Private Members Motion – Breast Cancer Awareness Month

What an outstanding contribution. I also congratulate the member for Calwell on her initiative in bringing forward this motion. I certainly appreciate the opportunity today to add my voice in support of the motion. There is no doubt that breast cancer is an insidious killer that is widespread in our communities. In Australia, one in…

Medicinal Cannabis authority a promising step

LEICHHARDT MP and medicinal cannabis advocate Warren Entsch has welcomed the Government’s plan to allow the growing of cannabis within Australia for medical and scientific use. However he has warned that unless roadblocks with the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s approvals process can be overcome, there is little chance of patients being able to access medicinal cannabis…

NBN update

Last year, the Government identified around 1.6 million premises in Australia which had either very poor or no broadband connectivity. These premises have been – and will continue to be – prioritised in the NBN rollout. In the Far North, many regional users will get broadband via a new satellite that will offer services from…

Rangers are new leaders in Treaty Villages

I recently attended the graduation of 52 trainees from the Treaty Village Rangers Program at an event at Mabaduan Village on the South Fly coastline, just a few kilometres from Australia’s northernmost border. The program is a key element of the Building Resilience in Treaty Villages, Western Province PNG initiative driven by the Cairns-based Reef…

Out and about

Helped open the Cooktown Discovery Festival and launch of ‘48 Days- A Shared History' mural project, ably supported by my beautiful daughter Mackenzie, Cooktown Spoke at the 2015 Suicide & Self Harm Prevention Conference in recognition of the Dr Edward Koch Foundation’s 20 Years of activities, Cairns Launched the ‘Our North, Our Future’ White Paper…

Ice scourge on our streets

Ice poses the highest risk of all illegal drugs to our community because of the violent, menacing and irrational way people behave under its influence.  At a recent community forum with the Assistant Minister for Health, Senator Fiona Nash, we heard that while ice use is not yet widespread in our region, it’s increasing at…

Aged Care in focus

Supporting the mental and physical health and wellbeing of our elderly residents is vital.  In recent months there has been a lot of discussion around the lack of aged care beds in the Cairns region in particular. It is a complex issue and one that is often misrepresented by media headlines unfortunately. Nevertheless, reducing the…

Milestones

50th Wedding Anniversary Graham & Janet Goodall, 19th June 2015 Frederick & Valerie Mellick, 3rd July 2015 Edgar & Ute Haring, 11th August 2015 Ian & Lyle Cunningham, 21st August 2015 Rodney & Beverlee Tayler, 11th September 2015   60th Wedding Anniversary Donald & Violet Rutherberg, 2nd July 2015 Leslie & Gloria Pickering, 6th August…