Funding to assess Far North Queensland plastic industry

Regional Development Australia will receive $150,000 in funding from the Federal Government and $50,000 from the Queensland Government to assess the viability of a plastics industry in Far North Queensland. Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef and Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said the funding signalled the Morrison Government’s commitment to establishing new recycling infrastructure…

Captain Cook Statue

Mr ENTSCH: I rise this afternoon to condemn the petition circulating in my community calling for the removal of the Captain James Cook statue on Sheridan Street. This is just another example of a noisy few trying to whitewash and rewrite our history with their change-culture mentality. But, unfortunately, they don’t represent the views of…

Environmental Management Charge

MR ENTSCH: I rise this afternoon in full support of the measures contained in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Amendment (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Bill 2020. Tourism is the No. 1 economic driver in my electorate, which goes from the Papua New Guinea border right through to Cairns. Our region was one of the…

OAM Recipients

Mr ENTSCH: It’s a great pleasure to acknowledge six outstanding members of the Cairns and Far North Queensland community recently awarded Order of Australia medals in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. All six recipients are outstanding people, and their dedication and passion for their respective communities is without question. The recipients include Cairns Hospital senior…

General Motors Holden

Mr ENTSCH: The name Holden conjures up many memories for millions of Australians. It is a part of life for so many of us. It is a brand that has firmly entrenched itself in Australian culture, and has been a way of life for almost a century. Holden dominated the Australian car market for many…

FNQ Spirits

Mr ENTSCH: I rise this afternoon to highlight one of the many fantastic businesses in my electorate who stepped up to the plate during the recent health crisis. FNQ Spirits is a small craft distillery located in Cairns and is more used to quenching people’s thirst through its signature rum product, Croc Piss. When the…

Tourism and Border Closures

Mr ENTSCH: Tourism is the single-most important economic driver in my electorate, and to say that we’ve been doing it tough is an absolute understatement. We were the first region to be hit and we’ll be one of the last to recover. Our multi-billion-dollar local tourism industry literally fell off the cliff overnight. The impact…

Backing small businesses affected by COVID-19

The Australian Government has committed more than $4.7 million to provide small regional businesses affected by coronavirus with access to free and confidential financial counselling. Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said the Rural Financial Counselling Service could support hundreds of regional small businesses including those in Cairns and Far North Queensland. “This announcement is another…