and widen pavement – survey, design and investigation works in 23/24r
  • $1,071,726 – Eumundi-Noosa Road, Lake Entrance Boulevard to roundabout, rehabilitate pavement 23/24

Education

  • $443,000 allocated across 8 schools for maintenance
  • $165,000 allocated across 8 schools for minor works
  • $5,750,000 Noosa District State High School Pomona Campus – New Hall Facility continuation – $2.73 M of $5.75M has been confirmed for this coming financial year
  • $77,000 Noosaville State School School Subsidy Scheme – 22 Covered Area Walkways
  • $165,000 Sunshine Beach State High School School Subsidy Scheme – Basketball Court Shade Structure

State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning

  • $4,080,000 South East Queensland Community Stimulus Program 2021-24 Noosa Shire Council for investment in new infrastructure and community assets that create jobs and deliver economic stimulus – $816,000 of $4.08 million has been confirmed for this coming financial year

SEQWATER

  • $127,278,000 Lake Macdonald Dam improvement project planning – $687,000 of $127.278 million has been confirmed for this coming financial year

Employment, Small Business and Training

  • $162,000 annual maintenance program at Tewantin TAFE

Tourism, Innovation and Sport

  • $75,000 Advance Queensland continuation to The Powerhouse Hub towards enhanced business development support for female headed startups – $31,250 of $75,000 has been confirmed for this coming financial year

Communities and Housing, Digital Economy and the Arts

  • $250,000 for Pomona and District Community House (an increase of $126,220 per annum) for the next four years
  • $3964 for Pomona and District Meals on Wheels for 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2024
  • $6284 for Tewantin/Noosa Meals on Wheels for 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2024

Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Science and Youth Affairs

  • $2,807,500 Cooloola Great Walk Ecotourism Project – $1.0 million confirmed in this financial year
  • $200,000 Noosa Shire Council , for the Integrated Coastal Management Solutions for Open Coasts and the Living Foreshores Noosa’ Phase 1: Designing for Resilience.