Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington has met with residents from Coominya in relation to concerns about hooning through the township.
Deb said local residents had contacted her recently with complaints about hooning activity which had been ongoing in the Coominya township and surrounding areas for at least 18 months.
“The community has had enough of the blatant and frequent hooning in their town and they are seeking solutions for this anti-social behaviour,” Deb said.
“This dangerous activity, which occurs on many nights of the week, often in the early hours of the morning, is negatively impacting the local residents, with interrupted sleep, anxiety and noise issues.
“It is also well known by locals and road users that organised hooning activity often occurs at the intersection of the Coominya Connection Road and the Brisbane Valley Highway, with visible tyre markings on this section of road.
“On behalf of the community, I recently wrote* to the Police Minister asking for these legitimate concerns to be addressed and actioned.
“On top of this, I was also pleased to meet and discuss these concerns with several local residents during a recent visit by the Mobile Police Beat to Coominya on Friday 19th July.
“We were able to highlight these problems directly with local police and hear how they are working to reduce the problem, through extra surveillance, proactive patrols and monitoring.
“I’d like to thank the officers for bringing the Mobile Police Beat to Coominya. It is a great service linking the community directly to the Police Service to help address problems people are facing.
“With regard to hooning in Coominya and in other areas across the Somerset, like Dundas, I will continue to advocate for installation of anti-hooning measures and policing solutions to help protect and ensure the safety of our community,” Deb said.
Photo: Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington met with Coominya residents at the Mobile Police Beat to discuss the issue of hooning in Coominya and its surrounding districts.
Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington has urgently written to the Minister for Health about why the bus providing daily transport for patients from the South Burnett to Toowoomba Hospital is no longer operating.
Deb said she has received multiple complaints from the South Burnett community who have raised concerns that the bus is not available.
“The daily hospital bus from the South Burnett to Toowoomba Hospital is an essential service and it is unacceptable that it is currently not running,” Deb said.
“In 2016 I fought for this service to be implemented and since then it has been invaluable in helping people access their specialist and surgery appointments in Toowoomba.
“The bus is used by young families, the elderly, frail and people who don’t have their own transport so they can access essential health care which is not otherwise available in Kingaroy.
“I am very concerned that people may be missing their appointments because the bus isn’t running and I want to see the bus back on the road as soon as possible.
“I have asked for an immediate update on the status of the hospital bus, why it is currently not operating and when the service will be returned,” Deb said.
Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington has showcased the artistic talent of the South Burnett during the recent visit to the South Burnett of the LNP’s Shadow Minister for the Arts, Dr Christian Rowan.
Deb said it was a great opportunity to visit the Wondai Regional Art Gallery and highlight the quality of our local artists.
“I was very proud to introduce Dr Rowan to community champion, Elaine Madill and tour the Wondai Art Gallery,” Deb said.
“We were also very lucky to have a sneak preview of the much-anticipated Queensland Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) travelling exhibition which will be on display at Wondai during July and August.
“Hosting an exhibition such as this shows just how respected the Wondai Regional Art Gallery has become and I would encourage everyone to take the time to visit the gallery and immerse themselves in this unique experience.
“I would like to thank Elaine and the gallery volunteers for their endless enthusiasm for promoting the arts in our region.
“They were able to share this enthusiasm with Dr Rowan and emphasise the importance of improving access to the arts in regional areas like ours,” Deb said.
Photo: Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington was proud to showcase the great work of the Wondai Regional Art Gallery with the LNP’s Shadow Minister for the Arts, Dr Christian Rowan
There is no doubt that our region is currently experiencing a housing crisis. Here in the South Burnett, I’m sure we all know somebody who is experiencing housing difficulties, whether it be a family desperately trying to find a rental property, a young person finding it impossible to get ahead and buy their first home, or a vulnerable person languishing on the social homes waiting list.
In fact, when it comes to social housing, there are currently 40,000 Queenslanders currently on the wait list. When it comes to the rental market, in Kingaroy the current residential vacancy rate is 0.9%, in Nanango its 0.6% and in Murgon it’s even worse at 0.1%.
This is extremely concerning and I am regularly contacted by people sharing their story and concerns.
It is obvious there has been a decade of failure under the Labor State Government to plan for our growing state and regions.
That’s why the LNP have announced a bold housing plan with six key policy areas to secure Queensland’s housing foundations over the coming two decades, with an ambitious plan to boost home ownership, unleash the community housing sector, turbocharge new housing and drive rental affordability. The LNP’s ‘Securing our Housing Foundations’ Plan includes:
The LNP’s housing plan not only maps out a clear path to the housing we need for Queensland’s future, it also unlocks the door to achieving it.
I am particularly excited about the opportunities these policies will provide for people who aspire to home ownership, but who have been on the housing hamster-wheel and just haven’t been able to get ahead.
We will offer a big boost into new homes by abolishing stamp duty for all new homes along with a big boost into existing homes by raising the threshold for full stamp duty concessions up to $700,000, with partial concessions up to $800,000.
The LNP will also close the deposit gap for those young Queenslanders without access to the bank of mum and dad with a shared equity program for 1,000 homes.
For years Queensland has been lagging at the bottom of the home ownership ladder.
Census data shows that the percentage of Queenslanders owning their own home has fallen from 70% in 1971 to 64% in 2021.
In 1971, 53% of 25 to 29-year-olds in Queensland owned their own home, fifty years late in 2021 that had plummeted to 35%.
Queenslanders aged 30 to 34-years-old have also been pushed out of home ownership, their numbers falling from 63% to 49% in that time. Sadly, many young people do not believe they will ever be able to buy their own home in Queensland.
The LNP’s ambitious and visionary target aims to change this and put Queensland at the top of the nation for home ownership within a decade.
Ensuring more people have the opportunity to own their own home is a priority for the LNP because it’s a priority for Queenslanders. The LNP is the only party in Queensland with a plan to ease the Queensland Housing Crisis.
Addressing the housing crisis in our region will also have flow-on affects for other issues, such as the doctor shortage in the South Burnett. With better access to housing, it will make a huge difference as we work to attract GP’s and other specialists to live and practice locally.
Over the coming months I look forward to bringing you more information on the key issues you are asking me about and as always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact my office at nanango@parliament.qld.gov.au.
Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington has focused on the needs of the education sector in the South Burnett during a recent visit to the region by LNP Shadow Minister for Education, Dr Christian Rowan.
Deb said the Shadow Minister’s visit was an excellent opportunity to shine a spotlight on our local schools and hear directly from teachers and staff.
“I was really pleased to welcome our LNP Shadow Minister for Education, Dr Christian Rowan to the South Burnett to highlight some of the great achievements at our schools, but also discuss the challenges we face in the regional education sector,” Deb said.
“It was a jam-packed day with visits to Nanango State High School, St John’s Lutheran School in Kingaroy and a meeting with teachers and Queensland Teacher’s Union (QTU) members.
“Importantly, we discussed issues affecting teachers and education outcomes including student behaviour, safety for school staff, literacy and numeracy, infrastructure needs, class sizes and resources, health and wellbeing of students and staff and much more.
“I truly appreciate the hard work of our teachers and school staff and the vital role they play in the education journey of our young people,” Deb said.
Shadow Minister for Education, Dr Christian Rowan said the visit to the South Burnett had been very productive.
“I really appreciated the time so many teachers took to come and speak with me about the issues they face each and every day in their schools,” Dr Rowan said.
“It is so important to get this direct feedback about what is important for schools in the South Burnett and the policies which will support our teachers and students across the educational sector.
“After 10 years in power, the Palaszczuk-Miles State Labor Government has an appalling track record when it comes to education in Queensland.
“Labor’s 2020 election promise to recruit new teachers and teacher-aides is in tatters, with Labor’s ongoing teacher workforce crisis impacting on literacy and numeracy outcomes across Queensland.
“School infrastructure project delays are crippling school buildings and classrooms across our state, particularly throughout our rural, regional and remote communities.
“Queenslanders are also seeing a broken behavioural management framework throughout our schools, under the State Labor Government.
“Student suspensions and expulsions have skyrocketed by over 17% since 2015, and more than half a billion dollars in WorkCover claims have now been paid to teachers and staff, under the Palaszczuk-Miles Labor Government.
“Only the LNP has the Right Priorities for Queensland’s future, including fixing Labor’s broken student behavioural management framework, provide better teacher resources, restore standards, and implement a zero tolerance approach to violence in our schools”.
Photo: Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington and Shadow Minister for Education, Christian Rowan met with local teachers and QTU members.
Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington says persistence has paid off with essential communications technology to finally be improved for emergency services in Booubyjan in the central Burnett.
Deb said she has been advocating for an analog repeater to be installed at the Mount Marcella communications tower at Booubyjan for two and a half years since the devastating floods of January 2022.
“There’s no doubt the analog repeater should have been installed sooner than this, however, it is welcome news that finally our emergency services will have access to better communications when they are in the Booubyjan area,” Deb said.
“The Booubyjan district was heavily impacted by the flooding events 2022 and emergency crews were severely hampered by lack of access to communications technology while they were working in the area as there is no mobile reception.
“The Burnett Highway also runs through this district, and unfortunately emergency services are frequently called to this stretch of road due to the high number of road accidents which often involve fatalities.
“The Labor Government tried dismiss the need, saying the WAVE PTX system used by the firies would be sufficient, however, the WAVE booster system cannot boost mobile reception when there isn’t any in the first place.
“With no mobile reception, emergency crews have been at a severe disadvantage when trying to carry out their duties.
“On behalf of the crew at the Goomeri Fire and Rescue Station I have been asking for this technology to be installed.
“The Repeater will extend emergency communications in a wide range from Gayndah to Goomeri and should be in place by the end of 2024.
“I am so pleased to have achieved this emergency communications technology for the Booubyjan community and our hard-working emergency services teams,” Deb said.
Photo: Following the floods of 2022, Deb visited properties across Booubyjan and Tansey. There is no doubt the installation of an analog repeater at Mount Marcella will improve emergency communication technology and help local landholders during times of disaster.
Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington says it is unacceptable that ten SeqWater owned homes in Somerset Dam Village continue to remain empty during the current housing crisis.
Mrs Frecklington said the community are becoming increasingly concerned about why the homes have been empty since June 2020.
“For four years, these sturdy, decent homes have sat empty while families from our region desperately search to put a roof over their heads,” Deb said.
“In 2022 I asked a Question on Notice* of the Minister for the for Regional Development, and Manufacturing and Minister for Water, Glenn Butcher about why the SeqWater properties were empty and the explanation was linked to the Somerset Dam Improvement Project.
“Another two years down the track I again asked the Minister to explain why the homes are still empty and I have received a similar answer, that they are being held for future use when upgrade works start on Somerset Dam.
“Well, we have now been waiting on the results of the Somerset Dam Improvement Project Detailed Business Case since it was first announced in 2016 and at this stage, we still have no idea when or if this project will ever begin.
“During this time, the homes should not have been left vacant. It is completely unacceptable in a time when so many vulnerable people can’t find accommodation.
“Unfortunately, empty State Government owned homes are not uncommon around our region and I have previously called out the State Government on this issue.
“I am calling on the State Government and SeqWater to make a decision about these houses as soon as possible so the community can understand how they will be used in the future,” Deb said.
*Questions on Notice No. 1100 (2022) - https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tableoffice/questionsanswers/2022/1100-2022.pdf
*Question on Notice 597 (2024) - https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tableoffice/questionsanswers/2024/597-2024.pdf
Photo: One of the empty homes in Somerset Dam Village
