Bigger picture behind the Queensland Budget

In politics, the sweet spot between good policy and good politics is elusive. Too often, governments must choose between doing what works and doing what wins. In Queensland’s 2025–26 State Budget—the Liberal National Party’s (LNP) first in more than a decade—Treasurer David Janetzki sought to strike that rare balance. It’s a budget that is political and economic – designed not only to deliver short-term results, but also to embed long-term reform with a view to securing generational LNP government. “Boring”, as the Treasurer described it, because sometimes boring is what’s needed. 

It’s not just a budget about money—it’s a budget with a message: the LNP isn’t just here to govern for today, it wants to be here for the long term. 

Good Politics: Delivering What Was Promised

From day one, the Crisafulli Government has been clear about its priorities: community safety, better healthcare, housing, and cost-of-living relief. These were the central pillars of the 2024 election campaign. Funding these commitments serves as a proof point for Crisafulli as he seeks to foster trust with Queenslanders: “We’re doing what we said we would do”.

• Community Safety receives $5.2 billion through the Making Our Community Safer Plan, which includes 1,600 new police officers, stronger laws, and early intervention programs.
• Health is backed by a record $33.1 billion budget, including an $18.5 billion Hospital Rescue Plan to deliver 3 new hospitals, 10 upgrades, and 2,600 new beds.
• Housing gets a pragmatic $8.1 billion investment, featuring the Boost to Buy home ownership scheme and the removal of stamp duty for first-home buyers.
• Cost of living is addressed with $11.2 billion in relief, including 50-cent public transport, indexed electricity rebates, and $300 in back-to-school and sport vouchers.

Trust earnt now lays the groundwork for the October 2028 election. 

Good Policy: Practical, Sustainable, and Long-Term

Under Crisafulli the LNP is determined to establish a multi-term government. While the government inherited a number of unfunded commitments from its predecessor, it has absorbed them into its fiscal framework – a workman like approach with a longer-term view:

• The budget forecasts an $8.6 billion operating deficit in 2025–26 but outlines a $6.1 billion improvement in the operating balance by 2027–28.
• Positive operating cash flow is projected from 2026–27, helping fund capital projects without excess borrowing.
• Total government debt is trimmed to $190.4 billion by 2028, down from $218 billion.
• Fiscal principles have been refreshed to ensure a sustainable balance sheet, reduce debt exposure, and drive long-term productivity.
• Public service reform focuses on value—not cuts—with a modest increase in staffing to reduce reliance on consultants. This measure sends a clear message, especially to the public service: David Crisafulli is not Campbell Newman and the LNP will not repeat the mistakes of the past.

This budget is not ideologically driven. Treasurer David Janetzki, with his banking background and regional roots, is a pragmatic person who just wants outcomes. In recent years we’ve come to see government budgets as personal lolly jars. Janetzki resisted the temptation to offer voter’s a sugar hit, instead he sought to foster a stable investment environment for private capital, build strong relationships with the private sector and build trust with the public service, all while maintaining trust with the electorate. The Crisafulli Government is playing the long game.

Infrastructure and Sovereignty: The Long View

Beyond short-term service delivery, the LNP is investing:

• A record $116.8 billion infrastructure pipeline will target roads, rail, water, and energy security.
• $9 billion for Bruce Highway upgrades and major regional projects will boost productivity and job creation.
• The $4.7 billion Games Delivery Plan is more than Olympic planning—it’s a long-term catalyst for regional and economic development.

These investments are politically useful, sure—but they’re also policy-driven. They build the physical and institutional backbone of the Queensland economy for the next decade, creating jobs and contributing to productivity.

Embedding Generational Government

By seeking to blend good policy with good politics, the LNP aims to lay the groundwork for something more enduring than a single budget or single term in government. It’s what Crisafulli has been saying he wants: generational LNP government. He knows that the longer his team are in government, the stronger the LNP machine will be. Memberships, donations, policy and campaigning are all embedded and strengthened when a party is in government. This has been a challenge for the party, having only been in government for 9 of the last 40 years.

From home ownership to hospital capacity, from youth justice to ‘steady as we go’ budget repair, the LNP is aiming to not just fix problems, they’re resetting expectations with a view to securing another win in 2028.