The Queensland budget boasts headline figures of a reduced deficit and the largest cost-of-living investment to date, but where the government has scrimped – and splurged – will hit homes differently across the state.
Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers in the 2026-27 Queensland budget.
WINNERS
People who love stadiums and infrastructure: The state announced a four-year infrastructure investment of $119.2 billion – bettering last year’s four-year infrastructure pipeline by $2.4 million. About one-quarter of that cash pool would go to long-term capital projects, primarily within the regions. The state earmarked $765 million in this year’s budget for Olympic builds, including venues, villages, and supporting infrastructure. Premier David Crisafulli told media that productivity was returning to the state because the government had “brought the CFMEU to heel”.
Frontline workers: The Public Sector Commission’s state of the sector report, released alongside the budget, showed nearly 9000 full-time equivalent roles had been added to the public service. This jump was almost exclusively related to frontline staff, with just 34 of those from corporate roles. “With a record $35.5 billion health budget, we’re continuing to restore health services for Queenslanders as we heal Labor’s health crisis,” Treasurer David Janetzki said in his speech to parliament.
People looking for a home: Social and community housing will receive $500 million over the next year, as part of a $5.72 billion four-year spend. The state also budgeted $450 million for specialist homelessness services across the 2026-27 financial year. For first home buyers, the state pointed to its multibillion-dollar funds offering grants to councils and developers to build supporting infrastructure for housing, including the $2 billion second round of the residential activation fund and a $2.4 billion deal with the commonwealth.
Residents paying bulk water rates: Crisafulli announced several days before the budget the rate paid to the state for water distribution would be frozen at $3.517 per 1000 litres for the next two years. Within Queensland, this includes residents of houses or individually metered units, with most apartment blocks falling outside this category.
Energy customers: Energy bills will drop between 7 and 8 per cent for residents and small businesses in Queensland’s regions, as state-owned provider Ergon passes on savings from the past year. In south-east Queensland, the treasurer said decreases in the Australian Energy Regulator’s Default Market Offer scaled between 7.2 and 10.7 per cent for households and between 10.4 and 14 per cent for small businesses, which he urged retailers to pass on to customers.
Public transport users: The state promised 630 new buses for south-east Queensland, with Premier David Crisafulli promising 50¢ fares would remain “for good”. Gold Coast residents would also see additional light rail investment – albeit not though the resurrection of stage four of the Gold Coast light rail – with a new line added on the northern end. The premier said for residents on the Sunshine Coast, multimodal transport link the Wave would be delivered before the Olympics.
Regional patients: Fuel allowances within the patient travel subsidy scheme – which helps connect people living in remote and regional Queensland to healthcare – were increased by 11 cents per kilometre, and the state also promised faster reimbursements.
Water security: The Paradise Dam rebuild received $59.8 million in the 2026-27 financial year to continue planning for an expansion expected significantly boost water capacity in Queensland. Other reservoirs would also be added across the state – including five new weirs along the Thomson River, and two in Barlil and Cooranga – and the state set aside $324 million to investigate a case for a Borumba Dam expansion.
LOSERS
Queensland’s coffers: Seeking to meter expectations, Janetzki warned Queenslanders ahead of Tuesday’s budget the state was unlikely to climb out of the red in the next four years. However, the budget estimated the state would boast a surplus of $619 million by the 2029-30 financial year, slowly whittling away the 2026-27 budget deficit of $6.2 billion. In the interim, Queensland’s debt was predicted to skyrocket, with the state coughing up $7.7 billion by that same year to cover debt alone.
Non-frontline and senior public sector workers: The state has slashed the total number of non-frontline senior executives within the public service after first introducing caps in the 2025-26 budget. This year, the number of these workers was decreased from 842 to 793, which the treasurer said was expected to return over $55 million across the forwards that would otherwise have covered wages.
Other first home buyers: The first home owner grant delivers a handy $30,000 boost for those wanting to enter the market, but this is capped for houses worth $1 million or less, which is becoming increasingly difficult in Brisbane. Median home values rose 0.9 per cent to nearly $1.13 million in May, according to the latest report from property research firm Cotality.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
