All you need to know from two weeks of government scrutiny

By Matt Dennien

August 8, 2025 — 8.07pm

After two weeks, and an incomprehensible number of points of order, Friday evening saw the curtain fall on the theatre that is Queensland parliamentary budget estimates for 2025.

Brisbane Times was there for almost the entire show, again. Here are some more takeaways – and our broader reporting – from week two.

So, until next year! Or, at least, until regular post-budget parliamentary programming returns for the first time on August 26.

Budget estimates have wrapped up in Queensland Parliament for another year – the first under the Crisafulli government.Credit: Michelle Smith

The many (uncontested) hats of John Sosso

Along with confirmation earlier this week that State Development director-general John Sosso was the only name put forward for a role on the body redrawing electoral boundaries, we also heard news of a similar situation for another influential role.

Shadow attorney-general Meaghan Scanlon was asking about changes made by the Crisafulli government to the secretive Judicial Appointments Advisory Panel – which presents shortlists of people to fill court vacancies.

These would allow Attorney-General Deb Frecklington to appoint an additional third person to the panel of up to six, but at least four people. An example in the new document states this person could be “a current or former Executive in the Justice portfolio”.

Cue Sosso, who led the department as director-general in the Newman years under then Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie and was tapped be Bleijie to again run his department after taking office in October.

Asked if there had been any other current or former executives who could have taken the role were floated by the Justice department, director-general Sarah Cruickshank said she was “not aware of any recommendations to that effect, no”.

Along with his department posting, this puts our tally of Sosso’s hats at four: the Economic Development Queensland board (via his director-general role), the Queensland Redistribution Commission, and the Judicial Appointments Advisory Panel.

Women’s safety reform public updates TBC

This masthead reported on Thursday morning about the quiet scrapping of a key plank of recent landmark women’s safety reports (public progress updates on recommended reforms).

Further questions about the future of this under a new advisory panel and departmental office were put to Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety director-general Belinda Drew and her minister Amanda Camm on Thursday night.

Drew confirmed that the Reform Implementation Office in her department had completed “the most recent round” of reporting on the progress of recommendations, but “further consideration” would be given to whether that is shared publicly.

At a parliament media conference outside estimates on Friday, Camm told reporters she was “open to, in the future, reporting back to Queenslanders as to the work of both of these groups”.

Camm would not put a timeframe on such a move, or outline how frequently or detailed such updates might be.

Crisafulli, the half-million-dollar flying man

The size and decentralised nature of Queensland makes it tricky for anyone trying to get around to its many regional hubs with any regularity.

And you wouldn’t want to be the government not seen outside the driveable south-east corner. But don’t think that would stop one side of politics from accusing the other of doing too much.

After repeatedly attacking the former Labor government for living it up with taxpayer-funded jet travel across the state, it’s obviously now the LNP’s turn for such a whacking.

One estimates hearing this week was told Premier David Crisafulli himself had clocked some 58 flight legs from November to June at a cost of almost $550,000 – with $50,000 on one March day alone.

Flight time data shows Crisafulli has spent 61.8 hours on such flights since the October election, a figure attributed to his desire to visit communities previously “without a voice”.

The Age