FNQ locals dig deep for Les

WEIPA man Les Borthwick is well on his way to receiving a new set of wheels – albeit on a mobility scooter – thanks to the generosity of Far Northern locals. Federal MP Warren Entsch launched an appeal for Mr Borthwick last month after hearing about his traumatic series of surgeries that resulted from what…

Cape York leaders unite against sham consultation

THE ‘people’s forum’ held at Musgrave on Saturday comprehensively rejected the Federal Government’s plan to only consult with Traditional Owners on a possible World Heritage listing. More than 100 people attended the forum, including graziers, businesspeople, tourism operators, traditional owners (TOs) and representatives from Senate, Federal, State and Local Government. Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch has…

Elderly suffer while Govt wastes billions

FEDERAL MP Warren Entsch has again driven the Meals on Wheels cause in Canberra, this week speaking on a proposed nutrition project for the elderly that has failed to win any government funding or support. Mr Entsch seconded a Private Member’s Motion put forward by NSW MP Mark Coulton, the Member for Parkes, which recognised…

High cost of insurance in the north needs policy focus

OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has recognised that the increasing cost of property insurance is a serious problem for people in Central and Northern Queensland. Responding to strong representations by Federal MP Warren Entsch, Mr Abbott has asked Senator Mathias Cormann, the Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Financial Services to work with Mr Entsch…

Sikhs petition Parliament in an Australian first

THE nation’s Sikh community has enlisted the help of Federal MP Warren Entsch to have Australia recognise the November 1984 killings of more than 37,000 Sikhs in India as genocide. Up to 300 Sikhs from around the country will pack Parliament’s public gallery this Thursday, when Mr Entsch (Member for Leichhardt) will table a petition…

TB issues examined in Four Corners investigation

THE tuberculosis crisis on Australia’s doorstep will come under the microscope on Monday when the ABC’s Four Corners investigates the rise of superbugs around the world. The program examines how people’s use of antibiotics – the wonder drugs of modern medicine – has actually contributed to the rise of ‘superbugs’, bacteria that do not respond…

The insurance predicament – where to now?

IN all my time in politics, few issues have required as much perseverance, or generated such a surge of community support, as that of working towards a way out of the North’s property insurance crisis. When people are forced to leave their most valued possessions – their homes and their businesses – uninsured and unprotected,…

Cape York leaders demand inclusive consultation

MOVES by the Federal Government to fund a ‘closed door’ World Heritage consultation will only result in further alienation of Cape York communities, Federal MP Warren Entsch warned today. Cape York Sustainable Futures (CYSF), the peak body that represents Cape York residents, business owners, traditional owners, leaseholders and pastoralists, came out swinging last week in…

Torres Strait Islanders miss out yet again

LEICHHARDT MP Warren Entsch has labelled MP Bob Katter “a disgrace” after he failed to support a sea walls motion in parliament this week, despite Mr Katter knowing full well that the government had blatantly back-tracked on its earlier funding commitment. “Katter puts his hand on his heart and says he supports Indigenous issues but,…