Fraser’s fire sale becomes a closing down sale

Andrew Fraser seems intent on closing down Queensland with the Treasurer putting a $17.5 billion black hole in the state budget in one week.

LNP Shadow Treasurer Tim Nicholls said the man holding Queensland’s purse strings appeared to have no interest in the state’s economic future.

“For the Treasurer to tell guests at a business function that he was happy to blow a $10 billion black hole in the Queensland budget, by giving up one third of the State’s GST revenue, shows how inept and lazy Mr Fraser is.

 “It seems he wants to be a Treasurer with no treasury.

“The Treasurer’s comments follow his previous announcement that he was happy to handover Queensland’s mineral royalty scheme for a federal resource rent tax to be shared among the other five states, two territories and the Commonwealth Government.

“Mining Royalties according to the Queensland 2009-10 budget are worth $7.5 billion, but Mr Fraser is happy to hand over this money without being told what the federal government will do for it.

“He is happy to give away all this money, without even knowing what Queensland is going to get.

“Kevin Rudd’s health scheme has been described as having about as much detail as a Nigerian email scam and Fraser is acting like the number one sucker who believes it.

 “The only problem is it’s Queenslanders who will end up footing the bill.

 “It seems the Treasurer is intent on shutting Queensland down. We had the assets fire sale — now Queensland has a closing down sale.

 “First he ran the State $85 billion into the red, then he lost our AAA credit rating and now he is giving away Queensland’s best source of income.

“As Former Labor Premier Wayne Goss said recently Queensland risks becoming just a post-box for Federal Government cheques.”

 Royalty and GST Revenue

GST figures source: Federal Government MYEFO

Royalties figures: 2009-10 Queensland Budget and MYFER