Have Your Say
HELP ME DELIVER THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT WE NEED ON SUNSHINE COAST - HEAVY RAIL CONNECTING THE HINTERLAND TO THE COAST
I made building better roads and rail my number one priority since becoming the Federal Member for Fisher.
I have fought hard to deliver heavy rail into the Sunshine Coast, from Beerwah to Maroochydore via Caloundra and Kawana along the CAMCOS corridor.
In March 2022, the Liberal National Government committed $1.6 billion to make the Sunshine Coast Rail project a reality.
This was not an election promise. It was a funding commitment laid out in the 2022-23 Federal Budget, covering 50% of the cost of the project.
This will absolutely revolutionise the way we move people around the Sunshine Coast and will boost connectivity between the coast and hinterland, and between our region, Moreton Bay and Brisbane.
But the State Labor Government has chosen to play petty political games.
And the new Federal Labor Government, while reported to have previously committed to the project, remains entirely on mute.
I am calling on the State Labor Government and the Federal Labor Government to get on board with Sunshine Coast Rail.
After twenty years of supporting the CAMCOS rail and doing nothing about it, State Labor have suddenly fallen strangely silent.
Where is the State Member for Caloundra? This project is an enormous win for Caloundra.
Where are the Federal Labor Ministers? This project will transform public transport access between regional and Southeast Queensland.
It’s time for the State and Federal Labor Governments to quit the games and take themselves off mute: do they support this heavy rail project for the Sunshine Coast?
The Beattie Labor Government set aside the CAMCOS corridor over 20 years ago.
The Bligh Labor Government – in which Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was Transport Minister – committed to CAMCOS as part of their rail revolution in 2010.
Yet the Palaszczuk Labor Government is finding any excuse to delay the project – to play politics – while they pour funding into the Gold Coast and Brisbane rail.
If you believe that it’s time for Labor to get on board with heavy rail for the Sunshine Coast, sign my petition HERE and make your voice heard!
SAY NO TO COUNCIL'S CASINO
I am calling upon all Sunshine Coast residents and business people to take a public stand against the construction of a casino in Maroochydore’s new SunCentral Development by signing my “Say No to Council’s Casino” petition. Fill in your name and details in the boxes below and click ‘done’ to complete your petition.
If you cannot access the petition in the window below click here to view it in your browser.
I believe that the Council’s plan to change the character of the Sunshine Coast by building a casino at their Maroochydore development is emerging as one of the biggest threats to the future of our community. A casino on the Coast would add to the cost of living pressures on many of our hard-working families, increase crime and anti-social behaviour, and drive up drug and alcohol abuse. This plan risks driving more family breakdowns, and increasing rates of mental and physical ill health.
Family life is difficult in modern times, we don’t need to compound those difficulties by establishing more mechanisms of misery. I have spoken to many local people about this at meetings around our community and the feedback I have received tells me that Sunshine Coast residents do not want a casino here. We are not the Gold Coast, nor should we want to be. I strongly encourage everyone to sign my petition and to get involved.
I’ve spoken a bit more about the casino campaign HERE, and have called on the Labor Government to take action on loot boxes and online gambling – to keep kids safe – HERE.
A VETERANS' WELLBEING CENTRE FOR THE SUNSHINE COAST
Eight proposed wellbeing centres, predominantly in regional Australia including the Sunshine Coast, were axed in last week’s Federal Budget with the Labor Party deeming the centres “rorts and waste”.
The Coalition committed $70 million in the March Budget to support the creation of a further 14 Veteran Wellbeing Centres, based in locations with a significant veteran population.
Labor have cut $23.3 million from the Coalition’s Budget commitment, resulting in veteran communities across Australia being denied access to support and advocacy services.
This includes the one-stop, specialist support Veterans’ Wellbeing Centre slated for the Sunshine Coast, home to one of the largest veteran communities in the country.
I am calling on Federal Labor to reverse their funding cut and commit to establishing a Veterans’ Wellbeing Centre here on the Sunshine Coast. I strongly encourage everyone to sign my petition and to get involved.
BETTER MOBILE PHONE RECEPTION FOR FISHER
I have made protecting the character of our community one of my key objectives since becoming the Federal Member for Fisher.
This has meant fighting for the community infrastructure our Sunshine Coast needs and deserves, as well as standing up for our unique natural assets, accessibility, and way of life.
One of the issues for which I have long advocated is an improvement to our telecommunications services, including mobile phone service, particularly west of the highway in our beautiful Fisher hinterland.
I raised my daughters in that hinterland, and recall then, just as I do now, the challenges faced in studying, running a business, and managing a busy household.
I’ve been proud to secure new mobile phone services in Conondale, Kenilworth, Glenview, Caloundra South and Caloundra West, Beerwah, Glass House Mountains, Peachester, Beerburrum and more of our communities on the range and along the coast.
But there is obviously more to be done.
The previous Coalition Government provided for an additional $811.8 million to connect regional Australia, in addition to our highly successful Mobile Blackspot, Peri-Urban Mobile, STAND and Regional Connectivity Programs.
Meanwhile, Labor have abandoned regional Australia. In their last round of mobile service upgrades, 75% of projects occurred in Labor electorates. 3/4 upgrades, in Labor seats. No regard for regional Queensland. No regard for the Sunshine Coast. No regard for the communities who need mobile service upgrades the most.
If you, like me, believe that the community of Fisher needs access to functional, reliable and affordable mobile phone service, then join me in singing the petition below.
LABOR SLASHED MEDICARE FOR MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
The mental health and wellbeing of Australians should be a core priority for any government. I was proud to have played a role in a coalition government delivering a record $3 billion investment into mental health and suicide prevention.
Since my election in 2016, I’ve fought to boost mental health services and outcomes. I’ve made it my ambition to see the Sunshine Coast become a hub for world-class mental health care. We’ve delivered $11.4 million to establish and deliver mental health and suicide prevention research and training through the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Thompson Institute, and $8.3 million to establish a national PTSD centre, also at the USC’s Thompson Institute. It is a research and clinical services centre—the first of its kind in Australia. We delivered $7.3 million to establish and deliver world-class treatment at Wandi Nerida, Australia’s first residential eating disorder facility.
We delivered around $4 million to create a brand-new headspace in Caloundra to support the growing population of youth and young adults in the area; over $200,000 to support endED in their eating disorder recovery and rehabilitation efforts; and hundreds of thousands of dollars for men’s sheds, mental health research, veteran support and volunteer mental health training. That is the coalition’s record on mental health just in my electorate of Fisher: supporting vulnerable Australians, transforming the way we treat mental illnesses and saving lives.
n less than a year, the Albanese Labor government have delivered cuts, cuts and more cuts to mental health care. We wanted a veterans’ wellbeing centre on the Sunshine Coast. We wanted to deliver this. Labor said no. We committed $10 million to Fortem Australia, an organisation doing exemplary work supporting first responders with mental health support. Labor axed $7½ million in funding, meaning that Fortem would not be able to open their outreach programs across regional Australia, including on the Sunshine Coast. It was not until and after sustained advocacy from members of the coalition that we were able to embarrass this government into reversing their cuts.
Now, while the country contends with a myriad of mental health concerns beyond COVID lockdowns, and in the face of a cost-of-living crisis, Labor has done the unthinkable: they have cut funding to Medicare for mental health care. They have slashed funding for psychologist visits by half.
They claim it’s based on independent evaluation of the Better Access initiative, but it’s as if they didn’t even bother to read the report which, at recommendation 12, recommends that they keep the additional 10 sessions in place. Nothing to see here. This is just so typical of this Labor government. They slash and they cut. They throw up smoke and mirrors and echo vacuous promises.
Australians deserve better. Sign the petition and tell Labor to reverse their cuts.
