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New Provincial Councilor Anton Kasser: Key department for the future of Lower Austria!
Anton Kasser becomes the new regional councilor in Lower Austria. Budget planning and key departments will be the focus of the meeting on September 25, 2025.
New Provincial Councilor Anton Kasser: Key department for the future of Lower Austria!
On September 25, 2025, Anton Kasser was sworn in as the new regional councilor at a meeting of the Lower Austrian state parliament. This was announced by State Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner. Kasser will take on a key department in the state government, which also includes responsibility for the state budget of around nine billion euros annually. His tasks also include supervision of clinics, care facilities as well as communities and community associations. The state governor emphasized the importance of Kasser's experience - he looks back on 16 years as a member of the Lower Austrian state parliament and 30 years as mayor of Allhartsberg. Mikl-Leitner explained that Kasser will continue to carry out crucial projects for the future, relying on close cooperation in the service of the country and its compatriots.
The Lower Austrian state government under Mikl-Leitner is supported by a team of other state councilors: Stephan Pernkopf and Udo Landbauer as LH deputies, Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister, Sven Hergovich, Martin Antauer, Eva Prischl and Susanne Rosenkranz. Werner Trock also works as state office director.
Financial challenges and budget planning
In this context, State Councilor Ludwig Schleritzko presented the key data for the 2024 budget. The budget volume is 9.4 billion euros, with expenditure estimated at 8.9 billion euros and income at 8.4 billion euros. This leads to a forecast budget deficit of 480 million euros. Schleritzko described the budget as nothing less than an “all-time high.”
Investments with a focus on social issues
A central point in the budget is investment in social issues, which is a record 1.8 billion euros. Over 50 percent of the budget is to be spent on social services and health, which underlines the state government's priority in these areas. The challenges posed by foreign policy tensions, such as the armed conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, also have a significant impact on budget planning.
Important investments for 2024 include:
- 1,8 Milliarden Euro für Soziales und Kinder- und Jugendhilfe.
- 1,3 Milliarden Euro für Gesundheit und die Landesgesundheitsagentur.
- 148,5 Millionen Euro für Wissenschaft und Forschung.
- 44,4 Millionen Euro für die Kinderbetreuungsoffensive.
- 48 Millionen Euro für den NÖ Pflege- und Betreuungsscheck.
- 1,4 Milliarden Euro für Investitionen und Investitionsförderungen für die Wirtschaft.
The state parliament will meet on November 22nd and 23rd to decide on the budget. Finance Director Georg Bartmann emphasized that a consolidation path had been pursued since 2017, but was affected by the corona pandemic.
The challenges that Kasser and his team have to address in their political work are diverse. The course has been set for a future-oriented and sustainable policy in Lower Austria, and at the same time a lot of work awaits the newly formed state government.