Budget focuses on safer Queensland

Measures for better resourced courts, effective early intervention and rehabilitation, and increased support for the prevention of domestic and family violence were highlights of the Queensland Budget which was handed down yesterday. 

Treasurer David Janetzki described the budget as focusing on “making Queensland safer, delivering a place to call home for more Queenslanders, driving down cost of living pressures for families, providing more free healthcare and building generational infrastructure for our growing State”.

Delivering faster access to justice

The $2.163 billion justice budget covers infrastructure investment through to criminal justice system funding. 

• $74.8 million investment in the state’s court infrastructure, including:
  • enhanced security infrastructure and uplift to the court maintenance budgetland acquisition for new courthouses in Beenleigh and Townsvilledelivery of the Domestic and Family Violence Courthouse Improvement Programan additional courtroom in Townsville and courtroom expansion works in Brisbane
  • critical remediation work at the heritage-listed Bowen and Maryborough courthouses;
• Increased funding of $112.9 million over four years and $29.9 million each year ongoing to the legal assistance sector, including to support victims of domestic and family violence. This will allow Queensland to unlock a further $828 million in federal funding as part of the National Access to Justice Partnership, taking joint investment to $1.8 billion over the next five years;
• $31.8 million over five years to bolster the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, including increased support for victims of crime through the Victim Liaison Service and to fast-track the preparation of backlogged DNA cases for court;
• $18.1 million to maintain Forensic Science Queensland’s operational capacity, with a further $2 million for essential infrastructure upgrades, and $1 million to undertake the independent DNA Review;
• Additional funding of $10.7 million over five years and $2.6 million per annum ongoing to establish the Mining and Resources Coroner to investigate fatal accidents on Queensland mine and quarry sites;
• $10 million in 2025-26, with an additional $5 million held centrally, to the Queensland Public Trustee;
• $19.7 million over two years for a Commission of Inquiry into the Child Safety System;
• $8.1 million for the Fast Track Sentencing initiative (including $3.2 million for Legal Aid Queensland and $845,000 for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service), delivered in partnership with other agencies.  Queensland Health will provide additional Court Liaison Services to ensure that young people appearing before a Children’s court have timely access to mental health assessment and referral pathways into treatment;
• $25.9 million over four years to support the Office of the Public Guardian to secure the protection of vulnerable Queensland children and adults with impaired decision-making capacity;
• $1.8 million in 2025-26 to support the Legal Services Commission to address demand for services;
• $6.8 million over three years from 2026-27 and a total of $8.9 million to support administration of the Meriba Omasker Kaziw Kazipa (Torres Strait Islander Child Rearing Practices) Act 2020, including $291,000 in 2025-26 for Legal Aid Queensland, to be delivered in partnership between the Department of Justice and Department of Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and Multiculturalism;
• Extra funding of $7.1 million over four years and $1.9 million a year ongoing for the Integrity Commissioner;
• Increased funding of $9.3 million over four years for the Queensland Intermediary Scheme in Brisbane and Cairns to help vulnerable witnesses to child sexual offences overcome barriers to giving evidence;
• Increased funding of $4.3 million over four years and $1.1 million ongoing for the Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management to deliver information, education and dispute resolutions services.

Youth justice investment and victim support

The budget includes $770.9 million for Youth Justice and Victim Support, and $2.256 billion for Queensland Corrective Services:

• $115 million for community-led Gold Standard Early Intervention including KickStarter and support for proven programs;
• $50 million for four new or expanded Crime Prevention Schools to re-engage youth who disengaged from mainstream education and are at risk of falling into crime;
• $40 million for two new Youth Justice Schools to divert youths on Youth Justice orders;
• $50 million for nine Regional Reset Programs providing early intervention for at risk youth who require a higher level of care than community-based programs can provide;
• $50 million for a Queensland-first SecureCare residential Child Safety facility to protect the community and young people who are a danger to themselves;
• $225 million to deliver the new Staying On Track rehabilitation program, with intensive rehabilitation for 12 months after detention to address reoffending rates for youths leaving detention;
• $80 million for two Circuit Breaker Sentencing programs, a court-ordered intensive rehabilitation program as an alternative to detention;
• $75 million over four years for youth co-response models and initiatives to target crime hotspots across the State and turn the tide on youth crime;
• $24.4 million over four years and $8.3 million ongoing for bail programs to better support compliance by youth.

Key support for victims of crime included: 

• $275 million this year for Victims of Crime Financial Assistance Scheme;
• $50 million for a new Victims Advocate Service;
• $12.9 million over four years for the Victims of Crime Community Response program;
• $25.5 million over four years to bolster the support provided to victims of crime through the Victim Liaison Service;
• $2.6 million over four years to support the establishment and effective operations of a Youth Justice Victims Register.

Making Queensland Safer Laws

Budget includes $347.7 million across portfolios to implement the Making Queensland Safer Laws across police, courts, legal services and the custodial system.

• $48.8 million over five years and $2.2 million a year ongoing to deliver extra resourcing for Queensland’s justice system to support the implementation of the Making Queensland Safer laws. This includes $9.7 million over four years for Legal Aid Queensland, and $2 million over five years and $457,000 a year ongoing for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service;
• $16.4 million over four years and $30,000 per annum ongoing to expand intervention services to six priority watchhouses that experience high volumes of youth detainees and ongoing operating costs;
• $15.5 million over four years and $4.0 million a year ongoing to support the ongoing operation of the Youth Crime Taskforce;
• $5.9 million over four years to Police Prosecutions to meet expected demand for the increased volume and complexity of matters in the Children’s Court.

Investment for domestic and family violence services and child safety

The budget provides $379 million in 2025-26 in funding for commitments to protect victims of domestic and family violence, as well as holding perpetrators to account:

• $11.5 million to double the State’s 24/7 domestic and family violence crisis response capacity to help more victims and to deliver a new North Queensland-based hub in 2025-26, as part of a four-year investment of $31.3 million; 
• To support women and children to rebuild their lives after domestic and family violence, Hope Hub recovery centres will be expanded to three additional sites through funding of $3.5 million over four years and $1 million a year ongoing to provide integrated services, such as counselling, legal and housing advocacy and employment-focused programs;
• In partnership with Corrective Services, high-risk DFV perpetrators will be monitored with the rollout of 150 GPS trackers, to help protect victims of domestic and family violence; 
• funding of $31.3 million over four years to double both Womensline and Mensline capacity to help more victims of domestic and family violence and deliver a new North Queensland-based hub. The free helplines support women and their children in Queensland who are experiencing domestic and family violence. The helplines also support men who are using violence or experiencing abuse to assist in changing their abusive behaviours or to access safety from abuse.

Queensland Police Service

• $290.3 million for new and upgraded police stations, facilities and beats;
• $147.9 million for critical police equipment;
• $10 million in 2024-25 to establish a Public Child Sex Offender Register (Daniel’s Law).

Home ownership initiatives

• The new Boost to Buy scheme will help reduce the deposit gap for first buyers, in a new shared equity scheme. The new Boost to Buy scheme will provide an equity contribution of up to 30 per cent for new homes and 25 per cent for existing homes.
• To be eligible, first home buyers will need a minimum two per cent deposit available for the purchase price of the property valued up to $1 million.
• Expressions of interest will open on 1 July for individuals earning up to $150,000 and couples earning up to $225,000 to purchase homes of up to $1 million.
• Boost to Buy is in addition to the existing Home Buyer Grants, which have been boosted to $30,000 until June 2026.

Revenue measures

• The Revenue and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 was introduced to implement revenue measures announced in the budget: The First Home Owner Grant and Other Home Owner Grants Act 2000 is amended to extend the temporary increased amount of the First Home Owner Grant from $15,000 to $30,000 for a further year, until 30 June 2026.
• The Payroll Tax Act 1971 is amended to extend the 50 per cent payroll tax rebate for wages paid or payable to apprentices and trainees for a further year, until 30 June 2026.
• The Duties Act 2001 and Land Tax Act 2010 are amended to introduce windfall tax provisions, which will only apply in certain circumstances where provisions imposing Queensland foreign surcharges, including recently passed revenue protection provisions, are constitutionally invalid or inoperative. Also, to further protect against a successful challenge to foreign surcharge validity and make other supporting amendments.
• The State Penalties Enforcement Act is amended to clarify the circumstances in which a registration fee may be imposed when a matter is registered with the State Penalties Enforcement Registry on or after 10 June 2022 following a person defaulting on an infringement notice.

Small and family business support  

• $16.8 million to extend the Small Business Support Network to June 2028.  The network provides a wraparound support service, with free and confidential access to: 
  • financial counsellors to overcome business challenges including natural disasters; and
  • wellness coaching to get business-related mental health challenges under control and develop the skills to avoid future difficulties.
• Small Business First Agenda – additional funding of $44.7 million over five years to boost productivity through a Business Concierge, two new grant programs and the establishment of regional innovation and start-up hubs. The government will also simplify small business procurement processes, standardise contracts and support smaller tenders, and the Small Business Commissioner will refocus efforts on red-tape reduction and dispute resolution.