Applications are now open for Round 118 of the Gambling Community Benefit Fund. In each round of the GCBF there are always a number of successful applicants in the Scenic Rim thanks to the many hardworking volunteers who give their time and energy to complete the grant application process.

There are four funding rounds each year, with three of the rounds offering funding up to $35,000 and one super round with up to $100,000 of funding available.
If you plan to apply in the super round, carefully consider the one-round exclusion period. If an application has been successful in previous rounds, an organisation may be ineligible to apply in the super round.
To apply for Round 118 visit: www.justice.qld.gov.au/grants or for more information and a letter of support, contact my office via email scenicrim@parliament.qld.gov.au or phone (07) 5515 1100.
Round 118 is now open and will close at midnight on 31 August 2023.
CHAOS IN HEALTH, CRISIS IN CHILD SAFETY
More than 1300 life-changing surgeries were cancelled in 2022 due to chronic hospital bed shortages. This is twice the number cancelled in 2020. We’re talking about getting grommets in ears, a stent in an artery or the removal of cataracts to prevent blindness. Under this Labor Government, nearly a quarter of patients don’t receive elective surgeries on time – and this has doubled since Labor came to office in 2015.
On the child safety front, there are now 1759 children in the care of the state in residential care homes – as 1464 foster carers left the system. 283 of these children are under 10, an increase of 9% in just three months. At the same time, only just over a third of at-risk child safety investigations are completed within 100 days – a decrease from 38.4%. There is no acceptable excuse for children suffering significant harm, children under the age of 10 being shunted into residential care and child safety investigation requests languishing on a desk. This is a confronting reminder of how the Palaszczuk Labor Government have failed Queensland children and failed to treat carers with respect.
Unfortunately, the health and child safety system continue to decline under a government that always denies there is a problem, let alone fix things. Queensland deserves better.
DV SAFE PHONE DROP BOX LOCATION
My office is now a Domestic Violence Phone Drop location. DV Safe Phone is an Australia-wide network of organisations helping victims of domestic violence. The program works to connect donated mobile phones to those who need them most. This program also helps to reduce e-waste by recycling and repurposing unwanted phones. Any phones are accepted, including one’s with broken screens or other impairments. If your phone is an iPhone be sure to remove iCloud before donating.
If you have a phone to donate, you can now drop it off at my office: 91 Brisbane Street, Beaudesert QLD 4285. For more information and to find the nearest drop box location to you visit: dvsafephone.org/donate-phones
Email scenicrim@parliament.qld.gov.au or SMS me quick questions on 0401 63 44 88.