Federal Election updates for North Queensland

Over the weekend, we saw the official start to the Federal Election campaign, with Labor launching from Perth, and the Coalition announcing their plans from Sydney. 

The start of the campaign - as we expected - has seen a number of national cost-of-living measures announced, with a central focus on housing, and tax relief. Looking local, we have seen the start of announcements being made, as we continue to work with each political party to drive further value for North Queensland.

Recently, and specific to Townsville North Queensland, we have seen:

Labor

• $30 million commitment to ease traffic congestion on the roundabout at the Townsville University Hospital; matching the $30 million commitment already made by the State Government - This commitment has not yet been matched by LNP
• $7.2 billion in new funding for the Bruce Highway

LNP

• $2.2 million to the Townsville Rugby Club to upgrade female player facilities - This commitment has not yet been matched by Labor
• $7.2 billion in new funding for the Bruce Highway

Townsville Enterprise CEO, Claudia Brumme-Smith

The 2025 Federal Election will undoubtedly be about offering cost-of-living relief to Australians, and we certainly welcome this for our own community in the North. However, with incentives comes cost, and the Government will need to dually invest in productive regions such as Townsville North Queensland where they will see swift return on investment, and ensure sovereignty across key industries such as fuels, energy and manufacturing. 

Despite ongoing global economic uncertainty, the latest business sentiment results from PVW show continued signs of strength and stability for the Townsville region.

With many businesses forecasting growth in key performance drivers such as sales, consumer demand, and employment in the coming quarter, this region is primed to deliver on the national agenda, and should be rewarded with key infrastructure and policy commitments during this Election campaign period.

Townsville and North Queensland is the economic powerhouse which will support any and all levels of Government, no matter their persuasion once elected in May, so it's disappointing that key party leaders are yet to visit the region to recognise and reward this contribution.

Without committing to productive infrastructure such as our port, key highways, new and existing mines, rail improvements, and education, inevitable delays in economic growth for the country will surely follow. Smart investments in productive infrastructure outlined in our Unlock the North priority list is the only way the future Government will be able to pay for the cost-of-living promises being made by both candidates in their election campaign.

The new Federal Government will need to focus on defence, critical minerals, manufacturing, energy generation, fuel security through SAF and biofuels, and the answers always leads back to North Queensland. We urge both candidates to visit Townsville North Queensland and commit to projects that will secure the future of Australia.

At Townsville Enterprise - we wear the colours of North Queensland - and will work with all parties to ensure they are aware of our region's potential, and make commitments to the projects that will unlock the North, and set the country on a path to success.