Jon Thanks The Residents Of Scenic Rim
Following Jon Krause MP’s State Election 2020 win with a majority of 47.47%, we thought we would like to have a chat to get to know a little bit more about Jon. We wrote out a few questions and Jon generously gave us a good amount of time to talk to him about a few items for which we were curious. We asked:
- Were you nervous at all about other parties during the election, including Labour who didn’t have a visible representative yet got 26.49% of the vote?
Jon said he always approaches each election as a job interview, with a goal to take up the fight to be able to support and work very hard for people for another term. He said he was “very honoured for the people of the electorate to elect me once again.”. - Is the election campaign brutal, what kind of preparation did you do?
In response, Jon said that he would like to acknowledge all of the other candidates, as it takes courage to put your hand up as it is sometimes never easy do. Overall, Jon said he had hoped for a different outcome but respected the fact that the government has been re-elected and noted that the government also needed to respect that the people had elected him as well. Jon commented that one of the main challenges for him in the election was the size of the electorate covering a very large area with lots of small communities, and that this makes it a challenge for the region as a whole. Jon explains there are some deep development issues for the area especially with the encroachment of very small lots. He said, for example, dense developments like Yarrabilba expanding into Tamborine when there is not enough investment into infrastructure such as roads is an issue. Jon states that this is not what Tamborine is about and not what residents would like to see in the future. - Now elected, what do you see as the most important or more pressing areas in the region to give attention?
Jon would like to prioritise roads in the Scenic Rim and is pleased to see the government have now started to invest into roads as previously there has been not enough funding to keep up with repairs.
Another item on the agenda for Jon would be the importance of local health services. Jon states that the closest hospital is Beaudesert Hospital where he was instrumental in organising the maternity and surgical wards in 2014 but would like to be able to add more services such as CT Scanning and other important testing services as he notes there is the potential to expand. - Is hooning a problem statewide or more isolated to the area as in the ‘Tamborine Drag Strip’ (as we called it)?
Jon answered that hooning is a problem and that has had first hand experience with the noise from the ‘Tamborine Race Track’ (as he called it) staying one night in Tamborine. He said that a greater police presence with more officers employed to create a greater awareness would be beneficial, especially around Tamborine which could include more confiscation of vehicles as currently the offenders are doing it in the knowledge that they are not going to be easily caught. Jon said that there has only been a slight increase in numbers of police over the past 5 years and that there is room for another 690 officers. - We note there was a recent Community Benefit Fund Grant of over $37K made to the Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens, when does the next round start and what types of groups usually apply?
Jon’s office states that the next Round (108) is scheduled to open in mid-January and close on February 28 2021. They are keen to support local applications and any group that is incorporated can apply. In the past these have included sporting clubs, hall committees, pony clubs, rural fire services, and wilderness groups. - To which groups do you belong?
Jon likes to get out into the community and is himself a member of various groups. One such group is the Allendale Rural Fire Brigade. He says he enjoys helping out on fire grounds and doing activities such as Hazard Reduction (HR). During the Binna Burra Road fires Jon answered the call to don the equipment and help out. The devastation created a very emotional experience and Jon commented that it is amazing what people will talk about when they are holding a hose. He was very glad to have undertaken the lengthy process of fire training so that he could be a part of the fight. - Do you encourage people to make contact with you over state-related issues, are more voices heard the better? How do they make contact with you?
A resounding “Yes” from Jon. He eagerly states that he definitely encourages people to call or email if they have concerns over local issues, saying “If I don’t know about it, I can’t “take up the fight, so please let me know!”. - Do you want to say anything specific to the people of Tamborine?
Jon said “Thank you very much for your support and for bringing issues to me during my ‘roadside offices’. You have helped me to do my job, and to be able to keep fighting for a fair share!”
We then said, “Thank you Jon for your time, this has been most beneficial in discovering more about who you are and what you are about. Thank you for your time and we wish you all the best going forward into 2021.”
Jon can be reached on scenicrim@parliament.qld.gov.au or call him on 07 5515 110. Thanks Jon for the chat!