Two tradies wooed by $2m Qld govt program

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk launched the Tradies in Paradise scheme in March offering incentives of up to $1750 to tradies who moved to the Sunshine State to work on flood recovery projects.

Employment and Small Business Minister Di Farmer says 12 tradespeople have applied, but only two eligible people have been paid the incentives in the past four months.

She says most of the $1.9 million has been spent on ads and administering the Tradies in Paradise program.

"The total amount of funds that have been paid to tradespeople who have relocated to Queensland and directly accessed this program is $3500," Ms Farmer said in a written response in budget estimates on Thursday.

The minister said incentives are not being offered in NSW, but 870 people in other states have "expressed interest" in them.

Ms Farmer said Tradies in Paradise website has also attracted 130,000 unique visits since March.

Liberal National Party employment and small business spokesman Brent Mickelberg said the program was a waste of money.

"This government is more interested in delivering flashy pamphlets, ads and websites than actually delivering what Queenslanders need," Mr Mickelberg said.

"They only care about how they look, yet this campaign looks like a complete failure.

"The 'Tradies in Paradise' scheme was a desperate, unplanned attempt to fill holes in the skilled worker shortage of their making."

But Deputy Premier Steven Miles defended the program, saying the current labour market was tight.

"Any business you talk to, it's very hard to attract new workers, particularly trade qualified workers are in demand right across the country," he told reporters on Thursday.

"And so we'll just continue to promote Queensland as a great place to come and work where we have lots of jobs and a fantastic lifestyle."

Australian Associated Press