I currently have two very important bills before the Queensland Parliament that I believe, if passed, will have a significant and positive impact on the lives of a number of people in Traeger and also across Queensland. One is the Working with Children Legislation (Indigenous Communities) Amendment Bill – the Blue Card Bill. At the moment we have a one size fits all approach to issuing Blue Cards in Queensland and its one that operates to the detriment of many people, particularly those in indigenous communities, who pose no threat to children and simply want to make a go of life.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Much of the reliable work available up in communities like Mornington Island or Doomadgee, such as government or construction work, requires a Blue Card by default. However what was brought to my attention many years ago, and what I have been working to try and fix since, is that many people who have turned their lives around after racking up an often petty police record some years ago find themselves unable to get a Blue Card.
In turn, they are unable to get a job and can’t to contribute to their communities or look after their families. What this leads to is a perpetuating cycle of unemployment, poverty, alcohol and violence. This is a cycle we need to break, first and foremost by removing this Blue Card barrier. The KAP’s Blue Card Bill applies only to Indigenous communities where it would allow for Blue Card applications in those remote communities to be determined by relevant, local community justice groups who have an intimate knowledge of the individuals.
The bill would ensure children’s safety is not compromised, so any one with a history of offending against children would immediately be excluded as they would under the normal system. Another bill of the mine which is before the Parliament is the Liquor (Rural Hotel Concessions) Amendment Bill 2018, which will slash annual fees for pubs and clubs in very remote Queensland (such as Burketown, Hughenden and Normanton etc.) by 90 per cent. This means publicans in these areas, many of which are seriously struggling with drought and poor economic conditions, will only have to pay $375 each year instead of $3750. We need the support of the major parties to get this bill across the line and, since it has been endorsed by the Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee twice now, I expect the parties to vote with some common sense so this will become law.
