Economic
• total General Government Sector revenue is estimated to be $57,738 billion 2018-19
• major sources of General Government Sector revenue in 2018-19 are grants revenue (48%) and taxation revenue (24.5%)
• net operating surplus of $1.512 in 2017-18
• borrowings 2018-19 $70,871 billion rising to $83.093 in 2021-22
• growth 2.75 per cent in 2017-18; 3 per cent in 2018-19 and easing to 2.75 per cent in 20-19-20.
• total expenses are projected to grow at an average annual rate of 2.9% over the five years to 2021-22
• unemployment rate forecast to remain at 6¼% in June quarter 2018 and 2019. However, stronger domestic activity is expected to see the unemployment rate fall to 6% by June quarter 2020
• $45.8 billion capital works program over four years

Employment, Small Business and Training

Employment
• funding of $20.5 million from 2018-19 over three years to continue Back to Work in areas of South East Queensland with significant labour market challenges;
• increased funding of $155 million over four years from 2017-18 to extend the Back to Work regional program to continue to provide employer support payments to employers hiring eligible unemployed jobseekers;
• continue to support workers to upskill and reskill and transition to new employment opportunities due to cessation of sand mining on North Stradbroke Island through the North Stradbroke Island Workers Assistance Scheme;
• continue to deliver the Sticking Together Pilot to mentor and support 90 young disadvantaged jobseekers and recently-employed young people in Cairns, Townsville and Logan;
• continue to support employment opportunities for mature-aged jobseekers, including through the appointment of an Ambassador for mature aged workers;
• continue to provide policy oversight to Queensland nominated business and/or skilled migration visas in partnership with Business and Skilled Migration Queensland.

Small Business
• Small Business Services continues to deliver on the Advancing Small Business Queensland Strategy 2016-20, including:
• provide $1.1 million over four years from 2018-19 to establish small business consultation panels to provide government departments with easier access to experienced small business owners and operators to inform policy and legislation;
• provide $1 million in 2018-19 to deliver targeted support and specialist business advice and mentoring to Queenslanders who want to create their own future job;
• undertake consultation on how small business can be supported to better position themselves to participate in government procurement;
• support the creation of new businesses, helping existing businesses to work smarter and be more resilient and assisting businesses with high growth aspirations to grow and employ through the delivery of three targeted grants programs, Small Business Digital Grants Program; Small Business Entrepreneur Grants Program; and the Business Growth Fund, mentoring and promoting linkages to other Queensland programs;
• support the Small Business Champion, the Queensland Small Business Advisory Council and the Better Regulation Taskforce to advocate for the interests of small business across all levels of governments;
• improve the Queensland Government’s online services to business via the Business Queensland website to make it easier to access the right service at the right time for customers via a single online location;
• deliver Small Business Week events that provide networking and knowledge exchange opportunities
• assisting women, Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people to start and grow businesses.

Training
• implementation of the $777.9 million 2018-19 investment in training programs and skills initiatives for Queenslanders to support job outcomes and career development;
• extending until 30 June 2019 the 50% payroll tax rebate on the exempt wages of apprentices and trainees
• invest $80 million ($420 million over six years from 2015-16) to deliver the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative to support up to 13,000 disadvantaged Queenslanders (up to 54,000 over the six year commitment) to get into work;
• support eligible job seekers to gain required skills for employment in regional Queensland communities through additional training under the Back to Work Certificate 3 Guarantee Boost;
• support career pathways through apprenticeships and traineeships by partnering with industry to encourage participation in priority training areas including the establishment of a $1 million Advancing Apprentices Fund;
• increase engagement of young people in vocational education and training and in identifying pathways to careers;
• collaborate with Jobs Queensland to gather strategic industry advice on skills demand and workforce planning;
• continue implementation of $9 million over four years for the Regional Skills Investment Strategy to align training outcomes for Queenslanders with local employment skills demand;
• provide funding of $10 million over two years for the Regional Skills Adjustment Strategy to support TAFE Queensland to increase training opportunities in specific regions and industry sectors facing economic uncertainty;
• implementation of the $5 million industry-led National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Training and Skills Support Strategy over three years to support NDIS training and workforce development needs particularly in regional communities;
• deliver a strategy for vocational education and training for Queensland that empowers a skilled workforce needed to attract investment and encourage job creation;
• embed a comprehensive and systematic approach to quality through the Queensland Vocational Education and Training (VET) Quality Framework;
• support public providers in the delivery of training services in our communities with the provision of a State Contribution Grant;
• continue to work with Government agencies to allocate at least 10 per cent of total labour hours on eligible projects to be undertaken by apprentices and/or trainees, with a further 10 percent of total labour hours to be allocated for projects in Indigenous communities;
• develop strategies that provide services to better inform students and employers about qualifications, study options and training providers suited to their needs.
• ensure individuals, employers and others continue to have access to confidential, free advice through the Queensland Training Ombudsman

Skills
• increased funding of $180 million over three years from 2018-19 to boost the initiative to fund more apprenticeships and increase workforce participation through a suite of targeted skills and training programs
• back to Work: increased funding of $155 million over four years from 2017-18 to extend the regional program to 30 June 2020 to continue to provide employer support payments to employers hiring eligible unemployed jobseekers in regional Queensland
• expansion of the Jobs and Regional Growth Fund: increased funding of $20 million for the Jobs and Regional Growth Fund to help facilitate private sector projects which create employment and economic growth opportunities in regional Queensland by focussing on regions with higher than average unemployment.
Innovation
• recognise the need for innovation, enhanced digital skills, connectivity and increased inclusion is critical to position Queensland as a global innovation hub.
• lead the Advance Queensland initiatives and programs across government to support innovation-led growth and enhance Queensland’s capacity to adapt and thrive, including: – encourage innovative startups and small businesses to commercialise their products through the Ignite Ideas fund;
• supporting new ideas for growing Queensland’s competitive strengths through Industry Research Fellowships – driving innovation in regional Queensland through the Regional Startup Onramp program – fostering diversity in innovation by encouraging the success of female founders and researchers – increasing the skills and opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander innovators and entrepreneurs;
• ‘IndustryTech’ – working with our key industries to drive cross-cutting technologies, like artificial intelligence, that will boost our global competitiveness.
• encourage the innovation ecosystem through Ignite Ideas, expanding the Precinct, and supporting regional innovators;
• support research through fellowship and the uptake of key technologies like big data, artificial intelligence and drones
by industry.

Advance Queensland
• Advance Queensland initiative -$650 million – to foster innovation and entrepreneurship to enable Queensland businesses to adapt rapidly to the ever-changing global business environment. Measures include:
• Advance Queensland Foundations for the Future: increased funding of $73 million over four years for the Advance Queensland initiative including $30 million for Ignite Ideas which is helping

Queensland startups and small and medium enterprises to succeed
• Advance Queensland Increase: increased funding of $50 million over five years to continue funding programs including expansion of ‘The Precinct’, the State’s flagship hub for start-ups, support for the Clem Jones Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research, and a range of programs to drive and scale innovation in Queensland
• Advance Queensland Industry Attraction Fund: $40 million over two years has been provided in the 2018-19 Budget to extend the Advance Queensland Industry Attraction Fund, bringing total funding to $105 million, which will continue to attract interstate and overseas businesses considering moving to Queensland, or Queensland-based businesses interested in expand.

Business Development
• Business Development Fund: increased funding of $40 million over two years to continue to support the growth of angel and venture capital funding available to Queensland businesses, thereby strengthening Queensland’s entrepreneurial and start-up eco-system;
• EcoBiz Program for Small to Medium Enterprises: increased funding of $3.9 million over four years to continue delivering the ecoBiz program that helps small to medium sized businesses identify and achieve financial savings and eco-efficiency across energy, water and waste.

Transport
• customer focus – delivering customer-centric solutions in partnership with our stakeholders;
• innovation – embracing critical and creative thinking to deliver on our key priorities, now and in the future;
• increase pace of technological and social change
• change customer and stakeholder expectations;
• increase volume and complexity of data and the ability to analyse it (Big data);
• improve existing online services from a customer perspective, using customer insights to implement improvements to navigation, information and general usability
• deliver the Queensland Compliance Information System which provides Compliance Officers with the ability to easily record vehicle intercept information and have integrated access to registration and licensing information in the field through mobile tablet devices;
• improve customer flow management tools in our Customer Service Centres across the state, contributing to improving levels of service and enabling focused improvement for specific customer segments and services.

State Development
• establish and operate manufacturing hubs in Cairns, Townsville and Rockhampton to grow manufacturing businesses and skill up workers in those centres;
• deliver Round 4 of Building our Regions, with $70 million of funding over three years to deliver critical infrastructure for the regions;
• continue to support the Advance Queensland Industry Attraction Fund to actively encourage businesses located outside Queensland to re-shore, relocate, establish or expand projects in Queensland;
• continue to support the Jobs and Regional Growth Fund which is growing regional economies and creating jobs by helping to facilitate private sector projects to create ongoing employment and sustainable economic development in regional areas;
• implement 10-year roadmaps and action plans for the growth of priority new and emerging sectors with global growth potential as part of the Advance Queensland program. Advanced manufacturing; aerospace; biofutures; biomedical; defence industries; and mining equipment, technology and services are sectors identified with potential to build upon Queensland’s competitive strengths;
• allocate $100 million over three years to support Queensland’s resource recovery and recycling industry through the Resource Recovery Industry Development Program. The department will work with local governments and private sector enterprises to help them find innovative and cost-effective solutions to the problem of waste going to landfill.
• allocate $5 million in 2018-19 for Waste to Bioenergy projects. Facilities that turn urban waste into renewable energy and bioproducts are a major opportunity in the Queensland ‘waste
to bioenergy’ sector
• continued support for, and growth of, the biofutures sector to enable further investment in projects including pilot, demonstration and commercial biorefinery plants;
• implement Round 2 of the enhanced Made in Queensland grants program to support Queensland’s manufacturing small to medium enterprises to become more internationally competitive
and adopt innovative processes and technologies

Energy
• regulate and provide strategic oversight of Queensland’s electricity and gas supply industries, and bio-based petrol and bio-based diesel mandates;
• make electricity more affordable for residential and business customers, including continuing an effective working relationship with the Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland;
• implement the Government’s Powering Queensland’s Future policy including: –
– undertaking actions to support the target of at least 50 per cent renewable energy generation in Queensland by 2030;
– supporting establishment of ‘CleanCo’, a third publicly owned power generation company with a mandate to deliver 1,000MW of new renewable energy projects for Queensland;
– considering the findings of our state−wide hydro−electric study under the Powering North Queensland Plan;
– delivering Renewables 400MW;
– a renewable energy reverse auction;
– providing no−interest loans to help Queenslanders without access to the upfront capital required, to invest in solar and battery technologies.

Taxes, Fees & Charges
• new revenue from election commitments
• a 0.5% increase in the land tax rate for aggregated holdings above $10 million;
• an increase in the Additional Foreign Acquirer Duty (AFAD) from 3% to 7%;
• an increase of $2 per $100 of dutiable value for vehicles valued above $100,000;
• a 15% point of consumption betting tax.
• The Waste Disposal Levy will commence in the first quarter of 2019 and will initially be set at $70 per tonne (higher for regulated waste) and increase by $5 per tonne per annum.
• vehicle registration
• payroll tax collections are estimated to be $4.086 billion in 2018-19, representing growth of 5.1% on 2017-18;
• revenue from vehicle registration is expected to grow by 9.1% in 2018-19 following growth of 5.6% in 2017-18, with the higher growth due to the introduction of the premium motor vehicle duty from 1 July 2018.
• land tax is estimated to grow by 11% to $1.313 billion in 2018-19, largely due to the new marginal tax rate on land holdings above $10 million from 1 July 2018, along with growth in land values in recent years.
• revenue from transfer duty is expected to be 4.0% higher in 2018-19 than in 2017-18.

6 Jul 2018