YOUR VIEWS
IN recent years Queenslanders have been shocked by a heartbreaking number of child abuse scandals.
Three weeks ago a coroner’s report revealed that child safety officers missed chance after chance to save the life of toddler Mason Jett Lee.
Tragically, Mason was failed by a system that was supposed to protect him ... and sadly, his story is not unique. The Palaszczuk Labor Government has completely failed to fix Queensland’s broken child protection system.
If I were Premier, I would not tolerate child protection failures. That is why the LNP has outlined a plan to overhaul Queensland’s child protection system from the top down.
If the LNP wins the next state election, we will create a Child Protection Force to safeguard vulnerable kids. The force will include 24hour rapid response teams across Queensland to ensure that every child abuse report is dealt with – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The LNP will embed police investigators into the force to clear the backlog of child abuse reports and change the culture that caused cases like Mason’s.
We will also enforce strict drug testing for parents to ensure they stay clean and capable of caring for their families.
And if parents continue to neglect or abuse their children, we will increase the use of adoption to provide children with happy and loving homes.
No child should have to live in fear or suffering.
With your support, we can make child protection a priority. DEB FRECKLINGTON, QUEENSLAND LNP LEADER
THE Australian Energy Market Operator’s (AEMO) latest annual review reports that last summer’s extreme temperatures and bushfires pushed Australia’s electricity and gas infrastructure to the brink, with “environmental limits and temperature tolerances for coal plants – increasingly being approached and exceeded”.
The energy operator reportedly issued 178 directions to deal with supply or system security issues last year – a figure 10 times higher than the previous three years – while, of the eight actual shortfalls, half were in NSW, three in Victoria, and one in South Australia.
But moves to close coal-fired power stations and switch to unreliable, intermittent renewables, would guarantee more power cuts and blackouts. As the old song goes, “Baby, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” JOHN MIKKELSEN, NOOSA
THE Australian public should consider themselves very fortunate to have Scott Morison as their Prime Minister who, apart from vast wisdom, possesses enormous compassion for his fellow Australians facing these present hardships, and all the other decent essential qualities, that makes ScoMo the perfect
and trusted specimen for a Prime Minister.
This is the leader who went to the aid of our drought-devastated farmers, and offered them Government financial assistance, put food on their diningroom tables as well as feed for their stock, then went on to show true leadership during the raging bush fires.
This is also the man who is leading us out of the COVID-19 epidemic, who rushed to provide a million unemployed with incredibly generous welfare payments, preventing hunger and homelessness.
So next time the unemployed sit down to a meal, I suggest they take a moment to offer their thanks to the man who came to their rescue to keep a roof over their heads and food on their table.
Also the rental tenants of private dwellings need to do the same, who can’t afford to pay their weekly rent caused by loss of jobs, and have been protected from evictions by landlords by a deeply caring Morrison Government, so without the generosity of the LNP, tens of thousands of you renters would have been evicted and cast out on to the streets becoming homeless.
This also applies to the 130,000 Queenslanders now unemployed, and receiving these generous benefits, that affords them a roof over their heads, and puts food on their table for them and their children. They need to show their appreciation and loyalty by voting for the LNP at the coming October elections, the party that came to your rescue. I await the results of the election to see if your loyalty really exists.
Like the old meaningful proverb, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. KEN WADE, TWEED HEADS
Welcome to the cashless society by stealth. Bob Janssen (Letters, GCB,
22/6) advises he was told, due to the coronavirus he could not pay cash for his purchases and later found a fee had been added for using his card.
I had a similar experience at my local fruit and veg, finding when arriving home a small surcharge had been added to my bananas and broccoli.
When queried, I was told that bank charges had become so high for this small business owner they changed to “SmartPay” terminals which automatically added a fee to customers.
To the many who renege on the offered receipt, you are probably not aware you are paying this added tax.
In recent times through obedience training, the mere mention of coronavirus sends us into submissive compliance and we likely blame “cyber bullies” for our small ledger discrepancies if noticed.
Not sure about the legalese of this war on notes, but like Bob, I now carry folded notes rather than chance the legacy of the odd one or zero appearing on my bank statement. CHRIS MAGILL, SURFERS PARADISE