Editor Lyndon Keane says you’d be forgiven for thinking some of the “new” announcements for Cape York in the 2025-26 Queensland budget are strangely familiar. Photo: Supplied.
How much more sleight of hand, smoke and mirrors, and circus tricks do we have to be on the receiving end of until the State Government admits it has little interest in Cape York progressing as a vibrant part of Queensland?
The 2025-26 budget delivered by Treasurer David Janetzki on 24 June has come as a body blow for Cape York councils, communities and businesses, because the limited windfalls that have been announced are either regurgitated commitments, election promises, or, in some cases, projects commenced under the former Labor government.
They say everything old is new again, and that’s undeniably the case when it comes to our part of the world and how much new money Premier David Crisafulli is prepared to throw in our direction.
Don’t believe me? In the Treasurer’s 22-page budget speech last week, there wasn’t a single mention of Cape York, the Torres Strait or any of our communities – the closest we got was a vague reference to the Cooktown Hospital redevelopment on page 11 as part of funding for “expansions for 10 existing hospitals”.
Speaking of which, the Cooktown Hospital upgrade was initially given the green light by Labor under former premier Steven Miles, with the Liberal National Party matching the commitment in the lead-up to the October 2024 state election before stating earlier this year its political opponent had “neither funded nor planned” the $200 million project.
Rumours are rife the redevelopment, which is not due to be completed until 2029-30, has already hit a cost blowout bump in the road. The government is keeping its lips sealed on the specifics, but one health source told this publication the bean counters may need to find an additional $50-100m to deliver the long-overdue infrastructure upgrade.
The budget also brags about the $350,000 replacement of lights at Cooktown’s John Street Oval, something that was announced by Cook Shire in July 2024 – about 11 months to the day before last week’s budget was handed down.
While we’re in Cooktown, the $500,000 committed by Cook MP David Kempton for a pontoon for the Endeavour River also gets a mention in the budget, despite those familiar with such maritime subjects suggesting the infrastructure will cost between $1.2-$1.5m. Who’s going to fund the shortfall, or can we just admit it was an election stunt to secure the votes of boaties and anglers?
The government is also taking credit for the $4.9m fire and emergency services complex in Bamaga, despite the project having been in play for several years. In fact, it gets a mention in the then-Queensland Fire and Emergency Services 2023-24 annual report. Surely our esteemed politicians wouldn’t try to hand in someone else’s homework with their name hastily scribbled on it, would they?
Of all our Cape York communities, Weipa looks to be the hardest done by, with zero earmarked for the betterment of the township over the next 12 months, despite the hundreds of millions of dollars the region injects into the state’s coffers through mining royalties.
If the government is happy for Rio Tinto to run Weipa as a de facto council by virtue of the Comalco Agreement, it needs to treat Weipa Town Authority like it does the other 77 local governments in Queensland. If the government is happy to swim in our royalties like a political Scrooge McDuck, it needs to stop expecting the mining giant to open its chequebook for every cent that needs to be spent on western Cape York. You can’t have your bauxite royalty cake and eat it, too.
Cape York may only incorporate one electorate, but that doesn’t mean we should continue to be treated as having one brain cell between us and an inability to work out we’re copping the rough end of the pineapple when it comes to budget equity.
No matter how Brisbane attempts to spin it, the three Ds – Crisafulli, Janetzki and Kempton – have delivered a D grade for the Cape with last week’s budget.
We don’t want your political spin, twisted truths and regurgitated commitments – we just want the leadership and support we deserve for a part of Queensland that, per capita, hits harder for the state coffers than the legendary circus strongman.
