CQ is Winning When it Comes to State Government Infrastructure Spending

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard someone say that all our taxpayer dollars are spent in the southeast – I’d be a very wealthy man.

You would have heard it yourself. You’ve probably even said it yourself at some point.

It’s one of those myths that is so persistent that it’s hard to get people to have an open mind about it – but the truth is that we punch above our weight in CQ.

Here’s the key number: According to research from the Queensland Parliamentary Library, the state Government spends 69% more per capita on CQ infrastructure than it does in the southeast.

Don’t believe me – here are the raw figures: In 2020/21 (the latest available figures for comparison) the Queensland Government spent $4,759 on local infrastructure, compared to $2,804 per person in Southeast Queensland.

Those figures include major infrastructure projects like Rookwood Weir, the Northern Access Upgrade and the upgrade to Capricornia Correctional Centre, as well as numerous school and road upgrades.

And the number will likely increase further in the coming years as we build the Rocky Ring Road, the Rocky to Gladstone Pipeline, the Browne Park Upgrade and more.

In fact, the amount of money the state spends in regional areas like ours, annoys local councils across the southeast. 

In Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner made headlines complaining that the Queensland Government was spending too much in regional Queensland, arguing Brisbane was being shortchanged.

I say let him complain – I certainly won’t apologise for what we’ve been able to achieve in CQ.

PS: It’s also important to remember these figures only reflect capital expenditure and don’t include other expenses like the wages of teachers and nurses. The total amount of money spent by the Queensland Government locally each year would be much higher.

Read more about My Plan for Rocky.