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 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 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 in the COVID environment.
A safe and effective vaccine will also contribute to allowing the country and economy to re-open. The Morrison Government is taking a coordinated and strategic approach to ensure a vaccine is rolled out to Australians as quickly as possible when one becomes viable. We have signed an agreement 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 payment and also implemented a range of mental health assistance measures.
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, 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, where I had the pleasure of speaking to the Year 6 students. They asked terrific questions as we discussed how the Australian Parliament operates 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, 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.
Federal funding is also being put to good use by Glowing Green, in conjunction with Sustainable Schools Network. I saw first-hand how they’re using a Communities Environment Grant 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 - to truly making a difference for our community and our nation.
Take care,
