Speeches

Drugs in this country are a problem, as they are in so many other countries. They are a problem, particularly in regional areas. I was delighted last week to open a community facility for women which is being run by a group called WHO, We Help Ourselves. 

STUFFit. That's the name of a fantastic film festival run out of my electorate in Fairfax: the STUFFit Student Film Festival. It is for year 7 to year 12 students to show their wares. This year it was, yet again, managed perfectly—well done to St John's College for doing just that. It was held at the Majestic Cinemas in Nambour.

I'm here to ask our Minister an important question about the Land 400 program. This, of course, is part of a recapitalisation of Australian defence forces of over $200 billion. The Land 400 program is close to my heart because I'm a Queenslander. We know that the Land 400 phase 2 project was won by a company called Rheinmetall, which has domiciled itself in Queensland. This was a $5.2 billion procurement spend on 211 combat reconnaissance vehicles—the best in the world.

As we continue to explore the possibility of the Olympics for SEQ, let us do so with bold ambition, with pragmatism and knowing we put the community first. Any investment has to be investment for the long term, regardless of an Olympics.

There are many people who come to Australia and love and respect our country. And there are many who don't. It is the aim of this bill to better identify those who seemingly don't and to remove them before it's too late. While the purpose of this bill, the Migration Amendment (Strengthening the Character Test) Bill 2019, is not specific to terrorism, it will, however, embolden our efforts to mitigate the risks of terrorist attacks on our soil, here in Australia.

I stand in this chamber today to thank God and to thank the Queensland Police Service, the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, the Rural Fire Service and the countless volunteers and organisations across the Sunshine Coast for everything they did to combat a wall of fire that blazed across the northern end of the Sunshine Coast.

The public hearings for the Standing Committee on Environment and Energy’s inquiry into the prerequisites for nuclear energy in Australia have commenced and I had the pleasure of speaking to Peter Stefanovic from Sky News about the process on 30 August 2019.

Download a copy of the School Leavers Guide by clicking the Download Transcript button below.

I asked the Minister for Industrial Relations what impact militant unionism is having on the occupational health and safety of workers in Fairfax. His answer is essential viewing....

A bid for Queensland to host the 2032 Olympic Games requires a Team Australia approach - the Commonwealth, SEQ Council of Mayors and the AOC are all now waiting for the Qld Government to show their commitment. I made this point in the Parliament on 24/7/19.

There are times when the full united force of Team Australia needs to come about. One of those times is near, as South East Queensland
seeks to host the 2032 Olympic Games.

Well, we're back in surplus. We've maintained our AAA credit rating. We are growing faster than any country in the OECD bar, of course, the United States. We have 27 years of continuous economic growth, a $100 billion infrastructure plan, record spending on health and education and the single largest recapitalisation program in the history of the Australian Defence Force. The stats just keep on going, but the question has to be asked: How are we doing this?

Sunshine Coast has yet again been short changed by the State Labor Government to the tune of $230 million for the North Coast Rail Line.

Ted O'Brien and #TeamTed say Thank You Fairfax!

'I'm backing Ted O'Brien. Not just because he's a member of the LNP team, but because he is leading the charge to ensure all Queenslanders get the investment in the infrastructure and essential services they rely on - particularly on the Sunshine Coast.' - Scott Morrison, Prime Minister