Election 2025 Cheat-Sheet: What Every Party’s Promises Could Mean for Brissie
TL;DR
Brisbane’s future could hinge on whether we get more cranes, more trains, or—brace yourself—mini-nukes on the Nicklin Way. Grab a coffee (or something stronger) and dive in.
The Espresso-Shot Scorecard ☕
| Topic | Labor | LNP | Greens | Minors (ON, KAP, etc.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $10 bn Housing Australia Future Fund; Help to Buy shared equity | Kill stamp duty on new builds for first-home buyers; five-year mortgage-interest deductions | Two-year rent freeze, then 1 % cap; 100 000 public homes/yr | Bigger first-home grants; oppose rent caps |
| Transport | Lock in 50-cent fares; finish Metro extension to UQ | Rename Cross River Rail “Elizabeth Line”; push Sunshine Coast rail; widen Bruce Hwy | Free public transport by 2026; flood-proof bikeways | More roads, fewer rails |
| Energy & Climate | 82 % renewables by 2030; grid ‘rewiring’ | SMRs (small modular reactors) + new gas; net-zero “one day” | 100 % renewables by 2030; kill new coal & gas | Keep coal burning, hike royalties |
| Cost of Living | Tweak stage-three tax cuts, GP bulk-billing boost, power rebates | Halve fuel excise, scrap Labor tax cuts, nuclear “cheap power” | Billionaire tax → free dental & mental Medicare, rent caps | Royalties-funded regional rebates |
| Jobs & Industry | Clean-tech hubs in Archerfield & Redbank | ‘Fresh Start’ 100-day red-tape bonfire | Jobs guarantee building homes & solar | More dams, more tradie apprentices |
Housing: Who’ll Rescue the Share-house Sofa?
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Labor is betting on supply: 30 000 social and affordable homes in five years via the $10 bn Housing Australia Future Fund, plus Help to Buy that sees the gov’t own up to 40 % of your lounge room. Australian Labor Party
Upside: genuine new stock, easier deposits.
Downside: Qld’s wait-list is 45 000 deep—maths says some Brisbanites still crash on mates’ couches. -
LNP wants demand boosters: zero stamp duty on new builds and mortgage-interest write-offs for five years. Log in or sign up to view
Upside: could save ~$29 k on an $800 k townhouse.
Downside: academic economists call it “chucking avocado oil on the auction fire”. -
Greens flip the script: freeze rents two years, cap rises at 1 % after, fund public builds Woodford-Festival-scale. The Australian Greens
Upside: West End renters finally exhale.
Downside: constitutional barney with states; landlords threatening to Airbnb everything from Ashgrove to Yeronga.
Hidden Angle – Floodplain Factor
None of the big parties talk much about climate-adapted housing. With Oxley Creek still soggy from 2022, look for developers favouring higher ground (hello, Toowong ridges) no matter who wins.
Transport: From Chermside to Woolloongabba Without Tears
- Labor’s 50-cent fares are already reality, sending weekend patronage up 80 %. Translink
- LNP promises the same cheap ticket but wants a royal rebrand: Cross River Rail → “Elizabeth Line”. ABC
- Greens call fares “so 2024” and plan to scrap them entirely by 2026, costed at $390 m/yr. AAP News
| Party | Why It Rocks | Mind the Gap |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | Already budgeted; helps Struggle-Street commuters | Trial ends in 2026—then what? |
| LNP | Keeps cheap fares and throws cash at Bruce Hwy | Renaming a tunnel doesn’t add trains; gridlock risk if roads dominate |
| Greens | Free fares + 24/7 high-freq buses could bust congestion | $390 m revenue hole means a new levy (developers, say the Greens) |
Sneaky Angle – Olympic Timetable
The 2032 Games need 75 % of spectators on mass transit. Free fares (Greens) or 50-cent (everyone else) may stay simply to dodge IOC side-eye.
Energy & Climate: Sunshine State vs Fission State
- Labor → 82 % renewables by 2030, powered by Queensland’s mega-sun and mega-wind; “Rewiring the Nation” cash for new interconnectors.
- LNP → loves a buzzword: small modular reactors (SMRs) as baseload, plus new gas fields. World Nuclear News
- Greens → quit fossil fuels by 2030, ban new coal & gas, shut down Adani (again).
Quirky Angle – Nuke Tourism?
If SMRs pop up near Gympie, expect grey-nomad selfie spots that make the Big Pineapple look tame. But they won’t switch on till 2035 at best, so don’t bin your PV panels yet.
Cost-of-Living Sweeteners
- Labor: re-tuned tax cuts, bulk-billing rescue cash, and another round of power bill rebates.
- LNP: 12 c-a-litre fuel excise cut—handy if you’re forever stuck on M1 roadworks. ABC
- Greens: slug billionaires, plug the money into Medicare-But-With-Teeth and rent caps.
Hidden Angle – University Car-parks
Cheaper petrol might spike UQ and QUT parking demand. Could the next policy frontier be “free e-scooter chargers”? Watch this space.
Jobs & Industry: From Fish-n-Chip Fridays to Deep-tech Mondays
- Labor spruiks clean-tech manufacturing precincts at Archerfield and Redbank—think batteries built where B-52s once snoozed.
- LNP’s 100-day “Fresh Start” cuts red tape; small-biz stamp-duty relief aims to keep Microbrewery Mile bubbling.
- Greens promise a jobs guarantee erecting solar farms and public housing—tradie heaven if materials hold up.
Niche Angle – Cyber Security
Labor’s pitch includes a National Cyber HQ; Brisbane’s rapidly growing Fortitude Valley tech scene could score government contracts for everything from Olympic ticketing security to AI-based flood alerts.
Coal Royalties – The Sleeper Issue
Progressive coal royalties pulled in $9.4 bn extra over two years. Labor locked them in with “Hands off, Crisafulli” legislation. Ministerial Media Statements
Miners cry foul, regional councils cheer stadium refurb cash.
The LNP hasn’t said it’ll scrap the tiers—but its backbench is itching. Keep an eye on Rocky and Mackay seats; royalties could swing them.
Verdict: Who Gets Your Democracy Sausage?
| You Are… | You Might Fancy… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Inner-city renter, two bikes, one rescued greyhound | Greens | Rent freeze + free buses |
| Tradie couple itching for first home at North Lakes | LNP | Bye-bye stamp duty; cheap servo runs |
| Family juggling GP visits & power bills in Moorooka | Labor | Bulk-billing boost + renewables = lower leccy |
| Bowen Basin diesel-ute driver | KAP / One Nation | Royalties rebates, more dams, fewer net-zero lectures |
Final Whistle
Elections in Brissie are like summer storms—steamy build-up, one almighty clap, then half the city forgets to put the wheelie-bins out. Whatever colour wins on 3 May, remember:
- Snag the free sausage.
- Vote below the line if you like colouring in.
- Pack an umbrella—the only thing less predictable than polling booths is Queensland weather.
PS: If any policy actually delivers a four-minute Chermside-to-GABBA commute, we’ll shout the first round at Felons.