After my successful re-election campaign, I will return for a fourth term as the Member for Southport. Along with this important role I have been appointed as the new Minister of Tourism and Fair Trading. This position also includes the Racing and Liquor Licensing portfolios.

During my time as Minister I will be visiting tourism icons all over Queensland and this page will keep track of my work. I encourage everyone to follow my travels as the Minister by reading below my entries into the Minister's Diary where I will write about my latest experiences.

Peter Lawlor.

Community Cabinet Innisfail / Mareeba
Posted by editor (editor) on Mar 18 2010
Ministerial Diary >>

The 21st Community Cabinet which was held in Innisfail and Mareeba on February 28 and March 1 was one to remember with a record 275 deputations, the highest amount ever received. This shattered the previous record held by the Sunshine Coast in 2003 with 208. This is a great sign that the concept of the Community Cabinet is working and people are taking the opportunity to meet with their elected representatives. The tropical humidity was a little challenging at times but all in all the day was a great success as I was able to listen to a number of interesting ideas as well as people voicing their concerns over important issues across my portfolios.

Outside of meeting with constituents I was able to accompany Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kat Jones and Primary Industries and Fisheres Minister Tim Mulherin on a visit to an inshore reef south of Cairns. We were also joined by Sheriden Morris, Managing Director of the Reef and Rainforest Research  Centre, and leading marine scientists Dr Katharina Fabricius and Dr Britta Schaeffelke of the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

The purpose of the trip was to view the effects of the land-based activity on the health of the reef. The area we visited was a part of the reef where the impacts of agriculture are believed to be particularly serious due to the proximity of the reef to farmland, the quality of runoff pollution and the very high rainfall in the region - up to 12 metres annually. The new legislation put in place to combat this took effect on 1 January 2010 and was designed to ensure farmers and graziers reduce their impact on the reef. Despite still being in the early implementation phase the outcomes are looking positive. The health of the reef is vital to Queensland's tourism industry with over 1 million tourists diving and snorkelling the reef annually. The Great Barrier Reef supports the equivalent of nearly 54,000 fulltime jobs and is worth up to $6 billion to the Australian economy. I welcomed the response of industry organisations, farmers and graziers who where getting on with the job of implementing the required practices on their properties.

Last changed: Mar 18 2010 at 1:07 PM