There are many occasions to share this month including ANZAC Day highlighted on Page 4, and the Easter break which happily saw much better statistics behaviour wise. Teewah Beach had 541 Random Breath Tests (RBT’s) resulting in 2 drink and 3 drug drivers, and of the 112 traffic infringement notices issued between 7- 10 April, 34 were for speed, 9 for reckless driving and 24 for vehicle defects and modifications. We thank our police, Noosa Council and QPWS teams, as well residents and visitors who did in the vast majority respect our community and each other. However, for those who left more than their footprints, including rubbish and dirty nappies Shoey and I, as well no doubt others collected from where you left it on our beaches and parks, shame on you. If you can carry it in, you can carry it out!!

It is that time of the year where we get to acknowledge our brilliant volunteers and businesses who provide their services free of charge for our community via the 2023 Noosa Electorate Queensland Day Awards which are now OPEN! So, for all organisations, please get your nominations in (2 per organisation) by jumping online here, or for hard copy application, please drop in or call our office on 53193100. Nominations close 21 May 2023 so get those in quick!

A reminder, with more properties in our electorate now over the $600k threshold for Land Tax,  exemptions are available including for your ‘home’, with information here. For those who are unable to apply online, our office can print paper forms which can be returned by mail. We will provide an update once we have a response from the Treasurer to my ‘Question on Notice’ asking him again to commit to a review of the Land Tax threshold which has not changed since 2008-09. On the Land Valuation side, we have information here including how to lodge an objection if you believe yours is incorrect, and how Council rates are calculated here.

L-R: Seeds for Change Meeting with ZEN; Lifeline 60th Birthday; Voice to Parliament Panel and Q&A

From the Chamber and Beyond

With my fellow co-chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of First Nations Peoples Rob Molheok MP and Minister Leanne Enoch MP we welcomed everyone to a Voice to Parliament Panel and Q&A event, including those from our own community! Much was learnt, including the decades of frustration in cycling through endless inquiries, commissions, reports and advisory boards, that with each change of government, commences all over again. No wonder that many indigenous (and non-indigenous!) have little trust in governments, politicians, and political parties! Key takeouts included how a Voice will give ability to make a difference, and the importance of understanding that differing of opinions is NOT a division of First Australians. When a ‘No’ Panel/Q&A is held, I will also attend and share takeouts. I thank all in attendance for an incredibly informative session, including Noosa’s Noel Pearson who is termed the ‘architect’ of the Voice, and has dedicated decades to improving the lives of his fellow First Australians. A top guy!

A ‘cognate’ is where 2 bills are debated together ending in a single vote to pass both or not, at the same time. Two cognates were on the Notice paper, both relating to policing. The first was ‘Jacks Law’ and Police Service Administration, with my main concern that the expanded scanner trial did not include areas beyond Safe Night Precincts, given that we do not have one in Noosa.

The other, Powers and Responsibilities, included the expansion of the drug diversion program for minor drug offences other than cannabis, as well as enhancing the capacity of Queensland Police Service (QPS) to monitor reportable offenders under the Child Protection Act. In addition, investigate organised crime and cybercrime, as well address the dangers of hooning which is a persistent problem across QLD including here at home, so these were very welcomed. My speeches outline concerns, as well the rationale how I used Noosa’s vote, referring to results from the Noosa MP Annual Community Survey, demonstrating how your input is utilized!

Our unrelenting advocacy continues for a review of Queensland’s committee system, and as I wrote in the Noosa Today, if our ‘de facto’ Upper House is not fixed, we will continue to see results that fall far short of what Noosa and indeed QLD needs, and expects. Ultimately, we must repair the foundation that decisions are made on, otherwise it is just like painting over rotten timber – might look good, however hides the real issue! My speech on the proposed caps to local government election campaign spending included experiences from my time as a Councilor. Whilst decreases are another step in the right direction, there are concerns that the proposed cap is still too high for smaller shires such as Noosa. $30,000 is a lot of money especially for those who are not aligned to a political party and as MP’s raised, politicising local government is a backward step for Queensland. This is why more than ever we need independent representatives who are focused on their community, not party stances, ideology, or career paths. Ensuring the integrity of our elections is vital, which includes fixing associated processes such as ending voter data harvesting by political parties which saw overwhelming support in our last community survey.  We can make the change; however, it takes all who are tired of being ‘hoodwinked’ to stand up and say ‘enough, is enough’!

At a Communities in Crisis event, we learnt that the fallout from natural disasters and COVID continues with statistics showing the demand on Lifeline and other long standing support services is far reaching. These not for profits do vital work and need greater funding from governments to do what they do. It was lovely to share a piece of their 60th birthday cake and meet some really phenomenal people!

L-R: Mobile Office ‘Moby’ at Boreen Point; St Thomas More yr. 6 students; Noosa Netball Season Openers

On the Homefront

Zero Emissions Noosa ‘Seeds of Change’ funded walking and cycling community engagement project Stage 1 revealed gaps to our connectivity via missing links and road crossings, which needs to be addressed to encourage more to take up fabulous, healthier, enviro-friendly travel options!  Thank you to all who participated, further updates after Stage 2!

Yes, I love doing Mobile Offices or ‘Mobys’, especially where I have to dig deep into my grey matter on a multitude of issues, many not in the state realm! A Q&A roundtable at Boreen Point saw great diversity, from wastewater systems to planning schemes, telecommunications (or should I say lack of!) and delays in foreshore remediation. Then onward to Tewantin where we welcomed new businesses including Galleryone93 and Flannerys Organic and dropped in on ‘old’ such as our beloved Parkyn’s Hut. Many streetside chats with long time locals and their furry friends before viewing sensational artwork at the Tewantin Bendigo Bank. I never tire of immersing in the vibe of this lovely  historic riverside village.

‘Kick offs’ are always fun, this time for Noosa Netball and Rugby seasons. Gratitude to all who make sport available to us whether we are young, or not so young. It empowers, encourages and gets us fitter, with fun and new friends made whether we play, support, or donate! Of concern is increasing costs, and we need those ‘up’ those vouchers!

Being in the ‘Hot Seat’ alongside Mayor Clare with St Thomas More Primary School Sunshine Beach year 6 students is always an annual favourite! Questions included around the Voice to Parliament, the pros, and cons of being a Mayor and MP, all the way to what our first jobs were! Thank you to all for a wonderful session, you make our world!

A number of meetings and roundtables including with Noosa Businesses to give and hear relevant updates and am waiting for current data on staff shortages to quantify what accommodations are still needed as we are currently running ‘blind’. With wine and spirit bottles to be included in the Container for Change Initiative from 1 November 2023, in preparation I met up with Josie & Nikki from Express Recycling to receive an update on their ‘Charity Buddy’ initiative and will share via Facebook once finalised. Please continue to recycle these normally until then, with further information here.

From the Inbox

For those with enquiries on Alexandria Bay, we have posted a new update to Noosa 360 which can be found here. We are also seeking resident feedback relating to current laws for clothing options beaches and welcome your input here.

Regarding the Cooloola Great Walk, the Kabi Kabi Registered Native Title Claimants have provided responses to questions asked of our office following a women’s gathering at Poona Lake. We have posted the answers in full to Noosa 360 which is available here as well the latest response from the Minister regarding here. Following safety concerns regarding the use of motorised bikes and scooters, the sharing of pathways, possible bicycle registration and more, we have posted our latest update to Noosa 360 here, including current regulations.

The consultation period for the AirServices Australia’s Post Implementation Review (PIR) has completed. Even though in the Federal Government realm,  we prepared a Noosa 360 summary with points relevant to the Noosa Electorate   available here.

Government has undertaken consultation on the draft proposed Mary Basin Water Plan for 2024 onwards which covers the Mary, Burrum, Noosa, Maroochy and Mooloolah River catchments and the sustainable management and use of water in the basin. The draft stated that the Noosa River will have high water flows and minimal flow degradation, leading to a proposal to extract an additional 2.5k ML per year of water from the Six Mile River Dam for SEQ water usage. Further information is available here. The Department of Environment and Science (DES) is seeking feedback until 12 May on the future of the Teewah Airstrip, which has been utilised historically by our community including for evacuations during fires. Option one is to transfer the current Reserve of over 400 hectares wholly to National Park tenure, and option two is to transfer the uncleared part of the Reserve lot to National Park tenure and retain the cleared landing area (approximately 3%) as Landing Ground Reserve or some other form of appropriate tenure for community use. Information is here.

L-R: Mobile Office ‘Moby’ in Tewantin

Grants and Reminders

More upcoming grants:

For further State Government grant opportunities see the QLD Government Grant Finder or Grants Guru.

Parliamentary Speeches and Questions

Recent Questions on Notice (QON’s) can be found at www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Questions-on-Notice-and-Answers. and latest speeches at www.sandybolton.com/parliament/speeches

Upcoming Mobile Offices – To be advised due to rescheduling.

Follow ‘Sandy Bolton MP’ on Facebook to receive alerts of Mobile Offices in our electorate. As always, if you have any questions or require assistance regarding state related matters, or do not know where to start, please contact our office at 5319 3100 or via email to noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au.

Have Your Say

For a complete list of Queensland State Government Consultations, including on Incident and Disaster Warnings in Queensland, head to www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au/gi

New submission periods are always opening for bills going through parliament committees so to hear firsthand and to receive other updates, you can subscribe at www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Visit-and-learn/Have-Your-Say/Subscribe

Office Reminders

Our office is open 9am – 4pm Monday to Friday, except during public holidays.  For community organisations we have the photocopier, marquees, and trailer available at no charge for your use, simply phone and book on 5319 3100.

Connect

With so much to share, stay up to date via  Noosa 360, Facebook page updates or our monthly newsletters. Columns are in Noosa Today, Coolum Advertiser, Cooroy Rag, Your Local Lifestyle, Forest star and Eastern Beaches News.

L-R: Noosa Electorate ANZAC Day services 2023

And finally….

This year’s ANZAC Day services were the biggest I have ever seen. Gratitude to all who came together to commemorate the sacrifices made by our service men and women and their families, whether at the dawn services at Cooroy, Tewantin, and Peregian, or parades with moving speeches, flyovers and our wonderful youngsters paying their respects. Thank you to all the sub-branch members, our police, SES, QFES, and other front liners, and all who attended. The gratitude expressed to our veterans and their loved ones was deep and very emotionally moving, and as I said in my address at Tewantin, we must continue to make our veterans proud through our actions, not just our words, as they did for us. We will never, ever forget.

Until next month, enjoy this glorious autumn weather! If you have never viewed the live streaming of Parliament, we are currently at the regional sitting in Cairns, so you may like to pop online when you are having a cuppa to see what we are debating?

See you when I get home! And PS. We have a new grandbubba, Vivienne, so it has been an amazing month!

Sandy