Source : Perth Now news
The federal government has been accused of shifting costs to states and territories as well as a GST carve-up that “threatens the fiscal stability of the federation”.
Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki on Wednesday took aim at the commonwealth at the first National Press Club event to be held in Brisbane.
Mr Janetzki said cost-shifting of long held federal responsibilities or agreements from Canberra was “problematic” and had to be called out.
“Some of it is subtle, some of it is not,” he said.
He said Queensland Treasury modelling tallied more than $22 billion in costs having to be picked up by the state by the end of the 2030/31 financial year.
The biggest driver in cost shifting was NDIS reforms at up to $10 billion, along with $5.8 billion for people waiting on federally funded aged care places in public hospitals plus $2.1 billion under a 50-50 state-national road funding split.
“These were not decisions of the Queensland government, nor any state or territory government, and we have no say in them,” Mr Janetzki said.
The treasurer pushed for a GST overhaul, saying Queensland was the only state to go backwards in real terms over the past three years.
“We are not looking for a special deal, we’re looking for a fair deal,” he said.
“The current system is a drag on productivity and a handbrake on economic development.”
Mr Janetzki said that while GST revenue had swollen by 80 per cent over the past decade, Queensland’s share had grown 39 per cent compared to 66 per cent for NSW, 116 per cent for Victoria and 397 per cent for Western Australia.
“In the least surprising thing you’ll ever hear, Queensland, together with most states, wants change,” Mr Janetzki said.
“To be blunt, the GST carve-up threatens the fiscal stability of the federation.”
State treasurers have been making submissions to the Federal Productivity Commission review into the GST, with the consultation period finishing on Wednesday.
Mr Janetzki said he had called for a 25 per cent discount to assess mining revenue in Queensland’s submission.
The commission’s interim report in August recommended the federal government scrap its deal with Western Australia, a suggestion prime minister Anthony Albanese has rejected.
The final report is due to be handed to the federal government in December.
Premier David Crisafulli told reporters on Wednesday that Queensland was getting “stitched up” on the GST.
“All we want from Canberra is a fair rub and we will do the rest.”
