May2011_CAROLYNS PINE RIVERS NEWS
State Member for Pine Rivers
Blame game on water ends
An announcement was made by Premier Anna Bligh that changes to the South-East Queensland Water (Distribution and Retail Restructuring) Act 2009 will allow South East Queensland Councils to take back control of their water retail businesses.
The changes will also force local governments to reduce water price increases for the next two years.
These changes will ensure that the Moreton Bay Regional Council is directly accountable for their ratepayers’ water costs.
Under the changes the Council will have until 1 July 2011 to decide whether to opt out but this will be subject to consultation.
If the Moreton Bay Regional Council wants to opt out they will have to show the Government how they intend to mitigate price impacts on customers in the future.
The State Government will continue to produce and treat the bulk water that is delivered to the water utilities.
Buy Local – Back Queensland
Following Queensland’s recent natural disasters, many of our small businesses are doing it tough.
It’s now more important than ever to buy local and back Queensland.
By supporting businesses in your area you can ensure that the money goes back to Queensland communities. This will also help to keep Queenslanders employed.
It’s easy to get involved in the buy local campaign:
– Queenslanders: check out our world-class sporting events and artists, discover local restaurants and boutiques, taste our great produce and visit Queensland’s top holiday destinations.
– Businesses: use the buy local toolkit (http://www.sd.qld.gov.au/buylocal/131.html) to show that you are a proud Queensland business.
– Community Groups and Industry Groups: pass on the buy local message to your members and clients.
Keeping our economy strong supports Queensland’s dynamic regions and maintains our unique community character.
Show your support by buying local, embracing what our State has to offer and backing Queensland. Visit http://www.sd.qld.gov.au/buylocal.
‘Dob in a pothole’
The State Government is asking Queenslanders to ‘Dob in a Pothole’ to help Main Roads repair pothole damage caused by our unprecedented natural disasters.
One of the largest pothole-fixing operations on record is occurring across Queensland.
Crews are out all over the State doing emergency and longer-term repairs, with an estimated 10,000 potholes already fixed.
We all hate potholes and I ask people to dob them in, when and where they find them.
We want road users to ‘Dob in a Pothole’ to ensure that no pothole escapes the asphalt of our repair crews.
Where potholes are not on State Government roads, our staff will refer these potholes to local councils while we will look after Commonwealth road repair work.
I urge road users to call Main Roads on 13 19 40 and listen to the prompts to report any potholes or road hazards they encounter.
Bligh Government bolsters child sex offender laws
New child sex offender laws passed by State Parliament will result in stricter reporting requirements and tougher penalties for offenders who fail to comply with their reporting obligations.
Children were the most vulnerable members of the community and, as such, needed the highest possible level of protection.
Queensland’s sex offender laws were already among the toughest in Australia.
Under our new laws, failure to advise police of changes to personal details, or giving false and misleading information, will now attract a maximum penalty of five years jail or a $30,000 fine.
Additionally, the new laws expand the list of matters offenders now need to report to police including all telecommunication services (telephones, internet services, email addresses) and passport details.
Reporting timeframes have also been substantially reduced.
Police will also be able to take DNA samples from reportable offenders in certain circumstances, while the range of offences that require automatic listing on the Child Sex Offender Register has been expanded,
Our laws enhance the ability of police to monitor offenders in the community and enables police to intervene at a much earlier stage in situations where children may be exposed to risk.
Facebook
You can now also contact me in regards to any State Government matters by adding me as your friend on Facebook – just search for Carolyn Male.
The changes will also force local governments to reduce water price increases for the next two years.
These changes will ensure that the Moreton Bay Regional Council is directly accountable for their ratepayers’ water costs.
Under the changes the Council will have until 1 July 2011 to decide whether to opt out but this will be subject to consultation.
If the Moreton Bay Regional Council wants to opt out they will have to show the Government how they intend to mitigate price impacts on customers in the future.
The State Government will continue to produce and treat the bulk water that is delivered to the water utilities.
Buy Local – Back Queensland
Following Queensland’s recent natural disasters, many of our small businesses are doing it tough.
It’s now more important than ever to buy local and back Queensland.
By supporting businesses in your area you can ensure that the money goes back to Queensland communities. This will also help to keep Queenslanders employed.
It’s easy to get involved in the buy local campaign:
– Queenslanders: check out our world-class sporting events and artists, discover local restaurants and boutiques, taste our great produce and visit Queensland’s top holiday destinations.
– Businesses: use the buy local toolkit (http://www.sd.qld.gov.au/buylocal/131.html) to show that you are a proud Queensland business.
– Community Groups and Industry Groups: pass on the buy local message to your members and clients.
Keeping our economy strong supports Queensland’s dynamic regions and maintains our unique community character.
Show your support by buying local, embracing what our State has to offer and backing Queensland. Visit http://www.sd.qld.gov.au/buylocal.
‘Dob in a pothole’
The State Government is asking Queenslanders to ‘Dob in a Pothole’ to help Main Roads repair pothole damage caused by our unprecedented natural disasters.
One of the largest pothole-fixing operations on record is occurring across Queensland.
Crews are out all over the State doing emergency and longer-term repairs, with an estimated 10,000 potholes already fixed.
We all hate potholes and I ask people to dob them in, when and where they find them.
We want road users to ‘Dob in a Pothole’ to ensure that no pothole escapes the asphalt of our repair crews.
Where potholes are not on State Government roads, our staff will refer these potholes to local councils while we will look after Commonwealth road repair work.
I urge road users to call Main Roads on 13 19 40 and listen to the prompts to report any potholes or road hazards they encounter.
Bligh Government bolsters child sex offender laws
New child sex offender laws passed by State Parliament will result in stricter reporting requirements and tougher penalties for offenders who fail to comply with their reporting obligations.
Children were the most vulnerable members of the community and, as such, needed the highest possible level of protection.
Queensland’s sex offender laws were already among the toughest in Australia.
Under our new laws, failure to advise police of changes to personal details, or giving false and misleading information, will now attract a maximum penalty of five years jail or a $30,000 fine.
Additionally, the new laws expand the list of matters offenders now need to report to police including all telecommunication services (telephones, internet services, email addresses) and passport details.
Reporting timeframes have also been substantially reduced.
Police will also be able to take DNA samples from reportable offenders in certain circumstances, while the range of offences that require automatic listing on the Child Sex Offender Register has been expanded,
Our laws enhance the ability of police to monitor offenders in the community and enables police to intervene at a much earlier stage in situations where children may be exposed to risk.
You can now also contact me in regards to any State Government matters by adding me as your friend on Facebook – just search for Carolyn Male.
Carolyn
