Vouchers will increase in value from $150 to $200 and be expanded to all Queensland kids between five and 17 years of age. Redeem by June 2025.
The number of vouchers for the program has also increased from up to 50,000 to up to 200,000, at a cost to the 2024-25 Budget of $40 million.
The program has previously been means tested, but the expanded version will be open to all Queensland Children aged between five and 17 years of age.
LNP said the will follow through with all Labor budget initiatives.
However the LNP have not yet said if they will rescind ALP's mining royalties bringing in $ billions.
They will likely backflip on the budget initiatives if they get in because they won’t be able to afford it because they’ll end up rescinding the royalties. They won’t want to fess up to that heading into the election.
(1) Quote from David Crisafulli:
"I want the mining industry to be free from the government that's constantly looking to find new ways to tax & regulate them." - Sounds like they're likely to remove that coal royalty tax and likely to be backed by that industry as a result. [Interview video: https://x.com/Qldaah/status/1794919471800553738]
(2) Qld LNP OL David Crisafulli has already accepted the Labor state government's budget before seeing it, despite the Labor full cabinet not seeing it themselves and approving it. [Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP_zSQBd6XA]
What next? Free popcorn? Free used lip balms? Free lifetime supply of condoms?
You don't have kids in sport do you…
@Jessie Ryder: That's ok. Money from mining our resources should go back into it country anyway, not into company profits.
@MrThing: Not sure why your getting negged so bad. These sorts of things usually do spawn price increases for whatever good/service is being subsidised. Don't normally see it with sports though.
Why should the government pay for your kids to participate in sport?
For the long term benefit of the community. Kids who are active in sport are healthier, and youth sport has been shown to reduce youth crime and violence. https://www.unodc.org/documents/dohadeclaration/Sports/LULU/…
Also, the $200 voucher is unlikely to cover the entire fee of any sport, the parent/carer will still have to cover most of it.
@digitalbath: Run my own business and claim no handouts. I'm happy to see my tax money go towards things that will improve the state.
@cashews: Then pay for parenting classes for the hopeless parents out there letting their kids turn into criminals. That will improve more than just your state, not just the entitled.
@digitalbath: You can already get free parenting classes in QLD.
https://www.qld.gov.au/community/caring-child/positive-paren…
@cashews: Well clearly parents would rather free money for sports rather than teaching their kids discipline and basic decency.
@digitalbath: It's pretty ignorant to apply generalisations like that to the million plus families in QLD.
@digitalbath: Lord forbid my tax dollars and taxing coal mining companies so they pay they finally pay their fair share goes towards public services and social good. I hate it when money ends up funding things which help kids and teenagers and their parents.
The condoms would be another fine example of a successful public health initiative, just like this is.
Especially if it stops people like the above from breeding.
Vouchers to help struggling families get their children into sports is not a bad thing at all. You're being ridiculous.
It's not just for struggling families anymore. Will now help us though. Cost of sports is ridiculous.
Cost of running sports clubs is also ridiculous.
@Frunk: As someone that got volunteered into a treasurer position of a not for profit community sports club the costs of running are indeed ridiculous.
The licensing, insurance & other mandatory expenses just to be allowed to operate are absurd.
@mitt: insurance yep, well we can thank all the parents for pushing up the costs on that one because little jonnie got hurt playing contact rugby
struggling families
i bet most go to them. The best thing the govy could do is either scrap or takeover the insurance requirement part. That's the expensive part. Next expensive thing is the profession bodies extorting fees from the community clubs to subsidise the elites. I'm looking at you Soccer, Triathlon, touch footy, SLSC, etc.
.
Whilst the coaches, refs, officials, and club reps not only volunteer their time, but often contribute financially towards the team or club.
@Snoop: Exactly. For soccer the money goes to council to lease the ground and to the insurance company. Nearly everything else is volunteer/community based. Absolute disgrace.
@TheJoker: If your club is switched on theres no shortage of grants to cover all the operating expenses.
But it's a PITA to constantly submit dense applications if you dont have a go to person for it.
@Sye lifetime supply of condoms for you? So, just 1?
Liberal in NSW introduced this and run for many years until Labor government got in power and removed it.
I’ve invented a new sport, it’s call junior Ozbargain hunting. To join my club costs $200 but all sign ups receive a welcome $100. It’s win-win. 😂
How much is $200 in terms of children's sports? 3 swimming lessons?
In USSR all sports for all kids were free, forever.
I don't think that's too far off covering a whole season in football, netball, etc.
It's a bit shy of what we pay for soccer… but it's better than the sweet f all the Vic Govt is giving us!
In USSR the infant mortality rate was nearly double what it was here so maybe that's how they saved some money on their sports peograms
Infant mortality rates may have been higher, but how does 7 vs 14 per 1000 newborns account for anything?
Say, in 1987 4 million children in Australia vs 70 million in USSR. All of these 70 million children could do sports for free.
PS Say hi to Alex Solzhenitsyn when you see him, he will apreciate this manipulation. A bit of a weird twist though, I thought you would say it was all paid for by Gulag workers.
We are on our way there. Don’t worry most people want more grants until one day we become communist country. Most of the things will be FREE
Communism isn't something we slowly build our way to. It's a radical change. All those small handouts are like scraps tossed from a groaning feast table. The rich would rather let the food rot than share it freely.
The answer lies in who controls the factories, farms, and resources – the means of production. Are they in the hands of a select few, or do they belong to everyone? That simple question reveals the core of our current economic system.
Funny how these initiatives, which seem to be getting increasingly desperate, appear out of thin air in the days following polls showing an impending ALP wipeout.
It’s called pork barrelling and it’s not a new concept. All governments in power do it prior to an upcoming election.
What we've seen is unprecedented & should be condemned as irresponsible.
How is it unprecedented? Pork barrelling has been going on for centuries. But I agree that pre-election spending shouldn’t be increased.
It's not unprecedented…
@buckster: When have bigger bribes to voters ever been offered? These announcements are over & above what could be considered ordinary pre-election spending promises…these aren't commitments to build infrastructure or fund programs. I don't think it's responsible given the level of government debt Qld is forecast to have.
i thought LNP's john pork barilaro is how you pork barrel, i.e. give money to only the seats that will vote you in
interesting name for "corruption"
That’s not Pork Barrelling. It’s just spending recently received tax revenue and sharing it equally amongst the state. Pork Barrelling would be spending it in close electorates, or in Labor electorates.
Pork barreling is the uneven distribution of funds to certain key seats that are likely to be marginal. These promises appear to be eligible for most or everyone in the entire state.
Vic Govt… HELLO, SEE THIS!!!
Victoria is in enough debt as it is, so no let’s not give them any ideas.
Election isn’t until late 2026 either.
We’ll see similar things in a year or two if the polls are bad, I’m sure.
Woo finally not means tested. They need to do the battery rebate without a means test too.
Lobbyists back at it again
This is about a quarter of a years basketball fee which doesn't include shorts, ball, sneakers, jersey or all the travel fuel for training and games. Better than nothing though.
My kids started netball at the beginning of the year. Does this mean it's already too late for me to claim this and I'd have to wait until next year?
Better than nothing but it won’t change my vote. You can’t buy me ALP QLD! (Well, not for $200 at least)
You must have felt to cool when you typed that.
Any pool deal coming up? I lost my motivation after the $2 deal finished :(
![[QLD] 200,000 $200 Voucher for Junior Sports. Children Aged 5-17. No Means/Income Test @ Qld Government](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/33/850133.jpg?h=05e33f45)
Going to be hard for the LNP to walk back these changes, if they do get in it will be one term.