TIME FOR PARENTS TO CONTROL KIDS
WE all know youth crime is out of control in North Queensland. Last month there were more break and enters than any month since 2001.
The Palaszczuk Government has promised more police. But let’s be honest, there’s only so much they can do and they’re only being sent there now because it is an election year.
Every night officers pick up these kids, charge them and have to send them home. If they ever get to court usually they are out doing it again.
What fear do you have of the law if you never pay the price for breaking it?
This week, the Queensland Police Union said we have to link parents’ welfare benefits to their ability to get their kids to quit the criminal mobs.
They aren’t saying it for first-time offenders, but the hard-core groups that have become so brazen that they film their crimes and post them to social media.
These people feed off the notoriety of being the city’s bad boys. But we do them no favours by looking the other way. We need to elect people to parliament who will give police laws to go after them and make those laws clear so that no “well-meaning court” can give them an endless benefit of the doubt.
Don’t trust the people who have been in charge for six years to tell you next year is going to be any different.
CELEBRITIES and politics don’t mix. We all hate being lectured by pampered stars about climate change as they take time out between private jet flights. We hate being told who to vote for or how awful our country is by people who remember other people’s words for a living.
We will take notice of someone who has skin in the game and that’s why I didn’t hate the idea of Gold Logie winner and famous builder, Scott Cam fronting a new effort to get more kids to become tradies.
He is a great Australian story, like Paul Hogan before him, who went from the work site to the bright lights of fame.
As a result, he’s earnt plenty of money along the way. So why are we paying him a couple of hundred thousand dollars of taxpayer money to front this campaign?
Michaelia Cash is the employment minister and justified the money as good because he can use his “influence”. Sure, but why can’t he do that for free? I’d much prefer our money go towards paying for a kid to pick up the tools than for someone to smile at a camera.
FOOTY season is almost here and that means a new ad from the NRL. This year it was changed a day after it was first shown because some people thought it was too woke.
To celebrate 30 years since the first Tina Turner ad, the NRL are using Simply The Best to show how kids get the spark to play the game at the highest level.
One version featured Latrell Mitchell draped in the Aboriginal flag with a little girl singing Simply The Best. Then Tina kicks back in and we see everything from big hits and Super League to a kiss after the women’s State of Origin.
Now I’m the first to scream woke, but this ad is great. Most of the scenes are of kids running through suburban homes and tackling each other in the backyard.
For once, we see normal life shown without the “idiot dad” or “eye rolling mum”.
We see the power of sporting achievement to motivate you no matter where you are from, to reach for the stars and think anything is possible. For me that is simply the best.