‘It's not a voucher': This is how Queensland's $100 back-to-school bonus will work
Every Queensland primary school student will get $100 wiped off their back-to-school costs next year, but that won't even cover the cost of pencils and books.
The LNP government's Back to School Boost will give $100 to every state, Catholic and independent primary school student from January 1, and it will not be means tested.
The payments will cost the government $188.6 million over four years, and can be spent on books, stationery, devices, excursions, uniforms, and extracurricular activities, including sports and arts.
Despite it being described in a government press release on Tuesday as a '$100 voucher', Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek clarified on Wednesday that it was not a voucher.
'It's going to go to school accounts, then the parents can use it as a credit towards things they have costs for – so we're not giving people vouchers,' he said.
'Because, of course, what will always happen is, we have people saying 'cash them in'. We want to make sure this is applied to the costs of going to school.'
On Facebook, parents said they feared schools would not pass the savings on.
It was also not immediately clear exactly how the rebates would work, as the official book list tends to be ordered via an external office supplies company, or parents buy similar items from stores such as Officeworks or Big W.
Excursions are billed via schools, but uniforms are often sold through P&Cs, which have separate bank accounts.
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The Age
4 hours ago
- The Age
‘It's not a voucher': This is how Queensland's $100 back-to-school bonus will work
Every Queensland primary school student will get $100 wiped off their back-to-school costs next year, but that won't even cover the cost of pencils and books. The LNP government's Back to School Boost will give $100 to every state, Catholic and independent primary school student from January 1, and it will not be means tested. The payments will cost the government $188.6 million over four years, and can be spent on books, stationery, devices, excursions, uniforms, and extracurricular activities, including sports and arts. Despite it being described in a government press release on Tuesday as a '$100 voucher', Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek clarified on Wednesday that it was not a voucher. 'It's going to go to school accounts, then the parents can use it as a credit towards things they have costs for – so we're not giving people vouchers,' he said. 'Because, of course, what will always happen is, we have people saying 'cash them in'. We want to make sure this is applied to the costs of going to school.' On Facebook, parents said they feared schools would not pass the savings on. It was also not immediately clear exactly how the rebates would work, as the official book list tends to be ordered via an external office supplies company, or parents buy similar items from stores such as Officeworks or Big W. Excursions are billed via schools, but uniforms are often sold through P&Cs, which have separate bank accounts.
Sydney Morning Herald
4 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘It's not a voucher': This is how Queensland's $100 back-to-school bonus will work
Every Queensland primary school student will get $100 wiped off their back-to-school costs next year, but that won't even cover the cost of pencils and books. The LNP government's Back to School Boost will give $100 to every state, Catholic and independent primary school student from January 1, and it will not be means tested. The payments will cost the government $188.6 million over four years, and can be spent on books, stationery, devices, excursions, uniforms, and extracurricular activities, including sports and arts. Despite it being described in a government press release on Tuesday as a '$100 voucher', Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek clarified on Wednesday that it was not a voucher. 'It's going to go to school accounts, then the parents can use it as a credit towards things they have costs for – so we're not giving people vouchers,' he said. 'Because, of course, what will always happen is, we have people saying 'cash them in'. We want to make sure this is applied to the costs of going to school.' On Facebook, parents said they feared schools would not pass the savings on. It was also not immediately clear exactly how the rebates would work, as the official book list tends to be ordered via an external office supplies company, or parents buy similar items from stores such as Officeworks or Big W. Excursions are billed via schools, but uniforms are often sold through P&Cs, which have separate bank accounts.
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Alarm as LNP takes wind out of energy plan, renewables
A milestone budget has come under fire for lacking a renewable energy plan as industry leaders raise concerns investors might be turned away. Queensland's Liberal National government has been praised for a "nation-leading" home ownership scheme and record health funding after it handed down its first budget since 2014. But the fiscal roadmap fell well short for environmentalists, who said it lacked an energy plan to secure investor confidence. "One of the things we're seeing as a result of this lack of plan is that they're spending some money really unwisely," Queensland Conservation Council director Dave Copeman told AAP. Budget papers cemented the LNP's pre-election promise to scrap targets set by the former Labor government to reach 50 per cent renewable energy in the power grid by 2030, 70 per cent by 2032 and 80 per cent by 2035. The state will no longer track how much renewable energy is contributing to the grid, calling it a "discontinued measure". Renewable energy - including wind, solar and hydro - accounted for more than a quarter of the state's power in 2024/25 while coal contributed nearly 65 per cent, with the remainder supplied from gas. Solar was the biggest contributor among renewable energy sources. Mr Copeman said the energy system measurement metric provided investors with confidence about the state market's future for renewable projects. He warned the LNP government's move might push investors away from Queensland because of a lack of clarity over the state's energy plan and transition time frame. "Now that treasury and energy no longer have that metric, they don't have a plan, so they're really working a bit in the dark - that's not good for Queensland." Mr Copeman also slammed the government's $1.6 billion plan to prop up ageing coal-fired power stations as a "waste of money". 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A splash on housing paved the way for more first homebuyers, providing 30 per cent equity in new builds and 25 per cent in existing homes of up to $1 million for 1000 Queenslanders. The "Boost to Buy" scheme will cost $165 million over the next two years and applies to singles earning up to $150,000 and couples up to $225,000. A record health investment included an $18.5 billion plan to deliver 2600 new beds and three more hospitals. A milestone budget has come under fire for lacking a renewable energy plan as industry leaders raise concerns investors might be turned away. Queensland's Liberal National government has been praised for a "nation-leading" home ownership scheme and record health funding after it handed down its first budget since 2014. But the fiscal roadmap fell well short for environmentalists, who said it lacked an energy plan to secure investor confidence. "One of the things we're seeing as a result of this lack of plan is that they're spending some money really unwisely," Queensland Conservation Council director Dave Copeman told AAP. Budget papers cemented the LNP's pre-election promise to scrap targets set by the former Labor government to reach 50 per cent renewable energy in the power grid by 2030, 70 per cent by 2032 and 80 per cent by 2035. The state will no longer track how much renewable energy is contributing to the grid, calling it a "discontinued measure". Renewable energy - including wind, solar and hydro - accounted for more than a quarter of the state's power in 2024/25 while coal contributed nearly 65 per cent, with the remainder supplied from gas. Solar was the biggest contributor among renewable energy sources. Mr Copeman said the energy system measurement metric provided investors with confidence about the state market's future for renewable projects. He warned the LNP government's move might push investors away from Queensland because of a lack of clarity over the state's energy plan and transition time frame. "Now that treasury and energy no longer have that metric, they don't have a plan, so they're really working a bit in the dark - that's not good for Queensland." Mr Copeman also slammed the government's $1.6 billion plan to prop up ageing coal-fired power stations as a "waste of money". The government's renewable energy stance appeared to be based on LNP stakeholder input, University of Queensland economist John Quiggin said. "Essentially, you've got a lot of people who are just hostile to the whole idea for purely cultural reasons," he told AAP. A bill set to pass state parliament on Wednesday will require renewable energy developers to undertake community consultation prior to project approvals. But Treasurer David Janetzki promised to deliver his government's energy roadmap by the end of 2025. He has backed the incomplete energy plan, celebrating $79 million to progress development of pumped-hydro projects at Mt Rawdon and Cressbrook along with another at Borumba for $355 million. "We promised to fund smaller, more manageable pumped hydro projects and we are delivering on that promise," Mr Janetzki said. The budget on Tuesday predicted a record $205 billion in debt by 2028/29. A splash on housing paved the way for more first homebuyers, providing 30 per cent equity in new builds and 25 per cent in existing homes of up to $1 million for 1000 Queenslanders. The "Boost to Buy" scheme will cost $165 million over the next two years and applies to singles earning up to $150,000 and couples up to $225,000. A record health investment included an $18.5 billion plan to deliver 2600 new beds and three more hospitals. A milestone budget has come under fire for lacking a renewable energy plan as industry leaders raise concerns investors might be turned away. Queensland's Liberal National government has been praised for a "nation-leading" home ownership scheme and record health funding after it handed down its first budget since 2014. But the fiscal roadmap fell well short for environmentalists, who said it lacked an energy plan to secure investor confidence. "One of the things we're seeing as a result of this lack of plan is that they're spending some money really unwisely," Queensland Conservation Council director Dave Copeman told AAP. Budget papers cemented the LNP's pre-election promise to scrap targets set by the former Labor government to reach 50 per cent renewable energy in the power grid by 2030, 70 per cent by 2032 and 80 per cent by 2035. The state will no longer track how much renewable energy is contributing to the grid, calling it a "discontinued measure". Renewable energy - including wind, solar and hydro - accounted for more than a quarter of the state's power in 2024/25 while coal contributed nearly 65 per cent, with the remainder supplied from gas. Solar was the biggest contributor among renewable energy sources. Mr Copeman said the energy system measurement metric provided investors with confidence about the state market's future for renewable projects. He warned the LNP government's move might push investors away from Queensland because of a lack of clarity over the state's energy plan and transition time frame. "Now that treasury and energy no longer have that metric, they don't have a plan, so they're really working a bit in the dark - that's not good for Queensland." Mr Copeman also slammed the government's $1.6 billion plan to prop up ageing coal-fired power stations as a "waste of money". 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A splash on housing paved the way for more first homebuyers, providing 30 per cent equity in new builds and 25 per cent in existing homes of up to $1 million for 1000 Queenslanders. The "Boost to Buy" scheme will cost $165 million over the next two years and applies to singles earning up to $150,000 and couples up to $225,000. A record health investment included an $18.5 billion plan to deliver 2600 new beds and three more hospitals. A milestone budget has come under fire for lacking a renewable energy plan as industry leaders raise concerns investors might be turned away. Queensland's Liberal National government has been praised for a "nation-leading" home ownership scheme and record health funding after it handed down its first budget since 2014. But the fiscal roadmap fell well short for environmentalists, who said it lacked an energy plan to secure investor confidence. 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He warned the LNP government's move might push investors away from Queensland because of a lack of clarity over the state's energy plan and transition time frame. "Now that treasury and energy no longer have that metric, they don't have a plan, so they're really working a bit in the dark - that's not good for Queensland." Mr Copeman also slammed the government's $1.6 billion plan to prop up ageing coal-fired power stations as a "waste of money". The government's renewable energy stance appeared to be based on LNP stakeholder input, University of Queensland economist John Quiggin said. "Essentially, you've got a lot of people who are just hostile to the whole idea for purely cultural reasons," he told AAP. A bill set to pass state parliament on Wednesday will require renewable energy developers to undertake community consultation prior to project approvals. But Treasurer David Janetzki promised to deliver his government's energy roadmap by the end of 2025. He has backed the incomplete energy plan, celebrating $79 million to progress development of pumped-hydro projects at Mt Rawdon and Cressbrook along with another at Borumba for $355 million. "We promised to fund smaller, more manageable pumped hydro projects and we are delivering on that promise," Mr Janetzki said. The budget on Tuesday predicted a record $205 billion in debt by 2028/29. A splash on housing paved the way for more first homebuyers, providing 30 per cent equity in new builds and 25 per cent in existing homes of up to $1 million for 1000 Queenslanders. The "Boost to Buy" scheme will cost $165 million over the next two years and applies to singles earning up to $150,000 and couples up to $225,000. A record health investment included an $18.5 billion plan to deliver 2600 new beds and three more hospitals.
