With more than $1 billion in funding commitments already made in the election by the Newman government, there’s a lot being promised, but CCFQ says that industry turnover fell $12 billion in the past financial year.
A poll of its members late last year found 55% of respondents had been forced to make redundancies in the past 12 months, and 53% expected to lay off staff this year.
The civil contracting workforce has shrunk by 26 % in just 12 months and trainee positions have halved in two years, with business surveyed expected to create new trainee positions in 2015.
Respondents expected turnover to decrease by about one third this year, and almost three quarters said that conditions were now worse than during the GFC.
CCFQ wants the next government to “turn the pipeline on again" and prioritise infrastructure projects over reducing state debt.
Newman is planning to spend big, funded by the one-off windfall has part of a $33 billion asset leasing plan if it wins office. The bulk of the funds will pay down debt, with off $8.6 billion earmarked for infrastructure.
Newman has just pledged to spend $150 million on a new Townsville stadium and retail precinct over an old rail yard location, plus spending a further $170 million to upgrade to the Gateway and Pacific motorways near Brisbane.
"This will be the remaking of Townsville and it will take the city forward for the next 30 years," Newman said of the new stadium,
The new Gateway and Pacific motorways near Eight Mile Plains will require two new southern lanes, a lengthening of the existing busway, and an extra 350 park and ride spaces for passengers.
Labor’s Anna Palaszczuk released her economic plan on Friday, detailing government-owned corporation reform, a “debt action plan” to pay down $12 billion in government debt over 10 years, and a pledge to leave taxes untouched.
Labor’s $620 million in election commitments remain uncosted so far, and will be funded from revenue from government corporations and initiatives such as the amalgamation of the state’s various energy generation and distribution businesses.
