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State Update - Jonty Bush - Member for Cooper
State Update Jonty Bush MP Member for Cooper
Reduction in Bardon Speed Limit
In October, the 600-metre stretch of Macgregor Terrace and Jubilee Terrace (between Fernberg Road and Coopers Camp Road) will have its speed limit permanently drop from 60km/h to 50km/h. Reducing the speed limit in this area will benefit our local shops, pedestrians and cyclists, as well as reduce the risk of crashes for drivers. We know that road trauma is completely avoidable. The 10km/h drop will protect our kids, our senior citizens, local residents with disabilities and visual impairments to get across the street safely in an area busy with local shops and cafes. With 77 crashes on the stretch recorded between March 2017 and March 2019, it’s great to see this change. We know that even a small speed limit reduction can make a big difference and will help locals to get home to their families safely.
Turn Food Waste into Funding
Did you know that half of most household bins are filled with food and garden waste? When we send our food and green waste into landfill it creates more methane gas which contributes to climate change. We can all do our bit by turning this waste into products like compost, soil and mulch. The Queensland Government is swapping food waste in schools for funding! Our Minister for Environment Meaghan Scanlon MP has just announced a new $500,000 grants program to help schools turn schoolyard food and garden rubbish into compost, worm farms and circular food waste systems. This is an announcement I know our local schools will get behind given their incredible work already in our war on waste. You can contact our office for details on how to apply
In the most recent sittings, members of the Queensland Parliament participated in a conscience vote in relation to an important piece of proposed legislation, the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2021. Earlier this year I wrote to all households to advise that while I had a personal view on this bill and the broader voluntary assisted dying scheme for Queensland – it was paramount that my vote reflected the views of people in our community. With this, Queensland will now join other Australian states and territories, in passing legislation which offers a safe, compassionate and monitored voluntary assisted dying scheme for terminally ill people. Queensland’s voluntary assisted dying scheme will provide people who are suffering and dying, and who meet strict eligibility criteria, the option of requesting medical assistance to end their lives. Implementing a voluntary assisted dying scheme in Queensland will be complex and resource intensive, and the scheme is anticipated to commence on 1 January 2023. In Parliament, I spoke of the importance of drawing from the stories of those with terminal illness, as well as evidence gathered from those jurisdictions with operational schemes. My speech can be viewed on my facebook page.
