I made a commitment when I was elected in 2012 to stop coal seam gas in the Scenic Rim. The LNP did that when we were in Government, and since then I have advocated for any remaining CSG rights in Scenic Rim to be cancelled. I personally lobbied the State Minister for Resources on this issue, and on Friday last week, it became reality. 10 years of persistence and consistency paid off – a good outcome.

QUEENSLAND STATE BUDGET 
The 2022-2023 Queensland Budget was handed down last week. It saw new and increased taxes after the Treasurer promised there would be none during the 2020 election – a significant broken promise. By my count, there’s been at least 10 new or increased taxes on Queenslanders since this government was elected. Eventually, these taxes filter down to everyone, increasing our cost of living to prop up this Government’s finances. 

Locally, my lobbying to replace the Beaudesert Courthouse has paid off. It is in the budget. This will bring the court up to standard – it hasn’t been for so long. Our area is growing, and replacing or upgrading essential public facilities and services is a necessary part of good government, but sadly one that is overlooked too often. Public transport for this district is one of those very issues. Unfortunately, there was no real new funding for roads on Tamborine Mountain and surrounds. As I said in Parliament during the budget debate: 

“Roads funding is always a major issue in the Scenic Rim electorate. I cannot emphasise enough how much more needs to be done to fix roads in the region. Barely a day goes by when I am not writing to Main Roads with issues. Tamborine Mountain was recently voted as Top Tourist Town in the Queensland Tourism Industry Council awards. The Scenic Rim was this year put in the top 10 regions in the worlds to visit by Lonely Planet this year, yet visitors could be forgiven for thinking the Minister for Main Roads had forgotten about the area given the state of some roads. We need to see a dedicated package to address the state of roads on Tamborine Mountain, especially the dire condition of Tamborine Mountain Road heading towards Tamborine. I acknowledge there is work underway in some parts, but the recent wet weather has highlighted the awful state of the roads. Roads in bad condition fail a lot worse than roads in good condition when the rains come. 

 That is why the nearly $6 billion backlog is such an indictment on the government.” 

ON BEHALF OF NEO’S FAMILY, A THANK YOU
There was a great show of community spirit recently when dozens of people turned out a number of times to look for a missing young pup called Neo. I’ve been in touch with Neo’s human family and on their behalf I’m extending a big thank you to everyone who took 
 the time to help look for him, including the 28 who helped on the last big search day last week. The communities I represent have such terrific community spirit, and this is an amazing example of that on display.

If I can be of assistance, please email scenicrim@parliament.qld.gov.au or call 5515 1100.