Queensland Election

Mr ENTSCH:  I rise this afternoon to pay tribute to the local LNP candidates Sam Marino, Linda Cooper, Gerry Vallianos and Edward ‘Nipper’ Brown who contested the recent Queensland state elections in various seats across my electorate. Obviously the result wasn’t one that they desired but it’s not to say that they didn’t give their…

Justin Parer

Mr ENTSCH: It gives me pleasure to pay tribute to Cairns businessman Justin Parer, managing director of BSE Maritime Solutions. Mr Parer’s name has been synonymous with Cairns’ marine industry for more than two decades now. Justin built BSE Maritime Solutions up to be one of our city’s biggest shipyards and a maritime maintenance powerhouse.…

Norris Carter

Mr ENTSCH: I’d like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to a former North Queensland Airports CEO, Norris Carter, who recently stepped down from this role. For the past four years, Norris’s exemplary leadership in overseeing Cairns and Mackay airports has been without question. Norris’s stewardship saw Cairns Airport named the 10th best airport…

Wildlife Habitat

Mr ENTSCH: On Friday 18 September I had the pleasure of officially opening the $2.3 million expansion of Wildlife Habitat in sunny Port Douglas. With the federal government’s financial contribution of $900,000, Wildlife Habitat were able to construct a high-level viewing structure, multiple viewing platforms and boardwalks connecting the structures and access to the new…

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…