Anthony Lynham a sad loss to parliament
The Queensland Parliament has been dissolved as Queensland prepares for an election.
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Some members have decided not to seek re-election others will not return to the Parliament.
As a result taken by their electors, I'm sure we wish them well.
One member who has decided not to seek re-election is Dr Anthony Lynham Minister For Natural Resources, Mines and Energy.
His departure will be a sad loss to the Queensland Parliament and to public life in general.
Minister Lynham has a passion for the Health and Safety of the men and women who work in the resources sector and the safety legislation which he carried through the parliament will be a testament to his work in this area and will be remembered by many.
On a personal note I could always telephone him and he would take my call or if he was busy.
It would be returned within the hour.
He is a man of great integrity, a man who had a passion for seeing Queensland develop and was always available to assist.
As he looks back on his time in the Queensland Parliament he can be proud of the contribution which he made to the Queensland mining family as he returns to his beloved medical profession.
Thank you Anthony Lynham for the contribution which you made to the life of those of us who live in mining communities, you served us well and I know I speak on behalf of so many people when I say that the mining industry's loss is the medical profession's gain.
Tony McGrady
Mount Isa.
Representation in the North
I wonder if we will ever have a country leader/government who can ever achieve things for Queensland,and in particular,rural and regional Queensland,like Joh Bjelke-Petersen could?
The achievements Sir Joh include the building of Wivenhoe and Burdekin dams,the Gateway Bridge,the electrification and modernisation of the Queensland rail network, the staging of the 82 Commonwealth Games and World Expo 88 and his personal decision to abolish death duties.
During the 1980s he also introduced stamp duty concessions and exemptions to small business,family property transfer,first home buyers and mortgages.
To attract interstate investment and stimulate the economy, he also introduced payroll tax exemptions for small businesses and employers with apprentices.
Projects such as Sanctuary Cove and Bond University,development plans for a casino in Townsville, and banning of Poker machines,again,attributed to Joh.
With only 17 seats in Central and North Queensland out of the 93 in parliament,it's unlikely we will see such achievements on the same scale again,particularly for CNQ.
This is largely due to the fact that 73 seats are held by MPs who reside within a 250km radius of the Brisbane CBD.
These MPs are voted in to represent their electorates;draw as much government funding as they can to them,and rightly so.
This is what they have been elected to do for their constituents.
Since the abolishment of the Gerrymander and note,I'm not an advocate for its return- rural and regional Queensland's representation in parliament has grown increasingly weak;&more so as population increases in the South-Easta and electoral boundaries are re-defined.
More worrying is the fact that this will only get worse.
CNQ faces a future that will see the current 17 seats become fewer,& the South-Eastern seats greater in number, and that's not good.
Nanette Radeck
Alice River