Queensland budget is full of treats, but is it enough to entice voters?

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Some Queenslanders have welcomes cost of living relief in this year’s state budget, while others say pre-election cash splash has fallen short. The Treasurer today began the big sell of his big spend, but walked back his comments, asking Queenslanders to ignore Labor’s track record at the October election.

Transcript

00:00Geordie Duffy spends up to $140 a week catching public transport.

00:08The 27-year-old takes the train from the Sunshine Coast to University in Brisbane.

00:13Cost of living still is a big issue and how it disproportionately has impacted students

00:19in particular.

00:20They've welcomed a trial of 50 cent public transport fares funded in the budget, which

00:25will cut their costs to $5 a week.

00:28It allowed me to have a little bit of extra funding to provide for other bills for instance.

00:34In Townsville, Harry Newitt is pleased to get another electricity rebate, but he says

00:39reduced fares won't be much help.

00:42The public transport is not up to scratch yet in Townsville.

00:47The state government is driving the budget into deficit to pay for billions in hip pocket

00:52relief.

00:53The Greens say Labor's only offering short-term sugar hits.

00:57Well, the housing crisis, the cost of living crisis, they're not going to just disappear

01:02next year, but Labor's pre-election sweeteners will.

01:05The domestic violence support sector has also been left wanting.

01:09It will be really important for us to see a shift in investment so that any victims

01:15who are needing support in their local community can access it.

01:18The opposition used Parliament to seize on comments made by the Treasury yesterday that

01:24the upcoming state election shouldn't be a referendum on Labor's past nine years in

01:30office.

01:31In reply, Labor was all too keen to remind the LNP about its track record.

01:37The Treasurer spent the day selling his fifth budget to the party faithful, not shying away

01:43from the past.

01:44We are incredibly proud of that record.

01:46I stand by all of those things, but of course every election is about the future.

01:52Housing will be the centrepiece of the opposition leader's reply tomorrow.

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