Nicholls calls for Queensland to lose funds

Treasurer Curtis Pitt says Tim Nicholls wants Queensland to lose out on billions in federal infrastructure, health and education funds.

"Mr Nicholls wants federal Labor to match Malcolm Turnbull's infrastructure commitment to our state," he said.

"That means no funds for the Townsville Stadium, not a cent for cross River Rail, and only a minuscule allocation for M1 'planning'.

"Does Mr Nicholls seriously want federal Labor to treat Queensland as badly as Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison did in Tuesday's Budget?

"If Mr Turnbull and Mr Morrison have saved a heap of announcements for during an election campaign, they've simply made a mockery of the Budget process.

"Based on what we heard last Tuesday night Queensland  was forgotten in the Federal Budget and any promises on infrastructure Mr Turnbull makes in the campaign will simply not be believed."
 
"Even in Opposition Bill Shorten has been acting more like a leader than Malcolm Turnbull has, committing Labor to funding crucial projects in Queensland."

Mr Pitt said the Federal Budget contained no new funding for the Bruce Highway and other “new” funds had already been announced for the Ipswich Motorway and Toowoomba Second Range Crossing.
 
"And there was not a cent from the $5 billion asset recycling fund that is conditional on asset sales and sees billions given to public transport projects in other states" he said.

"Both Mr Abbott and now Mr Turnbull have deliberately withheld infrastructure investment in Queensland in an attempt blackmailing our state into selling its assets, while channelling billions of dollars into rail projects in Sydney and Melbourne.

 "On a population basis alone we should have expected to receive at least $1 billion.
 
"This lack of funding, designed to blackmail us into asset sales, seems to be what Tim Nicholls accepts for Queensland," Mr Pitt said.

"This is the same Tim Nicholls who as Treasurer cut frontline services, insisted on mass job cuts, and spent $100 million on his asset sales agenda while driving down business confidence and damaging out local, regional and state  economies," Mr Pitt said.

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