Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington says 2018 is set to be a huge year for the Swickers Bacon Factory and the South Burnett community, starting this week with the official opening and sod turning ceremony.
Ms Frecklington said Swickers had made an amazing recovery over the past year since the fire, and it was fantastic to join with the owners, employees and community to celebrate the official opening of the restored facilities.
"It is inspirational to see the results of the hard work the Swickers staff have put in to make this a reality," Deb said.
"It has been a mammoth task, and we can’t thank Swickers enough for the commitment they have made to remain in our community and grow the pork industry. The announcement to further expand the business with a new $60 million abattoir extension is fantastic and will really boost the local economy.
"Swickers are our region’s largest employer and the largest pork processor in the southern hemisphere. This is a state-of-the-art facility supporting primary producers growing the best pork in the world. We have much to be proud of here in Kingaroy," Deb said.
On top of the official events being held this week, Deb said the region will also be put on the map with Kingaroy’s first ever ‘BaconFest’, an idea being brought to life by an enthusiastic group of local community members.
"There’s a lot of excitement and interest in the inaugural festival being held in August this year. It will celebrate life in the South Burnett, and use bacon, one of the nation’s favourite foods, to attract thousands of new visitors to our region," Deb said.
"Plus, SunPork Fresh Foods have announced they will sponsor $25,000 towards getting this first event off the ground. That’s a major commitment to the region and this fantastic initiative," she said.
Today we welcome thousands of Queensland children back to school.
As a Mum, I understand the excitement, anticipation and first day nerves of families across the state.
Education is incredibly important and all Queensland children deserve to have the best start to their futures in our classrooms.
I would like to wish all the families who are beginning their schooling journey for the first time and those returning, good luck and remember to enjoy every day.
To our teachers, especially those who are starting teaching for the first time, I wish you well.
Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington has announced an assault on the terrifying ICE epidemic ravaging our regions.
Mrs Frecklington is calling for bipartisan support for the LNP’s ICE strategy and has announced forums in regional centres in February to hear directly from Queenslanders affected by the drug scourge.
"ICE has infiltrated our small towns and cities, it is destroying families and attacking the very soul and fabric of our communities," Mrs Frecklington said.
"This drug doesn’t discriminate, it decimates. In our South Burnett region, cars get stolen, houses are robbed, and businesses are being broken into just so people can feed their habit.
"Everything ICE touches it hurts. You don’t need to be addicted or even use this deadly drug to be haunted by its effects. No area is immune.
"There is nothing more heartbreaking than someone from my community reaches out to tell me how ICE has devastated their family, extended family and livelihood.
"I don’t want our regional towns and regional people to suffer anymore. I certainly don’t want us to give up without a fight. It is one of my main priorities as LNP Leader.
"I am proud of the comprehensive ICE strategy we took to the state election but distraught that politics may get in the way and it may never be implemented.
"I am happy to provide bipartisan support because this issue is above politics. People’s lives are at stake. In fact the longevity and well-being of whole communities, especially in regional Queensland, are at stake."
The LNP’s comprehensive plan included four new drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres around the state, a boosted funding program for prevention services such as Lives Well Lived to target high-risk demographics as well as increased crime prevention and awareness, stronger enforcement and shutting down organised crime networks that supply drugs to our kids.
The Community ICE Forums closest to our region will be held in:
To register your interest to attend please visit: https://lnpq.typeform.com/to/cnBv29
Liberal National Party Leader Deb Frecklington today announced an assault on the terrifying ICE epidemic ravaging Queensland.
Ms Frecklington is calling for bipartisan support for the Liberal National Party’s ICE strategy and would hold forums in four regional centres in coming weeks to hear directly from Queenslanders affected by the drug scourge.*
“ICE has infiltrated our small towns and cities, it is destroying families and attacking the very soul and fabric of our communities,” Ms Frecklington said.
“This drug doesn’t discriminate, it decimates. Everything ICE touches it hurts. You don’t need to be addicted or even use this deadly drug to be haunted by its effects. No area is immune. In my electorate cars get stolen and people are robbed just so people can feed their habit.
“There is nothing more heartbreaking than when a person from my community reaches out to tell me how ICE has devastated their family, extended family and livelihood. “In many parts of regional Queensland, youth unemployment is at crisis levels. In Western Queensland, it is above 50%. This is fertile territory for ICE and once it gets a foothold it spreads like wildfire. “I don’t want our regional towns and regional people to suffer anymore. I certainly don’t want us to give up without a fight. It is one of my main priorities as Liberal National Party Leader.
“I am proud of the comprehensive ICE strategy we took to the state election but distraught that politics may get in the way and it may never be implemented. “I would like Annastacia Palaszczuk to take our plan and enact it. I am happy to provide bipartisan support because this issue is above politics. People’s lives are at stake. In fact the longevity and well-being of whole communities, especially in regional Queensland, are at stake.
” The LNP’s comprehensive plan included four new drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres around the state, a boosted funding program for prevention services such as Lives Well Lived to target high-risk demographics as well as increased crime prevention and awareness, stronger enforcement and shutting down organised crime networks that supply drugs to our kids.
*The Community ICE Forums will be held in:
To register your interest to attend please visit: www.facebook.com/DebFrecklingtonMP
Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington says wait times for the reimbursement of Patient Travel Subsidies for people in the South Burnett are unacceptable, with some people waiting up to three months.
Mrs Frecklington said that over recent months, she had been approached by several constituents who explained they had waited up to 12 weeks to have their claims processed.
“The wait times are out of control and it is completely unacceptable. Many people from our community rely on the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme to allow them to afford treatment when they have to travel to Brisbane or Toowoomba,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“This is affecting our most vulnerable community members, many of whom are pensioners and are undergoing treatment for cancer and other serious conditions. It is causing them a lot of anxiety and frustration. “I have been told that before Christmas, there were more than 700 claims waiting to be processed, but there’s just not enough staff to fix the backlog.
“It is obvious this Labor Government has a total disregard for people from regional areas. They need to fix this problem urgently,” Deb said.
