As elected officials we know what it is like to receive hate mail, threats and other verbal vitriol. It certainly hurts. It could be from people we know in the community or strangers from another part of the country. It might be sparked by something that we have said or done, but the attacks can…
In February 2012, this parliament recognised a terrible act of genocide. Seven thousand men and boys were massacred in Bosnia in 1995 because of their Muslim faith. What if I told you that in India in 1984, more than five times that many people, 37,000 who were predominantly men and young boys, were massacred and…
I rise today to congratulate Cairns Airport on punching well above its weight and breaking the record of total passenger numbers. Some 4.3 million passengers passed through the airport in the last financial year, and we are on target to exceed 4.55 million passengers this financial year. This is the largest number yet achieved through…
**WATCH THIS SPEECH ON YOUTUBE** Late last year I attended a briefing on canned hunting with the Member for La Trobe, and was disturbed to learn about the extent of this practice in Africa. I generally support the hunting of wild animals. In my own electorate of Leichhardt in Far North Queensland, hunting is vital…
I move: That this House: (1) acknowledges that Marine National Park (Green) Zones as defined in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003 serve to better protect the biodiversity within the Marine Park and help to ensure: (a) the continued existence of the unique marine animals, plants and habitats that are found only in…
TODAY marks an important day for national security with the opening of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Operations Centre and Canine Operations Centre in Cairns. This new facility provides the AFP with a world-class capability to protect the travelling public. The Operations Centre was officially opened by the Federal Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch, on…
This Saturday I am taking part in a very special event: the grand opening of the refurbished Anglican Parish Hall on Thursday Island. It has been a long process but one that I am very proud to have had some involvement in. The Parish Hall, in the historic Quetta Memorial Precinct, has been a local…
The Coalition Government is an efficient government, and our actions since the 2013 election are speaking volumes louder than Labor’s legacy of empty media sound-grabs. We don’t just talk about more jobs, a more competitive and productive business sector, and lower household costs…the Coalition actually makes it happen. Today is another landmark occasion in the…
I rise to again speak on an issue which has been having far-reaching implications in my electorate and in northern Australia more broadly. A recent Cyclone Preparedness Index by RACQ showed that 8.4 per cent of residents had no home building or contents insurance at all. A further 11.7 per cent had insufficient cover to…
I rise today to highlight a very important campaign called The New Norm.This awareness campaign is designed to educate people on the lack of support for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex LGBTI students in high schools. It is disturbing to hear that 82% of LGBTI students feel as though they are not supported…