Community & Business
28 June, 2022
Knuth left uninspired by budget
MEMBER for Hill Shane Knuth has described the State’s Budget as “largely uninspiring with a few bright points”.
Mr Knuth said revenue generating, and job creation projects were sadly lacking while the government’s saving grace was $7.3 billion in coal royalties which was now being used to plug holes in the failing health system.
“This government and the budget lack foresight and vision,” he said.
“They are quite happy to take the royalties generated by coal, then talk about the phasing out of base load coal generation and replacing them with renewables which cannot meet current and future energy demands.”
Mr Knuth said the government was trumpeting a record expenditure in health, yet he couldn't see anything that would stop the decline in basic health services in regional Queensland.
“We are losing doctors, nurses, medical surgeons and specialists as we are seeing hospitals are cancelling and delaying surgeries, continuously,” he said.
“The expenditure is like trying to plug a hole in a leaking dam that keeps getting worse.”
Bright points in the budget were the spend on the road network and increased funding for the operation of neighbourhood and community centres.
“There were projections of $3 million to be spent next year on overtaking lanes on the Kennedy Highway between Mareeba and Ravenshoe and $680,000 for the Kennedy Highway and Grove Street, Atherton intersection,” Mr Knuth said.
The budget also included an increase in the base minimum operational funding for government funded Neighbourhood and Community Centres across the state, something he had campaigned heavily for.
“I met with and discussed this with the Minister as these valuable centres were on the brink of closing,” Mr Knuth said.
“I have five centres in my electorate and every one of them have now received the news that they will receive close to double the funding for next year, which gives them security to be able to continue to deliver their valuable services.”
