From Trade to Teaching

PHOTO: Me with Minister Grace Grace and Member for Rockhampton Barry O’Rourke.

Beef Week a real winner for CQ

Firstly, let me congratulate the Board and Executive of Beef Week 2021 who put on an outstanding triennial exposition in Beef Week 2021 in Rockhampton last week!
 
Bryce Camm, Grant Cassidy, Ian Mill and the team should be incredibly proud of the spectacular way that beef was showcased in the Beef Capital of Australia, Rockhampton.
 
Such was the lure of the event it drew record crowds, including our Premier Annastasia Palaszczuk who I toured the expo with midweek.
 
This event continues to build on Rockhampton’s reputation as the Beef Capital of Australia.
 
Aside from the top-quality cattle and the delicious food, some of the hi-tech innovations on show were astonishing, and underline the intelligence which continues to grow within the industry.
 

PHOTO: Odette and I had great fun looking at the cattle at Beef 2021

Labor working hard to meet social housing needs

I know the CQ housing market is nuts at the moment and my office is fielding an increase in enquiries regarding rental homes and social housing.
 
There is an unprecedented number of people moving to this area, which is why I’m proud that the Palaszczuk Labor Government is investing $1.6 billion into social and affordable housing in Queensland; the largest investment in housing since World War II.
 
In CQ the Palaszczuk Government is building 60 new homes and units, with 34 completed and the remainder under way currently or very soon.

I joined Murray Watt - Senator for Queensland last week at a new 5x1 bed and 2x2 bed unit development currently under construction in North Rocky.

The Federal Government cut the National Rental Affordable Housing Scheme and Remote Indigenous Housing - these cuts need to be reversed so we can build more `houses for locals.

PHOTO: Me and Senator Murray Watt at the under-construction social housing in North Rockhampton.

Celebrating Labour Day and the labour movement's achievements

I was proud to be able to celebrate Labour Day with an energetic and dedicated crew at the 2021 Rocky Labour Day celebrations!

Our message was loud and clear – if it was not for Labour, you wouldn’t have an eight-hour day, or penalty rates, or hundreds of other benefits.

 Working people got us through the pandemic. They deserve our thanks – and a Labor Federal Government that would be on their side.

Labour Day was originally called 'Eight Hours Day and commemorates the achievements of organised labour to implement the eight-hour day in the middle of the nineteenth century when previously workers were required to work 10 - 12 hours a day for six days a week.
 
While a change was made to the hours worked each day, the five-day work week that most people enjoy today took almost a hundred years longer and was finally adopted in 1948.

The first Labour Day parade was held in Melbourne on 21st April 1856.

The present-day parades across Australia, are an enduring reminder of the advances made by the unions on behalf of the workers.

Read more at Media Statements - Ministerial Media Statements

I am always happy to celebrate our teachers

Teachers are among the most important frontline workers we have. Giving every child a great start to life with a quality education is their goal.
No teacher should ever be abused or assaulted at work by students or parents.

I was pleased to host local QTU teachers and NTEU staff to a meeting with the federal shadow education minister Tanya Plibersek in Rockhampton.
 
I’m proud that more than 450 new teachers and over 100 new teacher aides will be employed across Central Queensland, and teachers will have increased non-contact time, under the Queensland Labor Palaszczuk Government.
 
The Great Teachers, Great Future program will see 6190 new teachers and 1139 teacher aides employed across Queensland over the next four years to meet student enrolment growth and to maintain nation-leading teacher to student ratios and low-class sizes.

Domestic and Family  Violence Awareness Month

May is designated by the Palaszczuk Government to send a clear message that domestic and family violence in families and homes will not be tolerated.

Events are being held by community organisations, including schools, to mark May as the Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month.

The Palaszczuk Government has invested over half a billion dollars towards ending domestic and family violence since being elected, however we acknowledge that more work is ahead of us both as a government and as a community.

I also encourage women to come forward and talk about their experiences dealing with the criminal justice system.

The Attorney-General and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Shannon Fentiman has opened public submissions to the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce chaired by former judge Margaret McMurdo AC. Submissions can be made through the secure portal on the taskforce website at www.womenstaskforce.qld.gov.au

                      
PHOTO: May 5 was Domestic Violence Awareness Day, and I took time to reflect and remember all of the women, children and men I have personally heard stories from who have suffered and survived abuse in so many forms. I also remember those who have been murdered by current or former partners. Sometimes the task of ending DV feels overwhelming but we must keep fighting every day to ensure women and children can live free from violence.

What's new from Parliament

I am also co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Surf Life Saving committee which I really enjoy for its close links to the Yeppoon and Emu Park surf lifesaving clubs in our electorate of Keppel, and their hundreds of dedicated members.

In October last year I was pleased to announce that the Emu Park Surf Life Saving Club, one of the Capricorn Coast’s oldest sporting clubs, will receive a massive overhaul thanks to a $1 million grant.
 
The money follows many months of meetings with club officials and will culminate in the construction of new storage areas, change rooms and an update on the disability access.
 
I enjoy attending their competition carnivals, and I’ve been invited to make the presentations at Emu Park next month.
 
Topics/Bills/Events in Parliament

• May is Small Business Month and the Palaszczuk Government has delivered a plethora of tools and grants to help our vital economic drivers.
• It’s National Reconciliation Week May 24-28, with a special function in Parliament on Thursday 27 May at 5pm. Parliament will be celebrating the achievements of businesses with Reconciliation Action Plans and learn about one of Queensland’s strongest reconciliation actions—Path to Treaty. Minister Crawford invited me to celebrate National Reconciliation Week this month at Parliament House.  
• DFSV funding: Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence services have reported an increase in the number and complexity of clients and calls, or referrals received over the past 12 months. In response, the Premier and Attorney-General have announced an additional $30 million in funding over 4 years to assist DFSV service providers respond to the increase demand. Please find a QandA document here.
•  Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2020 - The Palaszczuk Government has made it easier and quicker for Queensland’s first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to access support and compensation. Parliament has passed changes to workers compensation laws that mean first responders’ diagnosed PTSD claims will be deemed work-related. This will ensure these workers have access to immediate treatment and benefits under the workers’ compensation scheme. I proudly spoke on the Bill. See media release here.
• Foster and Kinship Carer Week - Sometimes children can’t stay safely with their parents. When this happens Foster and Kinship Carers provide the nurturing love, care and support kids need to thrive and be safe, often at a great personal cost.  During Foster and Kinship Carer Week from 16 to 23 May, we say thank you to more than 5,500 Queensland carers who open their hearts and homes to children in need. If you’re interested in caring for children and young people, visit www.qld.gov.au/fosterkinshipcarerweek
• Marine Rescue Volunteer Grants - Our boating and marine enthusiasts will be safer on the water following the announcement of a $470,000 grant program for Volunteer Marine Rescue Squadrons and Coast Guard Flotillas to support emergency response capability. This program will provide funding to the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Association (AVCGA) and Volunteer Marine Rescue Association Queensland (VMRAQ) to administer grants of $10,000 to each of Queensland’s Volunteer Marine Rescue Squadrons and Coast Guard Flotillas. Minister’s Media Release
• Thankyou to all our nurses - The life-saving work of Central Queensland’s nurses often goes unnoticed, and so I was pleased to go public on May 12, is International Nurses Day, to herald the importance of nurses, and the work they do which can be appreciated now more than ever. Their outstanding work amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted even further the skills, dedication and compassion of our nursing staff. For their dedication and hard work, today and every day, we say thank you to all Queensland nurses.