What's involved in preparing the Queensland Budget?

The Queensland Treasurer will deliver the Queensland Budget in early June. This key economic document sets out the Queensland Government’s financial outlook and plans for the year, and forecasts for the next four years.

Treasury officials are currently busy preparing the Budget, assessing submissions made by agencies and determining the economic and revenue outlook amid changing conditions.

How is the Budget created?

The Queensland Government must manage many competing funding priorities and make sure public money is spent responsibly.

So, the Budget is a process where these competing funding priorities are considered in light of service needs and available evidence of performance.

Each Queensland government department send in submissions seeking funding for their activities and services.

Submissions made by different organisations to the government were considered by responsible Ministers and their agencies as part of their submissions seeking funding.

Who oversees the Budget?

The Cabinet Budget Review Committee (CBRC) determines the overall strategy for the Budget and sets key areas for resourcing in line with the government’s priorities and the overall funding available.

The CBRC includes the Queensland Premier, the Deputy Premier, Treasurer and other members appointed by the Premier. The Deputy Premier is the Chair.

Queensland Treasury, led by the Under Treasurer, produces a suite of Budget papers in partnership with departments and entities across the government sector.

Expert economists and financial analysts in Treasury update the documents supporting the current Budget with the latest financial and economic information available, including indicators on economic growth, jobs, industry, housing and population data.

They update the financial, including revenue, and economic expectations for the next four financial years, known as the forward estimates.

How are Budget decisions made?

The CBRC meet in the months and weeks leading up to the June Budget to discuss what ideas and services to fund. For example, the Queensland Government last year decided to fund $550 energy rebates for all Queensland households. It also determined to make kindy free for families from 2024, saving them up to $4,600 a year.

The CBRC may meet with the Ministers for each area to talk about their proposals.

Treasury officials update the figures in the Budget papers and forward estimates based on decisions made.

What happens on Budget Day?

Budget Day is held on a day when the Queensland Parliament is sitting, generally on a Tuesday in June. The Treasurer gives a speech to the House, which outlines the government’s priorities, plans and highlights.? All documents that make up the Budget are tabled in Parliament.

Key documents are the Appropriation Bills, which are introduced into Parliament and go through a parliamentary process of debate and votes. In the weeks after Budget Day, there is a parliamentary process called Estimates, where Members of Parliament scrutinise the information and ask questions of the Ministers and Directors-General.

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For more information, see Budget process - Queensland Treasury