Law and Order

I want my family to feel safe and secure, and I'm sure every member of the public does.

I think many families are concerned about the safety of our streets and neighbourhoods. Part of this concern is from the release of dangerous offenders into the community.

I support maximum sentences for serious offences. Violent and highly dangerous criminals who are high risk to the community must be kept off the streets.

I'll call for an investigation into a system of restorative justice (What is restorative justice? Click here to find out), where appropriate being bought into Queensland. This system not only helps the offender but also the victim.  

I would also like to see a ban on takeaway bottle shops selling liquor between midnight and 7am and additionally a breaking of the link between alcohol advertising and sport, which encourages a culture of excessive drinking. These measures would have an effect on bring down the number of alcohol fueled incidents within the community.

In regards to policing, older and more experienced police is vitally important to the service and the protecting of our communities, and I wish to retain as many as possible of these valued policeman and woman by allowing them more flexible and part-time opportunities. I would likewise support retired members of the force being used in more flexible ways such working within crime prevention programs, or education and youth programs or in need of emergency during busy periods.

40km/h Around Kindergartens

There has been a lot of talk about installing 40km/h zones around kindergartens recently (see one story here). I currently take my oldest daughter to kindergarten and would never want anything bad to happen to her. However, I would like people to remember two things:

1. Children who attend kindergartens are always accompanied by an Adult, and normally need to get through a pool gate style fence to enter the kindy. The adult caring for the child should be responsible for the children in their care.
   
2. Drivers need to learn to drive to the conditions. Just because the sign says 60, doesn't mean you have to drive at 60. This is the limit. Often when I drive through school zones my speed is less than 40 due the amount of people and cars moving around. Drivers need to understand and learn to drive to the conditions. 

I believe any money spent on placing 40 signs would be wasteful and the result would be ineffective. I would rather see that money being spent on educating the children within the kindies, educating drivers and parents, and other measures that may help such as Zebra crossings.

Housing & Urban Development

I want Queenslanders to be able to afford their own home. Home ownership gives people stability, a sense of community and pride, and provides security for the family.



Sadly more and more Queensland families are caught in the rental trap and many have given up on their dreams of ever being able to own their own homes.

Family First is calling for stamp duty to be abolished for all home buyers. We know the government is currently addicted to this revenue, but it is vital that we cut back on wasteful spending within the government to fund the axing of this tax. The ending of the building boost and other such initiatives will help to cover the loss in revenue and I believe the ending of stamp duty would produce more “bang for your buck” than the building boost ever did. (Related story about Stamp Duty)

I have previously commented on the need to remove or limit building covenants to help reduce the cost of building a new home. (Read here)

Family First wants the Government to release more land for housing and make sure the Government invests in supporting these growth areas with the infrastructure needed and that they are made more family friendly. They need to have community centres, which have sporting facilities, schools, shops, parks, gardens, and other infrastructure which will keep them self-sustaining. We also support the communities themselves having a greater say and role in determining the character and development of their neighbourhood and shopping areas.

Furthermore, I oppose the so called “adult industry” that is starting to appear in our local neighbourhoods, and will look to tighten the laws around their visible presence, including reducing their advertising, signage and displays that promote their business. 

Petrol and Car Registration

The cost of petrol and car registration has always been a big issue for Queensland families and is one of the many increased cost of living expenses families struggle with. Those hardest hit are families that don't have easy access to public transport or have a second car. Many Ipswich families fit into both of these categories. 

At a federal level, Family First has been campaigning to cut the petrol tax by 10c per litre. But also at a state level we are campaigning for the 8c petrol subsidy to be returned (Read here to learn about the subsidy and it's removal).

Family First also calls for a freeze on the price of motor vehicle registrations for the next term of government. I think the tables below show why Queenslanders are asking for a fair go when it comes to the cost of running the family car.

Date	Average ULP retail price
Dec 2011	141.1
Dec 2010	131.0
Dec 2009	120.7

Source: http://www.racq.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/83233/RACQ_Monthly_Fuel_Price_Report_-_December_2011.pdf

Source: http://www.racq.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/42475/Rego_costs_FactSheet_Jul_Fin_2010.pdf

Education

I believe education is the cornerstone to developing and equipping young Australians for the future and is vital to our country's continued prosperity and advancement.

All Queenslanders should have access to high quality education from pre-prep to Year 12 and beyond. As part of this education, we should include teaching children values, Australian history and culture, and about their physical, social and emotional development. For teenagers, we should also teach about how to build strong relationships that promote marriage and family life, and have financial literacy programs (classes).

It is vitally important for parents to have the right to choose which school their child attends. It was sad to see the closure of two smaller schools within the Ipswich area over the last couple of years. Parents have a significant decision to make when choosing a school for their child, and they should have that right.

I also support additional TAFE resources to assist those who wish to further their education and careers, without going to university. We are blessed with multiple campuses within the city of Ipswich and I would look forward to working with them to expand their programmes if I were elected.

How-to-Vote Cards

A lot of people have commented or hate the fact that they have to "run the gauntlet" when voting (trying to avoid people handing out How-to-Vote (HTV) cards).

When I have volunteered to hand out HTV cards, I have seen people do many different things to try and avoid "the gauntlet", including one man climbing over a fence to get in and out of the school where he was voting.

On the other side of the coin, many volunteers spend a lot of their time organizing and manning all the polling booths and trying to obey the numerous laws around it (Ie. How close you can be to the front gate).

I would like to remove the "the gauntlet" and the laws surrounding the HTV cards from Australian politics, and have one of the following:

• When the electoral worker gives you your ballot paper, they also give you all the HTV cards available to them from each of the candidates.
• When the electoral worker gives you your ballot paper, you may take one of each candidates HTV card available to you, on display at their table.
• Have no HTV cards, but instead have one corflute sign from each candidate displayed near the polling booths.

This will allow the public to have a more enjoyable time while voting, save the volunteers a lot of time and level the playing fields for all the candidates.