Election Platform Responses

Response from: Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Trade and Investment, Hon Cameron Dick MP

I reiterate our commitment to the Best Practice Industry Conditions for Social Service Procurement. It is important that our community services sector has confidence that government will be consistent and transparent through all stages of contracting and procurement.

The new procurement arrangements give our community organisations the certainty they need to deliver the services vulnerable Queenslanders need. Conditions include default five-year terms for service agreements, except where justified by specific policy or service delivery grounds; six-months notice when contracts will cease or not be renewed; contract renewals offered within three months of the end date and prioritisation of permanent employment conditions.

As social service providers face cost of living pressures, we have also increased indexation funding to 3.94 per cent, in line with the recommendation from the Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review.

Response from: Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Trade and Investment, Hon Cameron Dick MP

The Miles Government is doing what matters for Queensland with our $3.1 billion Homes for Queenslanders plan, including $390 million for homelessness responses. We listened and delivered when the sector asked for a 20% increase in funding for specialist homelessness and I can confirm that if re-elected a Miles Labor Government will make this increase permanent. We’ve also created a dedicated fund to ensure the government pays for temporary accommodation for anyone experiencing homelessness while we work with them on a long-term solution.

We’ve committed to building 53,500 new homes by 2046 to ensure that every Queenslander has a place to call home. In the meantime, we are buying hotels and former retirement villages to provide housing to our most vulnerable.

We are committed to the supportive housing model. It was a Labor Government who build Brisbane Common Ground, Queensland’s first supportive housing initiative for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. We are building the Southport Supportive Accommodation Project to deliver 200 high-rise units on the Gold Coast. Our new supportive housing policy, informed by consultation with the community housing sector, will underpin procurement into the future.

We’ve also introduced our Rental Relief package to assist renters to find, secure and sustain rental tenancies. We’ve delivered rental law reform to strengthen renters’ rights and stabilise rents by banning all forms of rent bidding and attached the 12-month limit on rent increases to the property instead of the tenancy. And we’re working with the sector the develop a Rental Sector Code of Conduct and a Portable Bond Scheme.

Additionally, we commissioned an independent review into the Homeless Response in Queensland to ensure we have the right policy levers in place to deliver what is needed for those who are homeless and to the sector. As you know, the Interim Report has been delivered and we have committed to working with the Review Team on implementing the 13 Recommendations.

The Miles Labor Government has released our detailed $3.1 billion Homes for Queenslanders Plan to deliver one million more homes, and we are busy implementing it. By increasing housing supply, we can improve affordability and we will support Queenslanders doing it tough while we build.

Our plan is already working, with new ABS data revealing residential construction is on the up in Queensland. With more than $4.07 billion in work done, the latest ABS release shows total residential work is four per cent higher over the previous quarter.

The increase has been sparked by a 7.2 per cent jump in new housing construction when comparing the June 2024 quarter with the March 2024 quarter. It’s the first full quarter since the release of the Homes for Queenslanders plan, with the uplift in residential work coming after major commitments including an overhaul of stamp duty concessions and incentives for the building industry to get shovels in the ground sooner.

Reducing the cost of living for Queenslanders is the Miles Labor Government’s number one priority. We are building on our already extensive range of concessions and rebates to deliver a nation-leading, record $11.218 billion in cost-of-living relief. This year’s budget has $3.739 billion in new and expanded measures.

The Government’s nation-leading energy rebate is providing 620,000 seniors and the vulnerable households across QLD with $1,672 each to ease the cost of living. We’re supporting renters by delivering at least $1,300 to the more than 632,000 rental households across our State. That means $821 million back in the pockets of everyday renters, not their landlords or energy retailers.

A re-elected Miles Labor Government will continue the Queensland Government financial literacy program, which helps Queenslanders to improve their financial knowledge, build financial capacity and manage factors that contribute to financial difficulties. In 2024-25 $8.4m has been allocated for Financial Literacy and Resilience Services.

In terms of addressing the digital divide, our Thriving Digital Future: Queensland’s Digital Economy Strategy was released in April 2023 and outlines the Queensland Government’s plan to boost digital transformation and support a strong digital economy. Its first Action Plan is supported by $200 million over 3 years. ‘Closing the digital divide’ and ‘Improve connectivity for regional communities’ are two key priorities of the Strategy.

Under the Action Plan, a digital inclusion strategic plan is being developed. Initial consultation has focused on key elements of digital inclusion including access to connectivity and devices, affordability and digital ability, with further engagement to occur with Queensland Government agencies, industry organisations, academia, community and sector groups throughout 2024. We will be seeking input from QCOSS to inform this work.

The Queensland Government’s Financially Disadvantaged Students Device Initiative is also providing equitable access to digital devices for financially disadvantaged students in Queensland state schools. Since 2020, more than 42,000 devices have been supplied to schools for use by students in financially disadvantaged situations, and a further 140,000 will be supplied over the next three years.

I acknowledge the advocacy of the Power Together Alliance to deliver renewable energy and energy efficiency for all Queenslanders. Your advocacy is helping us deliver the Queensland Energy and Jobs plan which is transforming Queensland’s energy system to deliver clean, reliable and affordable energy.

The first Miles Government budget invests over $26 billion in our energy plan, to build more wind, solar and battery projects across Queensland. An investment that builds on our record of taking Queensland from having no wind or solar farms to 10 gigawatts of solar and wind generation and 27% renewable energy.

But the most important part of our plan is long duration storage for all this renewable energy in the form of pumped hydro. The Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro Project is now entering its next phase, with Queensland Hydro confirming structurally solid granite throughout the project site. The Pioneer-Burdekin Project will store the excess energy collected from our world-leading levels of household solar, for use at night when the sun isn’t shining, the wind isn’t blowing and when energy usage is at its peak.

Labor won’t commit to solar for renter’s scheme because we have already tried it and that showed it was a landlord subsidy for rooftop solar. We think the best way to support Queensland renters at this time is our nation-leading rebates providing $1,300 to 632,000 renters – or a total of $820 million back into the pockets to renters – not their landlords – funded by progressive coal royalties.

We are also delivering the largest Virtual Power Plant pilot in Australia with Local Renewable Energy Zone (LREZ) Pilots being rolled out in Caloundra and Townsville – backed by a $80 million investment.

LREZs, which incorporate network batteries, will be beneficial to all, but particularly renters, vulnerable customers and those who live in unit complexes and do not have access to solar power. This means neighbourhoods will generate, store and share their renewable energy. This record investment builds on our neighbourhood batteries trial in Ipswich, which is currently saving households up to $259 a year.

We are also committed to delivering more neighbourhood batteries. This years budget includes $354.7 million to continue delivery of the Local Network Battery Plan across Queensland.

Publicly owned Energy Queensland has already seen 50 local network-connected batteries either built or progressed to construction across Queensland including one being built at Bellara on Bribie Island – where 13 community batteries are being built to store cheap rooftop solar for night-time use. Local batteries are better for the clean energy grid that we want to have and a fairer way of reaching more people.

The Premier also recently announced that Queenslanders living in social and community housing will see their energy bills slashed with 32,000 properties set to receive energy efficiency upgrades, under a Federation Funding Agreement between the QLD and Commonwealth governments. The $116 million program will deliver a raft of upgrades, including thermal shell improvements such as insultation, air cooling solutions and ceiling fans, in addition to solar PV, energy-efficient hot water systems and fixed appliance upgrades.

The Government’s $10 million Enable program is also working with eight NGOs to help approximately 90,000 vulnerable Queenslanders – renters, seniors, people living with disabilities, and low-income earners – to access energy concessions that reduce electricity use and lower energy bills.

The $16 million Battery Booster program supports households with rebates to install a residential solar battery to reduce their energy consumption and bills. So far, 52% of conditional approvals issued have been for low-income households.

Renters are also benefitting from the Climate Smart Energy Savers scheme which delivered between $300 and $1000 cash back to more than 72,000 householders who upgraded old appliances and hot water systems to more efficient models.

All of this is possible because the Miles Labor Government has a commitment to keeping our energy assets in public hands.

In terms of supporting community-based organisations to enhance climate resilience, we are investing in programs and grants across the state that foster resilience and preparedness in our communities. A key example is the Disaster Ready Fund which is a commonwealth fund co-administered by the state where $200 million is invested annually across Australia on disaster resilience and risk reduction projects. A new round of the Disaster Ready Fund is expected to open later this year. The latest round was just announced with Queensland receiving $30.8 million for 29 projects, 7 of which were community organisations.

Additionally, the state and commonwealth provide funding support through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements to impacted communities following disaster events.

In June 2024, the Miles Labor Government released Putting Queensland Kids First (PQKF), which sets out our vision to ensure every young Queenslander gets the very best start in life.

PQKF was shaped through extensive consultation across the sector and with community stakeholders, which affirmed that children who have positive experiences with learning are more likely to be happy at school and improve their academic and social skills, setting them up for better outcomes across their schooling, training and employment journey.

PQKF delivers $502 million of investment across education, health, housing, and the community sector, delivering multi-tiered systems of support for students to improve academic, social-emotional and behavioural outcomes for students.

In addition, if re-elected the Miles Labor Government will invest $4 million to build Bini Bindi Place in Zillmere, Brisbane. Our vision is for Bindi Bindi Place to provide proactive support and care for vulnerable children aged between 0 and 6, in a ‘super’ kindy format. The centre would operate seven days a week, including weekends and holiday hours, to provide wraparound support to families, kin and carers, including allied health and primary care.

Healthy development in the early years supports young Queenslanders with the strongest start for wellbeing and learning, which is why PQKF also invests $18.44 million to support enhanced health risk screening during pregnancy and the antenatal period, $65.5 million for sustained health home visiting for families and children who need it most, and $9.9 million for improved children’s hearing screening and diagnostic services.

I’m proud that we are delivering high quality support for Queenslanders, including free kindy for every four year old in Queensland. This is cost of living relief of around $4,800 per year for Queensland families. We have also invested more than $26 million to deliver 30 hours of free kindy in discrete communities – up to an additional 15 hours for children in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The first Miles Government Budget also provided $15 million in funding for the School and Community Food Relief Program. This funding will provide food security for families struggling with cost-of-living pressures and boost the healthy options available at tuckshops.

Direct support will be provided to schools in communities experiencing high cost of living pressures and food insecurity. This will help to provide Queensland kids with free school breakfast and lunch, expanded health snack programs or other initiatives that support the health and wellbeing of students. Funding will also help to deliver nutrition education and increase access to healthy food options.

A School and Community Food Taskforce, with cross-sector membership has also been established to provide advice on options to support access to healthy food and drink for Queensland families.

The Miles Labor Government also invests $46.6 million per annum for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing Services delivered in 35 locations by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Organisations.

The first Miles Government Budget provided a significant boost of $26.6 million over 4 years and $10.3 million ongoing to expand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing Services.

In terms of the A Right to Learn campaign, the Equity and Excellence Education Strategy sets out a vision to maximise school attendance and improve outcomes for disadvantaged students. On 4 December 2023, the Queensland Government announced a $288 million package of educational engagement initiatives for a range of students, including those needing support to remain engaged or re-engage in learning.

The Miles Government released our Community Safety Plan for Queensland in April 2024 with $1.28 billion in additional investment. The Plan is built around five pillars: supporting victims, delivering for our frontline, detaining offenders, intervening when people offend, and preventing crime before it occurs. Tackling the root causes of crime requires a whole-of-Government approach, so the Plan also boosts investment in housing, education, jobs, family support, mental health, and sport.

This includes $3.5 million to expand Intensive Case Management programs to 7 new locations – Bundaberg, Redlands, Sunshine Coast, Central West/Emerald, Gladstone and Brisbane and Cleveland Youth Detention Centres. Intensive Case Management provides intensive support through specialised case managers delivering interventions to high-risk young people and their families.

Our Government also recently announced the ‘Cattleman’s Dreaming’ program – a new initiative giving disengaged young people living in and around North Queensland a brighter future. The program will offer jobs, training, and personal growth opportunities for young people aged between 16 to 24, with the potential for employment and trainee opportunities on the CopperString project. Backed by $3.9 million in funding, it will operate in partnership between Queensland’s publicly owned transmission company, Powerlink, and not-for-profit Cattleman’s Dreaming Youth Charity.

Other innovative programs we are funding include the Townsville Street University and statewide Transition 2 Success programs which get young offenders back into education, and Intensive On Country programs and Cultural Family Partnerships programs to reconnect young people with family and culture.

Last year, the Government committed $39.081 million with 42 organisations to deliver 63 services. Of these organisations, 16 were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations or businesses, which equates to 38%. Our Youth Justice strategy has been co-designed through engagement with stakeholders across the non-government sector, First Nations communities and victims’ groups, and is a commitment to tackling the root causes of youth offending.

That is why in 2024-25, we have grown our investment in outsourced service delivery, allocating $52 million for the non-government sector, in addition to the $7.5 million budgeted for the Youth Justice Crime Prevention Grant program. The strategy builds on our appointment of the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak (QATSICPP) as Queensland’s peak Youth Justice body. The peak body will help to drive evidence-based approaches to improve community safety.

Advancing women’s equality is a key aim of the Miles Labor Government.

We are closing the economic gap between men and women. 2023 data shows we are narrowing the gender pay gap, the superannuation pay gap, and the workforce participation gap. Our investment in support of women’s economic future is highlighted in our 2024-25 Women’s Budget Statement. Labor is committed to closing the gender pay gap and our investment in uplifting the wages of workforces like those in the community sector is backed by investment.

Our public sector is also leading the nation in gender equity and the Miles Labor Government announced earlier this year that public sector workers will have access to 10 days reproductive health leave and receive superannuation contributions on all parental leave. We are also proud that women’s representation on Government Boards now sits at 53 per cent.

Supporting victim-survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV) is a priority for the Miles Labor Government. Since 2015, we have invested more than $1.9 billion in addressing DFSV and strengthening frontline services. This includes a $588 million package in response to 277 recommendations from the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce’s two reports, and we continue to implement many of these important recommendations.

In April 2024, as part of our Community Safety Plan, we announced a $36 million funding uplift for all eligible DFSV services in Queensland. In the 2024-25 budget, this 20% core funding uplift was made permanent. This means that DFSV funding will increase from $177.9 million in 2023-24 to $246.5 million in 2024-25.

We acknowledge increased referrals to frontline service providers and the pressure these services are under.

Recommendations 13, 14 and 15 in Women’s Safety Justice Taskforce Hear Her Voice – Report 1 and recommendation 10 from Women’s Safety Justice Taskforce Hear Her Voice – Report 2 called on the Queensland Government to develop a 5-year whole-of-Government strategic investment plan.

Work has been undertaken by the Queensland Treasury Corporation and DJAG to better understand demand and needs for DFSV services across Queensland to inform future funding priorities. A Data Insights Roadmap (Roadmap) has been developed which addresses gaps identified in the Queensland Treasury Corporation Analysis and sets out the work required to transform how data informs responses to women’s and children’s safety. A further audit report is expected to be delivered later this year to inform the delivery of the Roadmap and inform the development of the whole-of-government 5-year strategic investment plan.

If re-elected, the Miles Labor Government will work closely with the domestic, family and sexual violence sector to implement the Roadmap and deliver the 5 year strategic investment plan.

We have also sought an increased and matching commitment from the Federal Government. We were pleased with the commitment given at National Cabinet earlier this month to negotiate a renewed, five year National Partnership Agreement on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Responses, to commence on 1 July 2025 and deliver over $700 million in new matched investments from the Commonwealth and states and territories.

We have passed legislation to make coercive control a criminal offence, and to enshrine affirmative consent into our laws to support women and girls experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence and keep them safe.

Last week we passed the Criminal Justice Legislation (Sexual Violence and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2024, which improves protections for victims of sexual, domestic and family violence when they give evidence in court.

It also amends the Criminal Code to clarify that to choke, suffocate or strangle another person includes the application of pressure to that person’s neck that completely or partially restricts the other person’s respiration, blood circulation, or both.

The Bill delivers the third, and final, major stage of reform by this Government in response to the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce. Collectively, these reforms are the most significant legislative changes to respond to domestic, family, and sexual violence in Queensland’s history.

In 2018, we took the historic step to legalise termination of pregnancy – and this year, we are investing $275.9 million over four years to support the physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health of women and girls.

As part of the Miles Government’s $1 billion investment in the Women and Girls Health Strategy, $55 million in new funding has been allocated to women’s health services in 2024-25. This funding is delivering women’s health hubs, free nurse-led clinics, mental health support, including for women experiencing pregnancy loss and/or domestic and family violence, termination of pregnancy service, assisted reproductive services and responses to chronic illness such as endometriosis and pelvic pain.

This is only the beginning, and further investment will be explored as initiatives mature and research funded through the Strategy becomes available. The Investment Strategy to support the Strategy demonstrates a clear commitment to partnering with non-government organisations to deliver these important services.

In May last year, the Parliament passed our Government’s Path to Treaty Bill 2023, which established in legislation a First Nations Treaty Institute and a Truth Telling and Healing Inquiry.

Earlier this year we appointed the Members of the Truth-Telling and Healing Inquiry and establishment of the First Nations Treaty Institute. The establishment of the Inquiry and Institute is a significant step towards reframing the relationship between Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the Queensland Government – and an important step if we are to improve life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

In terms of reform of the Anti-Discrimination Act, this Government remains committed to implementing recommendations made in the Building Belonging Report, with a second stage of reforms to occur following further consultation.

This week we passed historic laws to protect workers from discrimination, vilification, sexual harassment, victimisation, and other unlawful behaviours, as part of the Respect at Work and Other Matters Amendment Bill 2024.

The Queensland Human Rights Commission has said that these are the “most significant changes to Queensland’s Anti-Discrimination Act since its introduction over 30 years ago…”

The Attorney-General is required to ensure the operation of the Human Rights Act is independently reviewed as soon as practicable after 1 July 2023. In February 2024, Professor Susan Harris Rimmer was appointed to undertake an independent review of the HR Act. Professor Harris Rimmer has years of policy and academic experience in international human rights law, climate justice and gender equality at the Griffith University Law School. She is a member of various academic groups and has also worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the National Council of Churches and the Parliamentary Library. Professor Harris Rimmer has been asked to provide a report to the Attorney-General by 20 September 2024.

As part of our Community Safety Plan, the Miles Labor Government has reiterated its commitment to establishing a First Nations Children’s Commissioner for Queensland, first made under Safe and Supported: National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children.

The final report of the Community Support and Services Committee’s Inquiry into the provision and regulation of supported accommodation in Queensland was tabled on 6 June 2024 and the Government response was tabled on 6 September.

As previously outlined, we commissioned an independent review into the Homeless Response in Queensland to ensure we have the right policy levels in place to deliver what is needed to those who are homeless and to the sector. The Interim Report has been released and we have committed to working with the Review Team on implementing the 13 recommendations ahead of the final report due in January 2025.