The lifestyle we enjoy on the Gold Coast is something we shouldn’t take for granted. All the same things that make the Coast such an attractive place to live, work and study, make it just as attractive to organised criminals, drug smugglers, and bikie gangs. And when violence and crime overtakes a community, everyone suffers.…
On Monday, for the first time in almost two years, the Gold Coast will welcome back international tourists and travellers to our stunning part of the world. I want to thank Gold Coasters for their patience and resilience during what has been an extremely challenging time. Tourism is the lifeblood of the Gold Coast and…
Today is Australia Day. It’s a day for all of us to stand together as one; to reflect on our history; respect the stories and experiences that have brought us together; and to celebrate our nation… its achievements and its people. Today, more than 16,000 people have been invited to become new Australian citizens at…
Australians have long prided themselves on a ‘fair go for all’. In practice, that means ensuring the same rules apply to everyone – no matter your wealth, fame or where you are from. This fundamental fairness is what underpins our democracy – and it’s absolutely crucial when it comes to managing Australia’s international border. Commonwealth…
Our students have done it tough this year – tougher than we ever had it. I’m not sure the old adage ‘back in my day’ quite cuts it anymore; Year 12 is hard enough, but faced with a global pandemic, and the State Government’s lockdowns and border restrictions, it’s only right they’re allowed to blow…
Critical technology underpins our nation’s most important services and systems, and the structures that Australians increasingly rely upon. We use them every day to conduct our businesses, connect with our families and engage with the world around us. These critical technologies allow us to make breakthroughs in manufacturing, agriculture and health. They allow us to…
This week Queenslanders passed a significant milestone in our vaccine rollout – eighty per cent of us have now had a first dose! This is a significant achievement, and while more remains to be done, it’s an important step back to life as we knew it. I know many Gold Coasters are looking forward to…
Twenty years ago, President Bush addressed a nation struggling to make sense of a terrorist attack that had claimed almost 3000 innocent lives. He finished by saying: “None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.” Twenty years on,…
You probably didn’t hear about it, but last week the Morrison Government passed legislation to give police and intelligence agencies more powers to tackle serious criminal activity taking place online, including child sexual exploitation. We’re making it harder for criminals and paedophiles to hide behind anonymising technology on the dark web. It didn’t make the…
We’ve all come to accept stringent security procedures at our airports. We wait in line. We take our belts and shoes off when we’re told to. We know that secure airports are important in the modern world – to protect us from a range of threats. Not just terrorism, but criminal activity like the transportation…