Queensland’s LNP government has revealed the 2,600 new hospital beds it has promised across the state will be rolled out by 2032.
Earlier this year, the government announced it would overhaul plans from its Labor predecessors to deliver 2,200 new beds by 2028.
It followed a review that found a number of the planned hospital expansions would not have been delivered by 2028 and the price tag of the works was set to grow by billions.
Under the LNP’s new plan, 2,600 beds will be rolled out at a cost of about $18.5 billion — with the government confirming on Monday it was aiming to have the beds online by 2032.
The Crisafulli government aims to have 2,600 new hospital beds rolled out by 2032 instead of 2028. (ABC News: Chris Gillette)
It means the timeline for the delivery of beds at a range of projects across the state have been pushed back from the original plan.
For example, the former Labor government had committed to having a new 404-bed Coomera hospital project completed by the second half of 2027.
Under the new plan, the LNP says 400 beds will be delivered by 2031, while an additional 200 beds will be online by 2032.
In Logan, the former Labor government had planned to have 112 beds completed by December 2026 — but this will now be done by 2027.
Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the new plan has a “realistic deadline”. (ABC News)
The 112 beds Labor had committed for the QEII hospital on Brisbane’s southside by the second half of 2027 will now be completed by 2028.
At Redcliffe Hospital, Labor was expected to deliver 204 beds by quarter four of 2027.
But under the new plan, 210 beds will be delivered by 2032, although the government says the “first beds” will be delivered by 2027.
At Townsville hospital, 143 beds planned under Labor were expected to be delivered by quarter four of 2026.
The LNP says it will now deliver at least 165 beds by 2028 under stage one of the hospital expansion.
At Mackay hospital, Labor had committed to 128 beds by December 2026, but the LNP is yet to come up with a timeline, because work is still underway on the master plan.
Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital, at Coopers Plains, will have its new beds by 2028, the government says. (Supplied: Queensland government)
The government is also still working out the master plan for the Prince Charles Hospital upgrade, which would see an extra 93 beds delivered.
At Bundaberg, the government has promised to deliver 400 beds or bed alternatives as part of a new hospital — but the first 200 will not be available until 2031.
Health Minister Tim Nicholls described the government’s new plan as “well thought through” and insisted the old plan was “undeliverable”.
Queensland plan for hospital beds
“This plan is about providing Queenslanders with a sensible pathway that has been properly worked through,” he said.
“Some of those hospitals will start delivering those beds in a staged fashion.
“Our plan provides realistic deadlines and realistic timeframe for the staged delivery of hospital beds up to 2032.”
Debt tipped to reach almost $205 billion
Meanwhile, the government has handed down the mid-year fiscal and economic review, which has revealed a sizeable drop in coal royalties and an uplift in transfer duty revenue.
The deficit of $8.58 billion initially projected for 2025-26 in the June budget is now expected to come in at about $8.97 billion.
Total debt for the financial year will come in at about $146.9 billion, which is about $910 million less than what was forecast in the budget.
By 2028-29, total debt is tipped to reach $204.9 billion.
Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki says he has no plans to change the taxes charged by the government. (AAP: Jono Searle)
Treasurer David Janetzki said the update was “broadly in line” with the numbers in the budget.
Coal royalty revenue has taken a significant hit, with income from the charge for 2025-26 revised from $6.17 billion to less than $5.39 billion.
Over the four-year forward estimates, revenue from coal royalties is expected to come in at about $1 billion less than initially forecast in June and will now be about $22.33 billion.
The budget update noted the downward revision was due to factors such as a stronger outlook for the Australian dollar, weak near-term coal prices, and a moderate downgrade to coal volumes.
“Movements in these key parameters present ongoing uncertainty for royalty revenue, particularly given risks to global outlook remain tilted to the downside,” it said.
The budget update papers also detail about $1.48 billion in “additional enterprise bargaining expenses”, after the government signed off on a number of new wages deals with public servants.
Over the four-year forward estimates, revenue from transfer duty is also now tipped to reach $32.45 billion – up from a projection of $31.35 billion in June.
Mr Janetzki, who is also the Minister for Home Ownership, said he had no plans to change the taxes charged by the government.
“We are doing a range of measures … on a permanent basis to support cost of living and also in that home ownership space,” he said.