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Queensland transport engineers rally for fair pay as Government doubles down on costing blunder

Professionals Australia

EMBARGOED UNTIL Monday 29 September, 2025

Queensland transport engineers will rally across the state today as their pay dispute takes a bizarre turn, with the Government doubling down on a basic accounting blunder that has wrongly doubled the estimated cost of their proposed wage increase.

Costings from Professional Australia, the union representing up to 500 engineers and technical professionals taking part in today’s action, put the real price of the wage claim at $60 million, but the Department of Transport and Main Roads insist it will cost $120 million after mistakenly double counting the real costs.

Department officials refused to correct the figure, which informed the Queensland Budget Review Committee’s consideration of the pay rise. The Department have described the miscalculation as “accounting maths”.

Sean Kelly, Director of Professionals Australia Queensland, said the Department’s refusal to correct its error shows a pattern of delay and bad faith bargaining that is crippling critical infrastructure delivery. “This dispute has descended into farce. The Government can’t even add up its own numbers, yet it’s using those bogus figures to block a fair deal.”

It comes as a new Government-commissioned report confirms that Queensland engineers are the lowest paid in Australia – with wages 10-30% below engineers performing similar work interstate and at state owned agencies, making it impossible to recruit enough engineers to deliver the state’s infrastructure agenda, including for the Olympics.

“Queensland transport engineers are the lowest paid in Australia. If we’re going to deliver the herculean infrastructure task required to host the Olympics we need engineers flowing into the state, not fleeing it. It is time that the Government valued Queensland engineers as much as Queenslanders do,” Mr Kelly said.

“We have notified the Crisafulli Government of a further statewide work stoppage as members demand the Government returns to the table in good faith.”

The stoppage will be supported by rallies at 10am across the state, with the largest rally and media conference at 10:00 am at 313 Adelaide St, Brisbane.

The statewide stoppage will significantly impact key areas of Queensland’s transport network including traffic management centres, the traffic network, delayed response times to incidents, across the state. Planning and maintenance work across the entire network will be delayed, and major infrastructure projects like the Centenary Bridge Upgrade and the Coomera Connector will see significant disruption.

“Queensland public sector engineers are the lowest paid in Australia. If we’re going to deliver the herculean infrastructure task required to host the Olympics, we need engineers flowing into the state, not fleeing it. It is time that the Government valued Queensland engineers as much as Queenslanders do,” Mr Kelly said.

“Today is about standing together, united in our fight for fair pay, alongside technical professionals and engineering delegates who are leading the charge for wage parity across the transport sector.”

“Instead of acting in good faith, the Department is clinging to a basic maths error while critical projects face cost blowouts and recruitment collapses. If the Government can’t even add 20 plus 20 plus 20, how can Queenslanders trust them to deliver the Olympics on time and on budget?” asked Mr Kelly.

“The department has begun advertising for positions on the $9 billion dollar, 80% federally funded Bruce Highway Targeted Safety Upgrade. With the severe shortage of Engineering skills nationally, how does the department expect to attract the skills required while paying the lowest rates. Ultimately, the void will result in contractors doing the work at triple the cost.”

“The real cost of paying our engineers fairly is $60 million. That’s enough to stop Queensland’s engineers being the lowest paid in the Australian public service, retain talent, and save taxpayers from paying triple the cost on projects like the Bruce Highway upgrade and Olympic infrastructure.

“It will also give us a crack at recruiting engineers from other states, who are sorely needed to deliver the Games on time.”

Today’s rally comes after months of stalled negotiations and repeated industrial action, as Queensland transport engineers and technical staff continue their fight for fair pay.

 

Figures on background (will be provided on request)

	Correct figures (actual wage claim)	Gov’t figures (mistaken)
Year 1	15% + wages policy (3%)	15% + wages policy (3%)
Year 2	Wages policy (2.5%)	15% plus wages policy (2.5%)
Year 3	Wages policy (2.5%)	15% plus wages policy (2.5%)

 

Embargoed Monday 29 September

Queensland transport engineers rally for fair pay across the state as Government doubles down on costing blunder

WHAT	Engineers and technical professionals employed by the QLD Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) will undertake a stoppage from 10am on Monday, 29 September in their ongoing campaign for respect and fair and equal pay as Government blunders costings.   Rallies will be held at multiple locations across the state outside TMR offices and local Liberal MPs' offices between 10 am and 12 pm.   A media conference will be held outside the TMR offices on 313 Adelaide Street at 10am.
WHO	Sean Kelly – Professionals Australia Director – QLD Branch Engineers and technical professionals
WHEN	10 am Monday 29 September
WHERE	QLD Department of Transport and Main Roads Offices 313 Adelaide Street, Brisbane
MEDIA CONTACT	Media: Siobhan

 

 

ADDITIONAL QLD RALLY LOCATIONS

Professionals Australia members will also hold rallies at the following locations between 10 am and 12 noon.   Sunshine Coast Brent Mickleberg's Office.  102 Burnett Street, BUDERIM     Gold Coast Nerang TMR office 36-38 Cotton St     Townsville Townsville TMR Office 455 Flinders St, Townsville   Rockhampton Donna Kirkland's office 192 Quay Street, ROCKHAMPTON   Mackay Mackay TMR Office 44 Nelson St, Mackay   Cairns Cairns TMR Office 15 Lake St, Cairns

 

Contact details:

Siobhan McDonnell – 0439 505 261