They are the ‘strong choices’ Queensland has been told it has to make, but users of the ‘people’s budget’ have complained their choices have already been made for them.
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By using the tool, part of the government’s $6 million ‘strong choices’ campaign, voters receive the chance to play treasurer and decide how to lower the state’s $80 billion gross debt by the $25 to $30 billion recommended in the Peter Costello-led commission of audit.
But some users have complained their options are limited to the choices the government has already outlined – selling and leasing assets, cutting services and increasing taxes – thereby reducing their input.
Mr Nicholls said that is because the “app has to come up with a solution” and he is yet to hear a viable fourth option.
“But if you look at the app, it also has a contact section, where you can contact us, nice and easily and send your submission in,” he said.
“You can complete the people’s budget and make your choices, but if you’ve got additional suggestions, you can also use the contact us button on the app and send an email in and they are all being collated by Treasury.”
Other users have complained of their comments questioning the tool and its options being removed from social media comment pages.
Mr Nicholls said Treasury staffs were “obviously ... moderating comments in a way that everyone does”.
“You have a responsibility to ensure that the comments are fair, that they are reasonable, that they are not offensive to people, but in terms of comments, people have been able to have their say, on the website and also on the people’s budget tool, people are able to send their comments in ... but it shouldn’t be a vehicle for people who are just offensive, or have nothing constructive to comment on.”
Opposition leader Annastacia Palaszczuk labelled the process a scam.
“It is not really giving people any alternatives, it is just a con,” she said.
“It is push polling for the people of Queensland and really I think Queenslanders are smarter than that.”
Those at the first of the town hall meetings promised by the government as it decides whether or not to consciously uncouple itself from about $32 billion worth of assets, had no issues with expressing their opinions, with many questioning what happens when all assets are sold and the state requires another bail out.
Mr Nicholls has signed up for about 15 meetings across the state. In Mount Gravatt on Wednesday, just over half the 100 chairs were filled with members of the public. Mr Nicholls said he believed it was successful as it “raised awareness”.
But he has not said what role the embedded Phillips Group consultants have played in creating the government’s campaign. In January, it was revealed Treasury had hired outside consultants to help present its messages “in more user-friendly and powerful ways”
On Tuesday, Mr Nicholls did not say whether that extended to the name of the campaign itself.
“The ‘strong choices’ name reflects the choices that people are being asked to make, I think it is a perfectly adequate name to reflect what we have been talking about,” he said.
“I have been talking about choices now for over a year, I spoke about them when the independent commission of audit came out, I said we had choices to increase taxes, to reduce services, to sell or lease some assets, they are strong choices, the name reflects those choices, I have been talking about choices now for over a year, so who thought up choices? I was the first person to start talking about it when the independent commission of audit came down.”
Mr Nicholls will address forums in Springfield Lakes and Southport on Wednesday.
