Sugar Hits And Reckless Behaviour
Unemployment Is Too High
Even before COVID-19, the Queensland economy was struggling with very low business confidence and the highest rate of bankruptcies in the nation. The latest jobs data shows Queensland now has the highest rate of people out of work of all Australian states, despite Melbourne being in lockdown for several months! I’m pretty sure the QLD Government will attempt to blame the Federal Government for this – they tend to blame everybody but themselves and their policies for things that go wrong in Queensland. It is undeniable that Queensland’s jobless queues are getting longer in comparison to other States (and have been for some time now), with the same Federal Government measures throughout Australia.
We need action to fix this jobs crisis! For example, making electricity substantially cheaper would boost many businesses (especially our local farmers), allowing expansion and creating more jobs – but it would also see the Government lose hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue (it’s really a power tax) through the State-owned power companies, a decision this Government refuses to consider, because they want that money to keep spending, spending, spending on other things. Changing planning laws so it is cheaper and easier for small business to get approvals would also help. To get people into work, I’ll keep arguing for changes that boost confidence in the private sector and let our ‘job makers’ (business) create more jobs – not just one-off or small grants (‘sugar hits’) for business, but big changes to unleash the potential of Queensland.
Police Presence & Hooning At Tamborine
I know that hooning and reckless behaviour by motorists is a big issue in some areas of the Scenic Rim, including Tamborine – where it sounds, on some nights, like some motorists use the area as a racetrack. I have experienced this myself when staying overnight at Tamborine. I have relayed these hooning concerns to local police and also district and regional commanders, seeking acknowledgement that this is a problem and a decision to allocate additional resources to regular patrols and police operations – more enforcement brings a better deterrent.
To help garner more police resources, please report hooning in your area by calling 13 HOON (13 4666), Policelink (131 444) or fill out the online form at police.qld.gov.au/reporting with the make and model of car and registration number if you can see it. We need more police resources in our region, and every report of activity can help add to the case for more police.
If you have an issue that you think should be fixed, I encourage you to contact my office, toll-free on 1800 813 960, so I can lobby on your behalf in Brisbane. Quick question?