IPSWICH Mayor Teresa Harding has had a mixed reaction to the 2022-23 State budget, relieved to see extra disaster recovery and reconstruction funding but disappointed that they again miss out on major investment in transport infrastructure.
Council documents show Ipswich will receive a 5.98% drop in QTRIP investment from $98.828m to $92.408m
She welcomed $25.1 million in funding to rebuild the city after the floods but was concerned to see social housing funding reduced.
“Ipswich has a long road ahead in its flood recovery so this new injection of funding for disaster recovery will be welcomed news to our impacted communities,” she said.
“It was disappointing, in the midst of a housing crisis in Ipswich, to see spending on social housing in our region go backwards. It’s down from $51.9 million in last year’s Budget to $34.3 million this year.”
Ipswich also missed out on transport project funding;
“Ipswich is Queensland’s fastest growing city with our population set to more than double in the coming decade, yet the city struggles to secure the investment needed to support its rapid growth.”
“We were pleased to see the State confirm its commitment to the Ipswich to Springfield Central Public Transport Corridor, announced as part of the SEQ City Deal, but the Budget fell short of supporting a long awaited second inner-city river crossing for Ipswich,” Cr Harding said.
“We’ll continue to work with our local State MPs on how we can better secure the funding we need to get these vital projects shovel ready.”
Funding was committed towards planning and businesses cases for the Cunningham Highway (Amberley intersection), and Warrego Highway (Mt Crosby interchange and Haigslea-Amberley interchange).
“Over the four years included in the State Budget, Ipswich has $92.4 million allocated in the Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program (QTRIP), an almost six per cent decrease, which trails all other SEQ councils except for Somerset and Noosa,” Cr Harding said.
She did welcome the new investment in health.
“A real need, however, is investment in Ipswich Hospital to become a tertiary facility and expand the services it offers to our residents.
“We need specialised cardiac care, orthopaedic care, more complex birthing facilities and a lot more specialised treatment for cancer.
“Ipswich desperately needs an expanded emergency department to reduce ambulance ramping and support the hardworking and compassionate people in our local health services.
“A third of all patients who present at Ipswich Hospital cannot be treated there and need to be sent to Brisbane. This is a telling figure for our region’s primary hospital.
“Ipswich Hospital needs to be upgraded to a tertiary facility to ensure Ipswich residents can be treated in Ipswich; that is what we will continue to advocate for.”
Council also welcomed extra funding for local government to move towards recycling and resource recovery and transition away from landfill.
“We were pleased to see the announcement of $964.2 million over five years to support Queensland councils and industry to invest in infrastructure and programs to reduce waste,” Mayor Harding said.
“As Ipswich currently takes in the lion’s share of waste in Queensland, I look forward to finding out what this means for our city.”
