September e-newsletter

Sep 2, 2024 | e-Newsletter

Paying the price for watered down
youth crime laws

When the Palaszczuk-Miles government watered down our youth crime laws in 2015 it created a generation of hardcore repeat offenders.

The Government is philosophically opposed to dealing with consequences for actions.

Instead for the last ten years it has conducted an ideological campaign to water down laws.

The government created the youth crime crisis. This has not occurred in the last few months. It has been years in the making.

Queensland Crime Stats
Increase since 2015/16 to 2023/24

With less than two and half months until the election in October, ten days ago the government tried to clear the decks of youth crime issues.

Under the Community Safety Bill, the government has tried to ask the public to forget its record of the past 10 years. Click here to go to the link to my speech.

For a decade the government’s priorities have been media management and spin.

That is why in the four years to March this year it increased the number of ministerial staffers by 21.7% yet frontline police staff have increased by only 0.46%

That is the priority!

The Bill did not remove detention as a last resort. The government’s own Statement of Compatibility revealed the truth when it said the amendments are “clarifying positions and are not intended to change the law.”

Over the term of this government between 2015-16 and 2023-24 robbery in the Gympie QPS Division has increased by 550%. In the same period unlawful use of motor vehicle is up 167%; unlawful entry up 87%; other theft up 61%; assault up 110% and breach DV Protection Order up 123%.

The total number of offences in the Gympie QPS Division have increased from 3,114 in 2014 to 4,398 last year.  It is already 2,511 this year, with four months to go.

The community is paying a heavy price.

Insurance premiums are soaring because of Labor’s decision to weaken our laws.

This must change.

The LNP Opposition’s Adult Crime, Adult Time policy will restore consequences for actions and send a clear message to youth offenders. We’re also serious about early intervention and rehabilitation with purpose.

The Australian newspaper 19 Aug 2024
Increase in frontline staff in the four years
to March 2024

Gympie Music Muster:
A Celebration of Community Spirit

The Gympie Music Muster once again proved to be more than just a brilliant music festival – it was a true celebration of our community’s spirit. This year’s event was the most successful yet, showcasing why the Gympie region is such a wonderful place to live and raise a family.

With over 50,000 attendees and 140 artists performing across four days, the Muster has become one of Australia’s most recognised and iconic music events. Over its 43-year history, it has returned an impressive $21 million of profits back to community groups.

Thank you to the tireless efforts of organisers, volunteers and community groups, who made this year’s event the best one yet! The Muster and the hard work of the volunteer team and organisers, continue to help put our region on the map.

Cooloola Sunshine Coast Military Brotherhood Moose,Rex, John Warlters Rural Aid

Demolishing the Old Nurses Quarters makes it no clearer about what is going on at Gympie Hospital

No one knows if the demolition of the Old Nurses Quarters is in preparation for the expansion and upgrade of the Gympie hospital at the existing site.

We are being given the run around. To see the Minister’s evasive answer click here.

When will the Gympie community be told what is going on at the hospital?

When an historic landmark is demolished; people naturally want to know what is going on. They are interested in what is happening because they are invested in their community. It shouldn’t be that hard to tell us what is going to happen.

In November we were told that $2.3 million would be spent over two years to complete a business case for the hospital redevelopment.

That news was in response to another Question I asked the Minister. Click here.

Another answer two weeks earlier made no mention of funding for a business case. Click here.

There was no mention in the Budget papers, no announcement by the Minister.

The $2.3 commitment was announced two years after the Master Clinical Services Plan revealed that the Gympie hospital cannot provide the level of service this community needs.

It sat on that Plan for 20 months until public pressure forced its release. The plan was due at the beginning of 2020.

It means we are now in the fifth year, half a decade, since the government was told the hospital cannot provide the level of service needed. It said the hospital is constrained on its site at the top of a hill, it’s too old, fragmented, and services spread across multiple aged buildings.

It cannot be patched.

Gympie is experiencing high growth, and the problems are not going away, they are increasing.

Hardworking staff are doing their best under difficult circumstances.

The June State Budget announced 800 new FTE positions and a $1.8billion budget for the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service. Gympie did not even get three extra staff. Gympie Hospital was allocated a $620,000 funding boost and 2.6 full-time-equivalent staff.

Gympie deserves better.

Honouring Our Veterans

In August, we witnessed two significant events honouring our veterans. A new mural, ‘Connections’, designed by Heart & Soul Sisters Creative Art Experiences and painted by members of our community, was unveiled at the Gympie RSL. This beautiful tribute to local veterans past, present, and future is a must-see for residents and visitors alike.

On Vietnam Veterans’ Day, Memorial Park hosted one of the largest gatherings Gympie has seen for the commemorative service.

The event featured a moving keynote address by David Collins OAM (MID), a veteran of the Battle of Long Tan. We paid tribute to the 60,000 brave Australians who served in Vietnam, especially remembering the 523 who made the ultimate sacrifice.

This year’s impressive attendance shows that our community’s respect and gratitude for our veterans only grows stronger with time.

Their courage and dedication continue to inspire us all.

Mayor Glen Hartwig, Gary Casey, Mrs Talitha Hartwig, Mrs Michele Perrett, Adel Amin President Gympie RSL

Left: Adel Amin President Gympie RSL, Natalie Haestier and Evangeline Goodfellow – Heart and Soul Sisters

Douglas Campbell, Gary Casey

 

Paddock-to-Plate:
Nurturing Future Agricultural Leaders

Gympie State High School’s ‘Paddock-to-Plate Dinner’ was another incredible success! Students prepared and served a delicious three-course buffet using ingredients they grew on the school farm (including the beef), supplemented by local suppliers – making it a genuine farm-to-table experience.

This initiative provides students with valuable insights into sustainable farming practices and potential careers in agriculture.

The event, embodying the true country spirit, was made possible by the efforts of teachers, students, and local businesses. Special thanks to our local celebrity chef Matt Golinski for his guidance in the kitchen.

The Paddock-to-Plate initiative truly demonstrates our region’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of agricultural leaders.

 

Out and About

  • Monkland Liberty Servo
  • Imbil Mary Valley Scouts
  • Rural Fire Service Week
  • My St Patricks College
  • Brisbane EKKA
  • Perseverance Street Theatre
  • Slow Food Noosa Breakfast
  • Off Grid Expo
  • BUSH Kids
  • Meals on Wheels
  • Gympie Music Muster

My St Patricks College – Principal Mark Newton, Business Manager Gerard O’Connell

Drummond and Kindred – Chris Agnew

Drummond and Kindred – Chris Agnew

Brett Green – 50 years JP Service

Brianna Van Doren – Rural Ambassador for Gympie Rep Gympie Show Society and Near North Coast Sub Chamber at EKKA

BUSHKids – Gympie Office

Rural fire Service Week – Gympie South Rural Fire Brigade

Rural fire Service Week – Gympie South Rural Fire Brigade – Ian Groundwater awardee

Imbil Mary Valley Scouts

John and Julia Tidy

Meals on Wheels Gympie – volunteers

Monklands Liberty Servo

Gympie Music Muster Chairman – Greg Cavanagh

Nolan Muster Cup Race Day – with Shane Gill – President Gympie Turf Club

Off Grid Expo Craig and Leslie Hanson – Smart Sinks, Ray Bray announcer

Off Grid Expo – Di Woodstock – organiser

Perseverance Street Theatre – Dr Sharon Hagan, Dr Christian Rowan, Sofia Abbey, Jonas White

Rhianna and Jorja McIntyre – Gympie locals, Rhianna won the Prime Beef Young Judges Comp, Both Young Judges and parraders and showed cattle at EKKA

Jorja McIntyre, Brice Kaddatz, Rhianna McIntyre, Jasmine Kaddatz, Frank Kaddatz at EKKA

Slow Food Noosa breakfast at the Rattler

Around the House – in Parliament

Links to my most recent Parliamentary Questions and Speeches.

 

Questions on Notice

 

Sponsored Petitions

 

Speeches

Shadow Minister visits

As the state member for Gympie there are few regions which could have provided a better training ground for my role as Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Wherever I go in the state our farmers, fishers, forestry workers, graziers, producers, and those who work alongside them in the supply chains, just want government to get out of the way and let them do the job they do best.

QLD Beekeepers Association at EKKA

QLD Horticulture Council Members

Koppers Wood Products – General Manager Colin Skead and team

Canegrowers at EKKA

Koppers Wood Products

Get Involved – Have your Say, Grants, Prizes, Surveys, Events and Reviews

 

 

Additional Petitions

 

Bills and Inquiries waiting to be reported on