organisations for the benefit of children’s safety. The annual Ekka show bag compliance inspection is a
great example of the Bligh government at work delivering consumer confidence for Queenslanders.
Inspectors examine hundreds of show bags looking for toys that may fail safety standards. Generally
speaking, what they are looking out for are dangerous projectiles, banned toys, choking hazards and
lead paint. Fair Trading inspectors have been busy behind the scenes in show bag pavilion and have
examined more than a thousand toys from around 300 different bags. Fortunately they have not
uncovered any concerns.
It is good news that show bags have come up clean this year, but I remind the House that last
year Fair Trading discovered a rogue show bag, the ‘Borg is Back’ bag. For those who do not remember
it, it included such items as a JPL voodoo doll complete with a pin in the back. This year we have
discovered one called the MIA bag, the missing-in-action bag. It includes a plane ticket from Tony Abbott
to John-Paul to leave the country during estimates and the beginning of the federal election campaign. It
includes postcards from John-Paul with messages such as, ‘Wish you were here,’ and the one that I
like, ‘Glad I’m not there. I can’t stand estimates hearings’ and postmarked from Japan, Russia and
Britain. The show bag also contained an unsigned leave application slip from the member for Mermaid
Beach to miss a crucial vote in this House because he was too busy boozing.
