Russell Francis

MR ENTSCH: It’s with great sadness that I rise today to pay tribute to a friend in Cairns, a media personality who recently lost his battle with cancer. Russell Francis was a larrikin, a family man and a well-respected photographer. He had a long and illustrious career with The Cairns Post between the 1970s and…

Sikh Community

MR ENTSCH: This week I had the absolute honour of being invited to celebrate the 550th birthday of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of the Sikh religion and the first of 10 Sikh gurus. It was the first time this special event has been celebrated in Parliament House. Guru Nanak preached the message…

National Peacekeeper and Peacemaker Day

MR ENTSCH: It gives me immense pleasure to rise today to speak on this motion and to mark National Peacekeeper and Peacemaker Day, which was observed on 14 September 2019. Australia has always played a leading and vital role in peacekeeping missions around the world, none more so that than leading 22 nations in the…

Toyah Cordingley

Mr ENTSCH:  Next week marks the first anniversary of the brutal and horrific murder of 24-year-old Cairns woman Toyah Cordingley. Sadly, her killer or killers have not been caught, despite the biggest murder investigation Far North Queensland has seen. In fact, it’s one of the largest police investigations since the kidnap and murder of Daniel…

Romina Fujii

MR ENTSCH: I rise today to pay tribute to a much-loved and extremely well-respected person in my community who recently passed. Romina Fujii was born on Badu Island in the Torres Strait on 12 December 1943 and was the third child of Talipasa and Dulcie Nona. From a very young age Romina learnt about the…

Tuberculosis Motion

MR ENTSCH: I move: (1) notes that: (a) 24 March is World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, a day to commemorate the precious lives lost due to TB, a disease that is preventable and curable; (b) TB is contagious and airborne—it is the world’s leading infectious disease killer and kills more people than HIV/AIDS; (c) in 2017…

BSE Cairns Slipways

MR ENTSCH: Recently I attended a launch of the world’s largest ship hoist, located in my home city of Cairns. To say that a seven-storey piece of machinery is impressive is an absolute understatement. The gala launch event was impressive as well, complete with a spectacular light show and fireworks display choreographed to music of…

Cairns Amateurs

MR ENTSCH:This weekend Cannon Park Racecourse will host what is arguably our city’s biggest social event of the year, the Cairns Amateurs Carnival. Through the vision of its founder, Sir Sydney Williams, what began in 1959 as a small amateur meeting designed to bring city and country together has expanded over the years to become…

Ocean Pollution

MR ENTSCH: Plastic waste littering our oceans is a national shame; there’s no doubt about that. And although they work hand in hand, my role as a special envoy for the Great Barrier Reef and my plan to develop a national policy on plastics are two separate issues. Let me briefly touch on the Great…

World Ranger Day

MR ENTSCH: It gives me great pleasure today to rise and speak about World Ranger Day. World Ranger Day was held on Wednesday, 31 July and is an initiative of the Thin Green Line Foundation. The Thin Green Line Foundation supports park rangers within Australia and overseas, including in conflict zones. World Ranger Day is…