Treasurer Andrew Fraser set to hand down the Queensland budget.
TheAustralian.com.au
QUEENSLAND Treasurer Andrew Fraser says a $1.4 billion hole to pay for flood costs in Tuesday's state budget will not prevent jobs being delivered.
Tropical cyclones Charlotte and Ellie and other recent disasters are expected to absorb $787 million in National Disaster Relief costs and repairs in 2009/10.
Mr Fraser on Sunday also warned that the $678 million in disaster relief spending earmarked in Tuesday's budget for 2010/11 could potentially blow out even further if the state was hit with more disasters.
"I don't think anyone is going to conclude that the last couple of years has been normal," he said.
Mr Fraser said the beginning of the year saw 87 per cent of the state underwater.
"You're still getting the bills coming in from Charlotte and Ellie as councils finish their works, total up their bills and send in their invoice for the cost of those cyclones.
"The rebuilding effort doesn't take five minutes, it takes a number of years. You have to repair the extensive road network out in western Queensland."
Under national arrangements the Commonwealth will contribute around $284 million this year and next.
However Mr Fraser was adamant the $1.4 billion budget hole would not prevent the government from delivering job growth, stating Tuesday's budget would still record an infrastructure spend of $17.3 billion for 2009/10.
"We elevated jobs above all else in the decisions that we took," he said.
"The recovery is underway, nine months of positive job generation have been recorded and what this government is focused on is keeping our foot to the floor."
He said while the budget would still be in deficit across the forward estimates, the government had a goal of achieving a surplus in 2015/16.
One strategy Mr Fraser announced on Sunday to reach a long-term budget surplus was a financial boost for mining exploration.
The $18 million set aside in the budget hopes to establish Queensland as Australia's "greenfield" exploration capital by 2020.
Mr Fraser said the Greenfields 2020 program would target key under-explored geological terrains which have the potential to develop into new mineral and energy resource provinces for Queensland.
"We all know that mining is a critical part of the Queensland economy," he said.
"This is critical to building momentum at the front of the recovery to get us back into the black and keeping us moving forward into the future."
He said the program aimed at attracting explorers and investors to Queensland so that new discoveries of mineral, petroleum and geothermal resources could occur.
Areas identified for greenfield exploration include north, northwest and western Queensland.
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