All eyes on the Bruce Highway

MOTORISTS will be able to check for traffic congestion before they head south from Cairns, with three new webcams available on the Bruce Highway on the outskirts of the city. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss said there were now six traffic webcams available online for Cairns motorists. “These…

Grievance Debate – Insurance in North Queensland

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…

Nominations open for Leichhardt’s top VET students

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR LEICHHARDT Warren Entsch is encouraging eligible students in his electorate to nominate for the nation’s top prize for Year 12 students undertaking vocational education and training in school. Mr Entsch says: “The Abbott Government this week launched the 2014 Australian Vocational Student Prize (AVSP) as part of our commitment to promoting take…

Making support for LGBTI ‘The New Norm’

AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS, teachers, parents and the general public need to help foster a school environment that is more inclusive for LGBTI teenagers, says Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch. Speaking in Parliament today, Mr Entsch, who is also the Chair of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for LGBTI Australians, highlighted a campaign called The New Norm and described…

National portrait exhibition to visit Cairns

FEDERAL MP Warren Entsch has welcomed news that the Australian Government will provide more than $45,000 in funding to the National Portrait Gallery of Australia to bring its National Photographic Portrait Prize to regional cities – including Cairns. The exhibition will tour a number of galleries in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania throughout…

3-minute constituency statement – The New Norm

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…

NBN rolls out across Miallo

THE ABBOTT GOVERNMENT’S EFFORTS to speed up the NBN rollout are paying off for residents and businesses in Miallo, north of Port Douglas, as work begins to connect local premises to the National Broadband Network. Fixed wireless construction has just begun to connect 189 residences and businesses in parts of Miallo. It is expected that…

Pormpuraaw Airport takes off

PORMPURAAW residents again have access to air services, with the community’s airport re-opening to flights. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss said the Australian Government contributed $790,000 towards the airport upgrade from the Regional Aviation Access Program. “This important program helps upgrade aerodromes in remote and isolated communities around…