Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington, has congratulated twelve Nanango Electorate groups who will share in nearly $354,000 in funding through Round 86 of the Gambling Community Benefit Fund.
Mrs Frecklington said the groups represented diverse sections of the community and the funding boost will be a great kick start to 2016 for them.
“I’d like to congratulate the groups on their successful grant applications, which will help upgrade club facilities and purchase equipment,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“It’s great they are receiving this boost and I wish them well in their endeavours to improve and continue their wonderful community work.
The successful groups are:
The Gambling Community Benefit Fund has four rounds per year, with the next round closing on 31 May. If your group is interested in applying go to http://www.justice.qld.gov.au/corporate/sponsorships-and-grants/grants/community-benefit-funding-programs
Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington has forwarded a petition to the Minister for Agriculture from a united group of South Burnett Coolabunia landholders protesting against their properties potentially being placed in the tick zone.
Mrs Frecklington said 32 Coolabunia property owners were alarmed at the prospect of being put in the ‘tick zone’ after years of working to keep their herds and properties clean.
“I congratulate Geoff Black and his neighbours who have taken the initiative to put together this petition,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“It clearly demonstrates that for their particular section of the tick line, these property managers and landholders are united in wanting to remain in a tick free zone.
“Many families stand to lose years of hard work and potentially tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in capital value if their properties were re-classified.
“I know of landholders who have already sought legal advice and some are ready to sue the government for damages if they end up in a ticky zone.
“I would encourage other landholder groups along the line to come together and do the same as the Coolabunia group.
“What I’m hearing at the meetings I’ve been attending is that each section of the line has its own specific issues and I believe there is room for the Department to negotiate solutions with producers in certain sections of the line, rather than trying to impose a one size fits all approach,” Deb said.
Mrs Frecklington urged the new Minister Leanne Donaldson not to treat any landholder unfairly.
“Every landholder now in the control zone deserves the right to ultimately be included in the free-zone.”
Photo: The Coolabunia Tick Line Petition asking the Government to allow them to remain in a tick-free zone.
Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington, has congratulated the Crows Nest Pony Club on successfully securing a major grant to improve their equestrian facilities.
Mrs Frecklington caught up with the hard working volunteers at the Pony Club grounds to officially ‘hand over’ the huge $86,807 cheque.
“This is extremely exciting for the Crows Nest Pony Club, who are now able to build a 100m x 120m multipurpose arena to support their equestrian sports. This will allow the club to facilitate more than 20 different equestrian disciplines, plus there will be cattle handling facilities for cattle sports,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“This is also a great boost for the Crows Nest community as a whole and will really support and encourage families to become involved in the Pony Club and equestrian sports in general.
The funding comes from the State Government’s ‘Get Playing Places and Spaces’ funding program.
“We also have another local group who were successful. The Range Carriage Club has received a grant for $24,680 to construct a carriage driving marathon course near Goombungee.
“And the Range Runners Orienteering Club based at Crows Nest also received $7,500 to purchase equipment and on course orienteering equipment.
“These are great results for the region and I look forward to hearing how the funds encourage more people to get involved in sport,” Mrs Frecklington said.
Photo: Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington, congratulated the hard-working Crows Nest Pony Club volunteers on securing a grant to build a new multipurpose equestrian arena.
Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington has made the first $100 donation to help get the Kilcoy Gymnastics Club bouncing again.
Mrs Frecklington said she was proud to kick off the campaign which is aiming to achieve 100 donations of $100 to help them raise $10,000 for a new gymnastics floor.
“The Kilcoy Gymnastics Club were actually successful in receiving a grant to purchase the new floor, but disappointingly, they contacted me last year to let me know that the company they had ordered the floor through had gone into liquidation and the money had been lost,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“This was such a terrible blow for the Club, so I met with them and we put together the idea for the 100@$100 campaign.
“This is a great local club which is really growing. They have 70 young people enrolled in their Kinder Gym, Recreational and Competition level gymnastics programs.
“The new floor will be competition grade and is the standard required to help these young gymnasts train and compete at their best. I hope we can help raise the $10,000 they need to purchase the new gymnastics floor,” Deb said.
If you’re keen to be one of the 100@$100, please contact Mary-Jane Parker from Kilcoy Gymnastics on 0427 946 771 to register your donation.
Photo: Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington, is encouraging 100 people to make a $100 donation to help Kilcoy Gymnastics purchase a new gymnastics floor.
Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington has attended a meeting in Crows Nest to support producers in the Crows Nest area in their call for more information on the proposed new tick line regulations and maps.
Mrs Frecklington said the meeting was organised by the Rocky Clearing Dip Committee and drew a crowd of at least 80 producers keen to find out more about what is proposed.
“I am not surprised that so many people attended, as the whole consultation process has been a complete shambles, and information has only been available online,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“This has been particularly difficult for older people or those without computer access. Plus, the maps are quite hard to read online.
“The Agriculture Minister has also bowed to pressure and finally acknowledged that the original deadline of 31 January was too short for the tick line consultation. I welcome the extension of the time for public consultation to 29th February and I’d encourage every grazier and landholder who stands to be affected to let the government know exactly how they feel.
“The Crows Nest meeting was a good chance to producers to hear directly from the Department and ask questions face-to-face. The tick line is a major issue for Queensland and deserves serious consideration before any changes are made.
“What I’m hearing at the meetings I’ve been attending is that each section of the line has its own specific issues and I believe there is room for the Department to negotiate solutions with producers in certain sections of the line, rather than trying to impose a one size fits all approach,” Deb said.
To access the online survey and maps, go to https://www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au/gi/consultation/2806/view.html
For a hard copy of the survey, please call the Department of Agriculture on 13 25 23.
Queenslanders are being urged to have their say on proposed changes to food labelling standards aimed at providing clear ‘country-of-origin’ details.
Shadow Agriculture Minister Deb Frecklington said food labelling had been ignored, discusssed and put in the too-hard basket for years.
“It’s almost impossible for consumers who want to support Aussie farmers, local manufacturers and local jobs to make easy choices because food labels are so hard to read and provide so little information,” Ms Frecklington said.
“Farmers, processors, retailers and consumers all want a better system that clearly describes what’s in food products and where they’re really made.
“The Federal government is finally addressing this issue and it’s important for anyone interested to have a say on the new system that’s being proposed.”
Ms Frecklington said the consultation period included an opportunity to comment on draft rules around food products and proposed new labelling requirements.
Public comment on food labelling closes Friday, January 29.
For more information and to have your say, visit: www.consult.industry.gov.au/cool-taskforce/cool
Labor’s Agriculture Minister Leanne Donaldson has come under fire for attempting to slip into Kingaroy for a ‘closed’ meeting on ticks tomorrow (Tuesday, Jan 12).
Shadow Agriculture Minister Deb Frecklington, who’s called for the public consultation period on tick line changes to be extended to February 29, said she was disappointed by the new Minister’s behaviour.
“I’m disappointed because this is a major issue for our region - with nearly 200 landholders attending Saturday’s meeting in Durong,” Ms Frecklington said.
“It really is a bit sneaky.
“The Minister should be holding open meetings for all graziers and landholders who want to attend.
“She shouldn’t be trying to sneak into town unannounced to all but a selected few.”
Ms Frecklington said the Minister and the Palaszczuk Labor Government had been caught out yet again.
“The tick line is a key biosecurity management tool for livestock industries and the Minister’s January 31 deadline for public comment is totally unrealistic.
“I’ve written to her twice on the matter, but I’m yet to receive even the courtesy of an acknowledgement.
“Any operational changes to the tick line need to be fully discussed and understood by all stakeholders, not just a chosen few,” she said.
Ms Frecklington, whose Nanango electorate takes in 150km of the tick line, said hundreds of landholders stood to be affected by the government’s proposed changes, but apparently their views didn’t matter.
Concerns are mounting that not enough is being done by the Palaszczuk Labor Government to control wild dogs, a problem estimated to cost Queensland livestock industries $100 million annually.
Shadow Agriculture Minister Deb Frecklington said there had been a real lack of leadership shown by the government and it appeared Labor had washed its hands of any direct involvement in the issue.
“The Palaszczuk Government has downgraded program leadership, stacked the key advisory board and failed to hold regular meetings,” Ms Frecklington said.
“Former Agriculture Minister Bill Byrne abrogated any direct responsibility by adding layers of bureaucratic reporting that removed ministerial involvement in overseeing management of wild dogs.
“Mr Byrne went to great lengths to remove himself from any responsibility, and the new Minister Leanne Donaldson is nowhere to be found.
“Labor isn’t interested in addressing this problem and it’s going to cost Queenslanders dearly.”
Ms Frecklington said Minister Byrne had to be embarrassed into finally convening a meeting of the wild dog control advisory group QDOG in September last year.
“I understand that minutes from the meeting are still yet to be circulated,” she said.
“Mr Byrne also watered down the practical composition of the board, stacking it with greenies, shire clerks and bureaucrats with little to no knowledge of the terrible impact of wild dogs and how to control them.”
Ms Frecklington said under the LNP, QDOG had direct access to the Minister who regularly attended meetings and demanded on-time reporting.
“The Palaszczuk Labor Government is clearly not interested in the impact wild dogs have on our grazing industries,” she said.
“Labor seems to believe the wild dog menace will be solved by shiny new fences being erected in cluster models promoted by individuals and some local shires.
“Trapping, shooting and coordinated shire-wide ground and aerial baiting programs are vital and need to be continued, and this is where leadership is really needed.
“The Palaszczuk Labor Government disinterest is hurting our agriculture sector and holding Queensland back.”
Shadow Agriculture Minister Deb Frecklington today called for the public consultation period on proposed changes to the tick line to be extended for a month to the end of February.
Ms Frecklington said the tick line was a key biosecurity management tool for livestock industries and the Palaszczuk Labor Government’s January 31 deadline for public comment was totally unrealistic.
“Any operational changes need to be fully discussed and understood and stakeholders need more time to have their say,” Ms Frecklington said.
Ms Frecklington, whose Nanango electorate is dissected by more 150 km of the tick line, said hundreds of smaller landholders in her own region stood to be affected.
“I’m particularly concerned the consultation period is being held over the Christmas/New Year holidays when not everyone is around or fully focussed on industry issues,” she said.
“The new Minister needs to understand that not everyone in the bush has access to high-speed broadband internet and therefore submissions should be allowed to be mailed-in, not just emailed to the Department.
“Moreover, for the past few weeks the map on the government website* hasn’t been working.
“It’s not good enough that the line overlays showing the three options for the proposed tick line can’t be downloaded yet the Palaszczuk Labor Government expect people to provide informed submissions.”
Ms Frecklington said she was especially concerned for landholders whose properties may be affected by any boundary changes.
“There’s lots questions surrounding moves to self-assessment, and this is not just an issue for Queensland,” she said.
“When 600hp-plus trucks can cross two states overnight, we need to get this right.”
*Links below where the map on the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries website is not downloading properly:
http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=6af36b4047ba49228cdfc9d059401b9e&extent=134.0872,-29.3486,161.0037,-11.2914
Shadow Minister for Health Mark McArdle and patient advocate Justine Christerson have jointly called for the development of an App to help rural and regional Queenslanders access information about the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme (PTSS).
Ms Christerson said the contact she received each day from regional Queenslanders asking for advice on accommodation and costs when staying in Brisbane for medical treatment was proof the App was needed.
“The PTSS is supposed to help regional and rural Queenslanders with their accommodation costs but the information is not getting to them,” she said.
“Many rural and regional Queenslanders don’t even know the PTSS exists, where they can stay or the costs of where they can stay,” she said.
“An App is a common sense way of getting this information to patients and their families 24 hours a day, seven days a week, especially when many people in Queensland Health work five days per week.
“At a time when they are concerned about the health of their loved ones or themselves, this would at least help to ease that burden a little.”
Mr McArdle said the LNP Government had doubled the PTSS in 2012, increasing the scheme for the first time since 1987.
“The LNP acted quickly to improve affordable access to health services for rural and regional Queenslanders and it’s time the Palaszczuk Labor Government stepped up to show their support,” he said.
“You can imagine living in Cairns, Mt Isa or Cunnamulla and being told that you or a loved one must to go to Brisbane for medical treatment and could spend months away from home.
“It can be a daunting experience for these Queenslanders who don’t know Brisbane, let alone how to get to the hospital, where they can find accommodation or where to get food.
“An App doesn’t sleep and could help ease the burden and stress of travelling to access health services.”
