From traffic jams to hospitals

The hot topics for the next state government

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

In six weeks' time today, the people of Styria will elect a new provincial parliament. Until then, politicians are trying to avoid as many unpleasant topics as possible - even though there are numerous problems that urgently need to be solved. The "Krone" has summarized the hottest topics.

The clock is ticking: In six weeks' time today, the people of Styria will elect a new provincial parliament. In 42 days, we will know who will be elected in our province. And we will know whether Christopher Drexler, who took over the office of governor from his ÖVP party colleague Hermann Schützenhöfer in July 2022, will be able to defend first place for the People's Party. Or whether the FPÖ with Mario Kunasek at the helm will achieve what Herbert Kickl did two weeks ago nationwide: coming first. This would be a historic breakthrough for Styria - with the exception of Carinthia, the FPÖ has never managed to take first place in any other federal state.

However, there is still an intense fight for the Styrian vote until November 24. Not least in view of the threatening blue danger, it is not only the ÖVP that has taken a hard line on the migration and asylum issue, which is of such concern to the people; in this week's "Steirerkrone" interview, SPÖ leader Anton Lang also blinked more clearly to the right than ever before on the issue that is so tricky for the Babler SPÖ.

Here we analyze which issues still concern the Styrians and which problems need to be solved.

Gesundheit

Leitspital als kleinstes Übel

Today, patients in Styria have to wait longer than ever for operations and treatments, sometimes even when it is a matter of survival. In the private practice sector, elective doctors are gaining strength, with whom no care can be secured (keyword: two-tier medicine). The shortage of nursing staff has been put on the back burner for years, and ever greater gaps are opening up in the care of children.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com - Gorodenkoff Productions OU)

At 990 million euros, hospitals are a greater burden on the Styrian budget than any other factor, and a comprehensible reform plan is still a long time coming. In contrast, the acute problem child of the lead hospital still appears to be a childhood illness. The new (or old) regional health councillor must be in good shape.

Landesbudget

Steirern droht Sparpaket

From 4.6 billion euros in 2017 to a whopping 5.7 billion euros last year: the state of Styria's debt has virtually exploded in recent years and, according to forecasts, the expenditure arrow will also point steeply upwards this year. Although this development is mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic, politicians have recently made no attempt to cut spending.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV, Statistik Austria)

 The state government is not aiming for a zero deficit again until 2026/27. How is that supposed to work? Well, even if nobody wants to use the nasty "S-word" BEFORE the election: AFTER the election, the people of Styria will probably be faced with an austerity package, with major cuts likely to be made to subsidies in particular.

Verkehr

Bahn frei für dritte Spur?

After 15 years, the province of Styria has this year adopted a new transport concept. The "Mobility Strategy 2024+" aims to reduce car traffic by ten percent by 2024 and at the same time make the switch to public transport more attractive. Of course, there is still no definitive start date for the many projects - that will probably be a matter for the future state government.

The three-lane expansion of the A9 south of Graz has become a political bone of contention between state minister Drexler and transport minister Gewessler

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

It will also be interesting to see whether the latter will press ahead with the many road projects, such as the expansion of the S 36 or the B 68 through the Raabtal valley. The three-lane expansion of the Pyhrn freeway south of Graz is probably a done deal, as both the ÖVP and the SPÖ and FPÖ have campaigned for it - and one can assume that this will be remembered after the election.

Arbeitsmarkt

Die Wirtschaft schwächelt

The economic slump is far more persistent than the experts predicted, and many Styrians are feeling the pain of this. The white-green negative trend in unemployment continues unabated - 40,000 people are currently without a job. There is no doubt that the increase will continue in 2025, and Styria, as an industrial region, is particularly affected. Even though Governor Drexler and Co. are already trying to counteract this with first aid measures such as job foundations, the problem will still be a real headache for a new provincial government. The crisis in the automotive industry is particularly painful - 40,000 people are employed in this sector in the Grüne Mark. New solutions are urgently needed here.

Kinderbetreuung

Ausbau dringend nötig

Anyone who is around young parents knows the complaints: reconciling childcare and work is challenging - in Styria it feels even more so than in other federal states. The staff shortage in kindergartens and crèches has eased after the negative peak two years ago - when groups even had to be closed.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/mattegg - stock.adobe.com)

Provincial Councillor Werner Amon brought about improvements in pay, but also made bureaucracy easier. But construction sites remain: The reduction in group sizes in kindergartens alone means that more staff are needed - as well as new facilities. However, the cash-strapped local authorities often lack the money; in Graz in particular, expansion is stalling and a bottleneck is looming. The billion-euro packages that the federal government has put together offer hope.