Like the member for Fisher I also will be quite brief. Like the member for Fisher, I did not know Alby in his life as a state member. Most of the association that I would like to refer to, because so much has been said about him now, is the heartburn and the trauma that…
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…
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…
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…
**Watch this speech on YouTube** I rise to speak on something a little bit more sober in its content and certainly a darn sight more factual. According to the World Health Organisation, globally, a life is lost to suicide every 40 seconds. What is different about suicide, compared to other public health challenges, is that…
**Watch this speech on YouTube** I present the report of the Australian parliamentary delegation to southern Africa (Zimbabwe, South Africa and the Seychelles), and I ask leave of the House to make a short statement in connection to that report. Leave granted. This report outlines the main activities and observations of the parliamentary delegation from…
**Watch this speech on YouTube** I would like to associate myself with this motion. Those horrendous events now at the Serve You Right cafe happened two weeks ago, when we saw Ravenshoe literally implode. As the Leader of the Opposition rightly said, the graphic images that we saw on the news were really quite horrific.…
Limbs 4 Life is Australia's peak organisation for amputees and persons with limb difference. This month, they launched a new program—Limbs 4 Kids. For the first time, all Australian children and young people with limb differences and those who care for them have a program and a website to call their own—www.limbs4kids.org.au. It is a…
**Watch this speech on YouTube** Madam Deputy Speaker, let me take you back to 1770 when Cook's crew first set foot upon the rugged and exotic shores of Australia. We all know the story of Captain Cook landing in Botany Bay, but less well known is what happened after he left and sailed north. In a mariner's…
They say a week is a long time in politics. That must be why it is hard to envisage just how far we have come since a year ago. On coming into government, we inherited $123 billion of deficit from our friends from the Labor Party. We saw how this resulted in a decline in…