The 2024–25 Queensland Budget supports Queenslanders. In Mackay-Whitsunday it provides:

$1,300 electricity bill support

for Queensland households – an upfront $1,000 Cost of Living Rebate from the Queensland Government and a $300 rebate paid in quarterly instalments from the Australian Government.

$679M for health 

for the Mackay Hospital and Health Service.

$57M for education

to maintain, improve and upgrade schools in Mackay-Whitsunday.

$1.3B for the Big Build

for productivity-enhancing infrastructure and capital works, estimated to support 3,400 jobs in Mackay-Whitsunday.

Delivering for MACKAY-WHITSUNDAY

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Free Kindy

Up to 2,384 children eligible for free kindy in Mackay-Whitsunday, for 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year.

(January 2024 to May 2024)

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Fee-Free TAFE

3,470 fee-free TAFE courses commenced by people in Mackay-Whitsunday wanting to train, retrain or upskill in priority industries.

(January 2023 to March 2024)

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Building our Regions

$38.3 million allocated to projects for critical infrastructure in Mackay-Whitsunday, supporting an estimated 259 jobs. This has leveraged further financial co-contributions statewide of more than $556 million from local governments, the Australian Government, and other organisations, with a total capital expenditure value of more than $974 million.

(March 2015 to October 2025)

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First Home Owner Grant

1,556 grants worth $25.7 million paid to home buyers to help them buy their first home in Mackay-Whitsunday.

(July 2016 to April 2024)

Delivering better services for Mackay-Whitsunday

Growth from March 2015 to March 2024

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399 extra nurses up 53.1%

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79 extra teacher up 4.6%

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141 extra doctors up 68.5%

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33 extra ambulance officers up 21.3%

Map

Explore Mackay-Whitsunday expenditure:

Mackay-Whitsunday
Download Mackay-Whitsunday RAP
Download the Mackay-Whitsunday Regional Action Plan here

Delivering 128 extra beds for Mackay Base Hospital

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A significant expansion of the Mackay Base Hospital will deliver 128 new beds and help meet the growing demand for healthcare services in the region, thanks to the Queensland Government’s $250 million investment. The expansion commenced in February 2024, supporting 610 construction jobs.

New beds are being added to paediatric and medical wards, with the expansion including new birth suites to ensure a smoother transition of care for mothers and newborns. The Women’s Health Unit and the Child and Adolescent Unit will move into the new wards when the hospital expansion opens in 2026. Planning is currently underway for a new multi-deck car park for the hospital.

The Mackay Base Hospital expansion is part of the Queensland Government’s Health Big Build, investing more than $14 billion delivering new and upgraded facilities right across the state including more than 3,300 additional hospital beds over six years.

QUEENSLAND BUDGET 2024–25 AT A GLANCE

Cost of Living

Total concessions including cost-of-living relief measures available in 2024–25

$11.2B

Investment in school and early education facilities

$1.3B

Total health funding in 2024–25

$28.9B

Total Big Build over 4 years

$107.3B

Community Safety Plan for Queensland

$1.3B

Jobs supported by the Big Build program in 2024–25

72,000

Putting Queensland Kids First Plan

$502M

Percentage of Big Build spend outside of greater Brisbane in 2024–25

68.5%

Homes for Queenslanders

$3.1B

Total capital investment to support the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan over 4 years

$26B

Last Updated: 10 June 2024