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Greetings from Canberra, where Parliament is sitting to ensure the passage of vital legislation so we can get on with the job of mapping out our COVID recovery.

At the recent Reimagine Job, Skills and Industry Forum [[link removed]] I placed a spotlight on the Gold Coast’s stellar manufacturing sector. While we will always be a tourism city, in these times we need to look to other opportunties.

A major hurdle in the way of the Gold Coast’s recovery is state border closures [[link removed]] and the disruption this is causing for business, education and the health of our local community and our neighbours in northern NSW. Given that COVID-19 is going to be with us for many months, we need to look at how we are going to live and work [[link removed]] in the COVID environment.

A safe and effective vaccine [[link removed]] will also contribute to allowing the country and economy to re-open. The Morrison Government is taking a coordinated and strategic approach [[link removed]] to ensure a vaccine is rolled out to Australians as quickly as possible when one becomes viable. We have signed an agreement [[link removed]] with UK-based drug company AstraZeneca for use of the University of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine – if it is proven safe and effective.

Due to the on-going disruptions to our economy, the Morrison Government has expanded the JobKeeper [[link removed]] payment and also implemented a range of mental health assistance measures [[link removed]].

JobKeeper has been a vital contributor for thousands of Gold Coast businesses. It was great to hear from Luke French at Robina-based beauty trainer, the French Beauty Academy [[link removed]], about how they navigated their way through the Queensland restrictions and now have a strong recovery plan moving forward.

Other visits I made throughout the month of August included St Augustine’s Parish Primary School [[link removed]], where I had the pleasure of speaking to the Year 6 students. They asked terrific questions as we discussed how the Australian Parliament operates [[link removed]] and the exciting elements of being Minister for Industry, Science and Technology.

I also visited Currumbin RSL, where they now have a stunning refurbished dining area [[link removed]], which is operating under a COVIDSafe plan. I met staff from the Ron Workman OAM Veterans’ Support Centre, and discussed their plans for utilising two Federal Government grants [[link removed]].

Federal funding is also being put to good use by Glowing Green [[link removed]], in conjunction with Sustainable Schools Network. I saw first-hand how they’re using a Communities Environment Grant [[link removed]] to educate local children about the importance of caring for our environment.

Every day I am proud to see the great work being done within our community and am grateful to represent the southern Gold Coast in Federal Parliament. It has now been 10 years since I was first elected as the Member for McPherson and I have recommitted myself - both as a local Member and a Minister [[link removed]] - to truly making a difference for our community and our nation.

Take care,

Karen Andrews MP

Federal Member for McPherson

PS - to ensure Stage 3 of our COVID recovery process stays on track - please maintain physical distancing and good hygiene. Plus, to significantly speed up the tracing process and help protect lives, you can download the COVIDSafe app [[link removed]].

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Postal Address: PO Box 409, Varsity Lakes QLD 4227

Email: karen.andrews.mp@ [mailto:[email protected]] aph.gov.au [mailto:[email protected]?subject=Response%20from%20E-News]

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Phone: (07) 5580 9111

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Authorised by Karen Andrews MP, 47 Watts Drive, Varsity Lakes QLD 4227