Introduction of Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill 2015

**Watch this speech on YouTube** The introduction of this bill into the House today is significant and somewhat unique in that it has the rare distinction of enjoying very strong cross-party support. While I have the honour of addressing you all, I do so on behalf of all my co-sponsors without whose support it would…

Private Members Motion – YWAM

I also would like to commend the member for Ryan for putting this forward as a motion.  With regard to the previous speaker, I am a little bit disappointed at the criticism that he is targeting at our government in relation to the support that we offer for Papua New Guinea. I was in the…

100th Anniversary of Gallipoli

The Great War was the crucible that forged our nation. That is why the Centenary of Anzac is such a significant period of commemoration for all Australians. On 25 April, marking the official 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign, residents of Leichhardt commemorated this significant time with a range of events and projects. Today I…

Key step reached on medicinal cannabis

LEICHHARDT MP Warren Entsch has welcomed news this week that the Senate Inquiry into the Regulator of Medicinal Cannabis Bill 2014 has returned with very positive results. Mr Entsch attended a briefing with fellow members of the Cross Parliamentary Group on Drug Policy and Law Reform to receive an update on the Bill’s progress and…

Adjournment – Uber

In many ways taxi drivers are the face of Cairns.  They are often the first interaction that visitors have when they arrive in our beautiful airport and are driven to their destination. They are also generally the last person they see as they are driven from our beautiful city back to the airport to go…

Nominate now for the National Disability Awards

FEDERAL Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch is encouraging Far North Queenslanders to nominate a person, organisation or initiative for the 2015 National Disability Awards. “The 2015 Awards are now open, and give us a chance to acknowledge those who are making a positive impact on the lives of people living with disability,” said Mr Entsch.…

Statement – Free Vote outcome

While I’m disappointed with the outcome, I am not angry and I accept the decision of the Party Room. I was hoping for a free vote however I have to concede that I was still not confident that we would get the outcome we hoped for. In the Party Room today, during the six hours…

Private Members Business – Supporting Small Business

Tonight I rise to strongly support the member for Forde's motion. There is no doubt that small business has been and continues to be the enduring focus and priority of this government. I am particularly conscious of the challenges and opportunities for small businesses in the far north where our economy includes tourism; agriculture and…

Condolence Motion – Don Randall MP

I rise to speak in this condolence motion to a very dear friend of mine. I met him when I came into this parliament in 1996, along with the member for Fisher, and we struck up a friendship. One of the things that we found was a lot of commonality between the members from the…