I rise to inform the nation and the House of the resilience that the people in my electorate have shown in recent months. Earlier this year in January, we were disastrously impacted by the floods and we lost several lives in my electorate. Resilience has also been shown by the 36 dairy farmers who have been faced with a lack of confidence in their industry following the Coles' decision to lower the price of milk. That has had a severe impact on our dairy farmers and their investment in the future and it has affected the communities who rely on that investment. I also applaud the resilience of the beetroot growers in my electorate. Those beetroot growers are the sole suppliers to Golden Circle factory in Brisbane—in the Treasurer's seat. That beetroot chain is going offshore and the future of the 20,000 tonnes that they have been supplying is now in question. I also advise the House of the recent hendra virus outbreak in my electorate—the story in my electorate just seems to go from bad to worse, as the news cycles go around. There are 14 people awaiting their test results for the hendra virus, knowing that the hendra virus has been fatal for 57 per cent of the people who have been infected by it. However, the people in my electorate are resilient and with God's grace we will be prosperous once more.
Category: Speeches