In the Aspley electorate we had some fantastic Anzac Day services—on the day itself and earlier in the week undertaken by local schools—which I was honoured to attend. I mention the Geebung RSL dawn service, the Kedron-Wavell RSL dawn service, the Aspley Hornets dawn service, the Pinaroo Cemetery service, the Zillmere service at which my office was happy to represent me, the Kedron-Wavell main service and the Anzac Day service at Bald Hills.
The Geebung RSL sub-branch and the Kedron-Wavell RSL did, as they always do, an outstanding job on the day, bouncing from service to service. It was fantastic to see the community turn out in great numbers everywhere. I also thank Sharon from the Aspley Florist, a great small business operator who every year makes a sterling effort to meet demand for wreaths.
Recently in our local community I was very pleased to join Anika Wells, the Labor candidate for Lilley, for her announcement that the Northside Wizards would receive an additional $2 million from an incoming Shorten Labor government to help make the coming new home for basketball on the north side even better. Northside CEO Allan Woodford said—
"These funds will help us complete the Zillmere project and have the equipment and furnishings to undertake full operations early
in 2020."
He continues—
"It’s a credit to all the volunteers, players and staff at Wizards that Labor sees the benefit of the much needed courts and the
community benefit the facility will bring. It’s a great boost and we’re absolutely ecstatic and grateful."
In addition to the benefits to a growing sport on the north side, within the Lilley and Petrie electorates in particular, this funding will be a real boost for the Zillmere area, giving kids more productive after-school activities at a location that could not be better linked to public transport.
It is clear on the north side at this federal election that you get investment back in the community from Labor or you get cuts, chaos and Clive Palmer under the LNP. I was shocked to learn this week that Clive Palmer is now directly funding LNP advertising on the north side. I table an article titled ‘Facebook account linked to Clive Palmer pays for Queensland LNP election ad’.
*Tabled paper: Article from the Guardian online, dated 14 May 2019, titled ‘Facebook account linked to Clive Palmer pays for
Queensland LNP election ad’ [776].*
This is a new low for the LNP. They are getting desperate and they will accept any currency in the last week of a campaign. They burned all their Turnbull bucks last year. There are no Turnbull millions to bail them out this time. There are no more developer dollars allowed. As we all know, they lost their High Court challenge. Now they are chasing the Palmer pesos, wired in direct from Fiji. The Palmer pesos are now directly funding the LNP campaign on the north side. What a disgrace! They are happy to take support and funding from a bloke who cannot even pay his staff what they are owed.
We need a federal government that is focused on wages growth and jobs growth, not on doing deals with
Clive Palmer. We need a Shorten Labor government, not the cuts and chaos of a Morrison-PalmerHanson coalition.