As someone in Brisbane waits to catch a 50-cent train, someone in Ayr will be waiting hours to be transported to Townsville just for a CT scan, after the state government failed to commit funding towards the project in the 2024/2025 State Budget, according to Member for Burdekin Dale Last.

Mr Last said despite a number of glossy re-announcements in the State Budget for parts of the Burdekin electorate, it was clear that major projects this community had advocated for had been ignored.  Make no mistake, today’s budget was for the next four months, not the next four years and beyond.

“Today’s budget could have been an opportunity for this government to demonstrate that it had listened when hundreds of residents in Ayr put pen to paper to call for a CT scanner at their hospital or when front line officers in Dysart called for an upgrade to their Police Station but, instead, we didn’t see a cent for either of these projects,” Mr Last said.

“We expect our frontline services to be able to be afforded every training opportunity possible so that they are as prepared as they can be in times of emergency yet that won’t be the case in Ayr with no funding commitment towards a new fire station.”

“The Treasurer was quick to mention cost of living measures throughout the budget but ultimately those measures mean little in this electorate when you can’t find a home to live in because social housing waitlists have blown out and there is no crisis accommodation available.”

Mr Last said with no funding towards notorious roads in the electorate, including the Bruce Highway, that had stopped school buses and damaged cars almost daily, the announcement of cheap public transport was a kick in the guts to those left repairing damaged vehicles.

“A 50-cent public transport fee means nothing to those residents out in Moranbah and Clermont who are left forking out hundreds of dollars to repair damage caused to their car while driving their children to school,” Mr Last said.

“Time and time again I have spoken in Parliament about how much money this electorate has poured into state government coffers through royalties, all the while waiting weeks to see a GP, driving on goat tracks and struggling to find suitable housing.

“We have never asked for more than our fair share of funding when it comes to budget time and, yet again, we’ve been left underwhelmed and let down by this state labor government.”