Queensland Audit Office findings published 2020–2026. Cross River Rail's $13.6B blowout, a hidden $2.4B train manufacturing cost, Brisbane 2032's unconfirmed Olympic budget, and 62% of councils at financial risk. Every dollar sourced from official audit reports.
Sorted by dollar amount. All figures from Queensland Audit Office published reports.
Cross River Rail was budgeted at $5.4 billion and is now costing $19.04 billion — a $13.6 billion overrun, 253% over budget. Completion pushed from 2024 to 2029…
The QAO's December 2024 report found no total consolidated budget for Brisbane 2032 has been confirmed. Venue infrastructure is already $7.1 billion (up from $4…
The Crisafulli LNP government announced a new $3.785 billion stadium at Victoria Park in March 2025 as the centrepiece for Brisbane 2032 — replacing the previou…
Queensland government entities paid $3.1 billion in grants in 2022–23 with weak controls across most programs. The QAO's audit made 110 recommendations. Two yea…
The Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project blew out from $2.95 billion to $5.75 billion — a $3.1 billion increase. Originally a 50:50 federal-state funded pro…
The Queensland Train Manufacturing Program ballooned from $7.1B to $9.5B at contract signing. The then-Transport Minister's office removed the real $9.5B figure…
Between 2020 and 2025, Queensland councils discovered $1.34 billion in previously unreported assets — roads, footpaths, and drainage infrastructure they did not…
17 Queensland councils had to correct prior year asset amounts totalling $241 million in combined prior period errors. 54 of 77 councils had at least one intern…
The QAO found cost overruns of $127 million across six contracts in the Department of Education and Department of Energy and Public Works. The primary cause: th…
The State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) spent more than $52 million on an ICT system that was never implemented. The QAO cited this as part of a systemi…
Queensland Health overpaid staff by an average of $1.2 million every fortnight — approximately $31.2 million annually — in 2023–24. 75% of overpayments are due …
The Queensland government spent $6.4 million developing a project validation report for the Gabba stadium rebuild — a plan subsequently scrapped. Original Labor…
Energy Queensland's digital transformation program was expected to complete in 2019–20. After multiple scope changes and delays, revised completion is June 2026…
The QAO's Health 2024 report found that more than one-third of Queensland Health facilities need to be replaced within the next 10 years. Radiation oncology equ…
As of 30 June 2023, 48 of Queensland's 77 councils (62%) were at moderate or high risk of financial unsustainability — up from 46 the prior year. The QAO's annu…
Brisbane South State Secondary College had planned facilities shelved as a direct result of the $127 million in departmental infrastructure cost overruns found …
The QAO found Queensland's social housing register grew 78% in four years to 30,922 households by March 2022. The department's processes were "not effective." T…
Sources: Queensland Audit Office (QAO) performance and financial audits (qao.qld.gov.au), QAO Major Projects series 2022–2025, QAO Local Government audits, QAO Health audits 2024–2025, QAO Energy 2025, QAO Preparing for the Brisbane Games (December 2024), GIICA 100-Day Review (March 2025), and media investigations. Dollar figures represent identified waste, overruns, or mismanagement as assessed in source reports. Where the audit quantified a range, conservative estimates are used. Several findings are systemic (councils at risk, housing register growth) with no single quantifiable dollar figure.