A strong Queensland
Queensland is the economic powerhouse of the nation with a growth rate, currently at 4.25 per cent, consistently higher than the national average for more than 13 years.
In addition, unemployment has been at record lows for five consecutive years.
Together, strong economic and jobs growth help deliver a high standard of living for Queenslanders.
Our robust economy and significant investment in infrastructure for the future is encouraging strong business investment, forecast to grow at 9.25 per cent this year. All this means Queensland is a great place to live and to work, to invest and do business.
A strong economy
A competitive taxation system
- Keeping taxes low for all – Queenslanders are on average $407 per capita better off than taxpayers in other states and territories.
- Significant reform of the payroll tax system – more than 7,000 businesses have benefited from reduced compliance costs and cuts to red tape, which have made it easier and more cost efficient to do business between the states.
- A highly competitive payroll tax regime – small and medium sized businesses with pay-rolls between $1 million and $5 million receiving tax cuts from extending the current phase-out of the pay-roll tax deduction.
- Helping first home buyers – slashing up to $9,500 from the cost of purchasing a first home by abolishing stamp duty on homes valued up to $500,000 from 1 September 2008.
- Making housing more affordable – with the abolition of mortgage duty from 1 July 2008 and giving more than 15,000 Queenslanders further land tax cuts by setting the highest tax free thresholds in the Australia.
Research and development
- Building a diverse economy powered by bright ideas – by redirecting the Smart State strategy for 2008-2012 from bricks to brains; that is, from investing in buildings to investing in the people who work in them.
- Invested $120 million to boost Smart State industries – to attract the best and brightest minds to undertake world and Australia-first research in new institutes, research centres and laboratories.
- Attracting leading clinicians, health professionals and researchers to Queensland – by developing a $25 million new Health and Medical Research Program to guide the country’s most generous research fellowships program.
- Training the next generation of health professionals – by opening a new specialist health academy on the Gold Coast for the State’s brightest students who are interested in health sciences.
- Starting work on Australia’s first eco-sciences precinct – a $280 million precinct at Boggo Road that brings together more than 100 scientists and researchers to work on major environmental issues including climate change, water and sustainable growth.
Investing in infrastructure
My government is looking over the horizon, anticipating population and economic growth and what that means for our infrastructure such as roads, rails, ports, schools and hospitals.
We are building tomorrow’s infrastructure today, with a massive $17 billion investment in capital works the length and breadth of the State. That’s $2 million being spent every hour of every day on the largest post war infrastructure program in this nation’s history.
New and renewed roads
- Announced record funding of $7.7 billion – for transport and road infrastructure over four years.
- Busting congestion between the CBD and the airport – with the $3.4 billion Airport Link, the nation’s biggest road infrastructure project. This will include a new $272 million airport fly-over which will bypass 18 sets of traffic lights between Bowen Hills and the airport.
- Opened the $550 million Tugun bypass – which means motorists can travel from Gympie to the New South Wales border without encountering a traffic light.
- Upgrading major regional links – including 230 kilometres of the Burke Development Road from Cloncurry to Normanton.
Improved public transport
- A 70 per cent increase in Citytrains – with a $970 million investment in the Citytrain network to deliver 102 new trains and 23,000 extra seats.
- Delivery of Queensland’s first dedicated cycle centre – a $7 million facility at King George Square in Brisbane that offers showers, change rooms, and cycle storage to encourage more people to cycle and walk to work.
- Delivered the $333 million Inner Northern Busway – on budget and six months ahead of schedule, taking more than 250 buses each day off the general road network thereby freeing up road space and cutting travel times for commuters.
- Committed to the Northern Busway – a $444 million project that will halve travel times for commuters between the Royal Brisbane Hospital and Kedron.
- Progressing the first stage of the Eastern Busway – with $466 million to deliver the Buranda to Capalaba link which will halve travel time on this section.
- Committed to a light railsystem for the Gold Coast – which will move 10,000 passengers per hour and take up to 40,000 cars off the city’s road network.
- Improving services, frequency and seat numbers on key rail routes in the northern and southern suburbs of Brisbane – with $302 million being spent on a third rail track from Salisbury to Kuraby and duplicating the rail lines between Mitchelton and Keperra.
- Invested $241.7 million for new and upgraded facilities at Park and Ride stations – to encourage more people on to public transport.
- Introduced a new fare structure for GoCard – providing a 20 per cent discount on each trip and up to 67 per cent discounts for frequent users of buses, trains and ferries in South East Queensland.
Water security
- Commenced the final phase of a multi-billion dollar system to secure water for South East Queensland – a $9 billion water grid which is now 88 per cent complete with more than 350 kilometres of pipe in the ground.
- Committed to green power for the Tugun desalination plant – which will deliver fresh drinking water to the whole of the South East.
- Reformed water management – by merging 27 separate authorities into eight streamlined entities.
Economic infrastructure and exports
- Securing the sustainability of resource communities – the State Government has committed $100 million to a partnership with local governments and resource communities to ensure provision of essential infrastructure.
- Assisting our exporters to get their goods to market – by investing $576 million in regional rail track upgrades and $793 million in port upgrades throughout the State.
- Invested $654 million in new Queensland Rail coal trains – committed without supporting contracts in place, to boosting future capacity for the coal industry.
- Doubling the capacity of the Abbott Port coal terminal near Bowen – with a $250 million upgrade that will increase capacity to 50 million tonnes per annum.
- Strengthened export opportunities – by assisting Queensland companies to reach more than $520 million in export sales in 2007-08, which is 14.8 per cent higher than for the same time last year.
- Taking Queensland to the world – leading a trade delegation to India, China and Japan – three emerging economies that offer a range of exciting trade opportunities for Queensland business – and a mission to the United States of America to fly Queensland’s flag at BIO2008 in San Diego.
Community infrastructure
- Built the acclaimed $160 million Skilled Park Stadium – home of the Gold Coast Titans rugby league team.
- Opened the $10 million Queensland Academy of Sport Recovery Centre – to treat and train our elite athletes, including our future Olympians.
- Opened the $10 million Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway – a spectacular treetop walkway in Wooroonooran National Park, which features a 350m elevated walkway and a 37m-high observation tower with two viewing decks.
- Refurbishing the Queensland Performing Arts Centre – with $34 million for new seating, lighting, acoustics and upgraded access for patrons with disabilities.
Planning for the future
- Declaration of special Urban Development Areas at three sites around Brisbane – following the establishment of the Urban Land Development Authority.
- Fast-tracking the release of land and approval process – in seventeen key areas across South East Queensland.
- Protected the special character of the far north – by releasing for discussion the comprehensive Far North Queensland 2025 Plan to ensure appropriate future development.
Last updated Monday, February 09, 2009
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