Newspaper Columns

Many Queenslanders are understandably still coming to terms with the trauma caused by the floods, and closer to home by Cyclone Yasi.
In April this year, a $39 million Federal/State package was announced to support the recovery and wellbeing of people in Queensland following the state’s worst summer of natural disasters in living memory, which have [...]

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Small businesses everywhere are doing it tough right now and they need every bit of help we can give them. So I was deeply concerned when I discovered that existing suppliers from Babinda were overlooked in the awarding of contracts to supply goods and services to Babinda hospital.
I was informed that the Babinda suppliers missed [...]

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 Last month it was announced that 500 people would benefit from 26 weeks of paid employment – set aside under Operation Clean Up to clear vegetation and debris caused by Cyclone Yasi on local farms or tourism properties.
I recently spoke to Todd Hartley, CEO of Choice Australia Management Ltd who has responsibility for filling and [...]

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There’s a lot more work to be done before the Cassowary Coast bounces back to the way it was pre-Cyclone Yasi. Today I wanted to talk about what’s being done and what’s planned to help rebuild our region.
We all know that there’s a long road ahead of us. Sometimes the recovery effort won’t be perfect [...]

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In this column, my first as the new Minister for Disabilities, Mental Health and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, I want to pay tribute to our community spirit.
I want to pay tribute to your strength and your resilience. Last week in State Parliament I spoke of your courage and I saw it again this [...]

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ustralia Day is our national day – an occasion to honour our achievements and successes, an official holiday to remind us what it means to be Australian and to celebrate the reasons we love living in this country. But each year, January 26 means different things to different people.
Australians come from a range of cultural [...]

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We’re nearly at the end of another year and it’s fitting that we acknowledge those who are working Christmas Day and throughout the holiday season – whatever their field of endeavour.
I want to particularly pay tribute to all police, fire fighters, paramedics, SES volunteers and emergency management personnel working during the busy Christmas season for [...]

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he Cairns Post has recently featured stories and letters about the plight of the dugong and what should be done about it.
The concerns about illegal poaching of dugongs and the sale of their meat are certainly justified.
The proposal to place a moratorium on legal dugong hunting is more problematic.
Australia’s highest courts have established that dugong [...]

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s regular readers would be aware, I spent a day in the field with BSES extension officer Bill Dalton on 17 November in response to a challenge set by the Innisfail Advocate and it was great to meet with and hear the concerns of local cane growers. Given the current high prices for sugar, of [...]

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round 100 Queenslanders die each year, and thousands more are injured while doing their job. Apart from the devastating personal impact on workers and their families, injuries and death result in a financial cost to Queensland industry and the community of over $5 billion a year. Here in the North, in 2008–09 there were nearly [...]

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