Bus route ignores the people it services
PROVIDING the everyday services that improve the lives of people in local communities is a vital part of what governments should do.
When in government, I campaigned hard to get the funding put in place to ensure that a new bus route would be established to help the people of Berrinba and surrounding areas.
I trusted that the new LNP state government would honour that arrangement to ensure that local people in Berrinba and other suburbs in the Woodridge electorate would receive the best possible outcome.
In recent weeks I’ve become aware that the design of the new bus route including the placement of bus stops is occurring without any proper public consultation.
That would be a massive mistake.
The best way to deliver the best service is for the government to conduct the appropriate levels of consultation with people at a grass roots level.
Local people know what will and won’t work.
When it comes to this particular matter the people of the Woodridge electorate, particularly residents in Berrinba, know best.
So I will be doing everything in my power to ensure that, before mistakes are made, the Crisafulli LNP Government consults with our community on this new bus route.
I have written to the LNP Minister for Transport and Main Roads, calling on him to properly consult our community on this important new community service.
As I said, government’s should always focus on, and listen to, local communities and the services they need.
The people of Berrinba and the Woodridge electorate deserve nothing less.
Anzac Day a special time
LAST week we commemorated that special day in our nation’s calendar, ANZAC Day.
It was especially pleasing to see the many thousands of people here in the Woodridge electorate and the City of Logan who attended the various services that were held.
In particular, I was moved by the Anzac Day services I attended at schools in our community, including Marsden State High School, Browns Plains State High School, Crestmead State School and Yugumbir State School.
For as long as the stories of service and sacrifice are told in our schools, the spirit of Anzac will live on.
From the solemnity and truly moving nature of Dawn Services, to the marches and the heartfelt gratitude of all those who looked on, Anzac Day itself brought us all together in a very special way.
It occurred to me, while at the Dawn Service at Logan Central and later participating in the march and then the morning service at the Logan Cenotaph, that the people of Logan are playing a vital role in helping to keep the Anzac spirit very much alive.
It is a spirit that first emerged on the morning of 25 April, 1915, on the shores of Gallipoli.
Though those events occurred 110 years ago this year, they still resonate today.
Imagine the tension that must have settled on all those young men as they waited offshore at Gallipoli, in the boats, in the darkness, over a century ago.
Surrounded by stillness, interrupted only by the occasional slap of water against a hull and the stifled shuffling of soldiers waiting for battle.
When the moment came, with boats and the men forging through the water, the silence was quickly shattered by the sound of shells whistling through the air, and cries from diggers wounded and dying.
But as we know, despite terrible casualties, those original Anzacs would not be deterred.
Not only did they persevere against the most dangerous of odds, they helped forge a legend, a spirit that lives to this day.
That Anzac spirit is nurtured and preserved by the people I saw in Logan this week.
You could see in their faces the sincere gratitude they have for all those who came before them; appreciation for the selfless efforts of all those who fought for the freedoms we enjoy today.
In that sense, the Anzac spirit lives on.
It lives on in the friendship, mateship, care and compassion and sense of community that binds the people of Logan together.
Anzac Day is always special.
But what makes it really special is seeing the people of Logan embrace the Anzac spirit.
In Logan that sacred flame will always shine brightly in the pre-dawn darkness, and in the day that follows.
Usman hits us for six
I HAD the pleasure of catching up with Queensland and Australian cricket star Usman Khawaja and a great bunch of students at Woodridge North State School last week.
Usman’s story is one of strength and resilience that resulted in a spectacular comeback to the Australian test team.
He has scored prolifically at international level ever since, including scoring a double century earlier this year during Australia’s victorious test tour of Sri Lanka.
But Usman’s qualities go far beyond his ability to wield the willow.
While Usman is a humble man, he’s also unafraid to speak his mind and is a passionate believer in everyone in society being given a fair go.
It was illuminating to watch Usman at close quarters and to see his interactions with the students at Woodridge North State School.
Usman’s charitable foundation, the Usman Khawaja Foundation, is partnering with another great organisation that serves our community, SSI – Settlement Services International, to empower children and young people from migrant and culturally diverse backgrounds through sport.
The new partnership was launched at Woodridge North State School, and will deliver joint cricket clinics across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
In addition, the aim is to host UKF SSI Multicultural Cups targeted at young people from English language schools.
It’s all directed at increasing the sense of belonging and connection to Australian culture for young people from migrant backgrounds.
It’s so Usman!
He’s given so much to Australian cricket and now he’s giving to the broader community at the grass roots level.
Our City of Logan is one of the most diverse and multicultural in the world, so it was the perfect place for Usman to launch this great new initiative.
And Usman knows what it likes to live in a different culture. He was born in Pakistan and moved to Australia with his family when he was 4 years of age.
Usman’s dedication to helping young people hit me for six.
I wish Usman, his foundation, SSI and all the kids who come into contact with Usman’s ambitious program all the very best.
For Usman and SSI, it’s not just cricket – it’s about a better society as well.
