The introduction of a carbon tax is nothing more than wealth redistribution and that means Mackay will be kicked in the guts again. Mackay incomes are higher than average because we work hard, do it tough, have higher cost of living, and fewer services than the capital cities. Mackay families will pay a fortune in carbon tax but a smaller percentag...

Read more...

Mackay has the second highest suicide rate in Queensland – mostly young men. Regional centres are worse for suicide than capital cities anyway, but Mackay has additional problems brought about by the mining boom. Mackay is a financially advantaged area but, socially, it’s very disadvantaged. There’s lot so shift work and parents who are away for fo...

Read more...

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Greens leader Bob Brown are planning to become 21st Century bushrangers, robbing from Mackay and giving to the capital cities, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen. “The carbon tax will not clean up the environment, it’s just a means of wealth distribution,” he said. "We have a higher than ave...

Read more...

Petition pages are already rolling in for the push to fund a Headspace Mental Health Centre in Mackay. Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, said his electorate office had already received a number of petition pages that were printed in Saturday’s Daily Mercury. “This issue had already gained a bit of momentum since I raised it in parlia...

Read more...

A little fine tuning to the digital television rollout will put Dingo Beach and Hydeaway Bay back in the picture, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen. Mr Christensen said digital television was set to bypass the communities because geography made receiving a signal difficult. “We had even been told that it was against the l...

Read more...

A commemorative dinner in Mackay will mark 95 years since the first engagement in active service for the 42nd Australian Infantry Battalion. Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, this week announced the 42nd Australian Infantry Battalion Association would receive a $2250 grant to fund the commemorative dinner under the Saluting Their Serv...

Read more...

Memorial plaques and honour boards will be restored and upgraded though a project undertaken by Bowen RSL sub-branch. Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, this week announced the sub branch would receive a $4000 grant to fund the project under the Saluting Their Service Commemorations grant program. “Saluting Their Service is an Austral...

Read more...

The powerhouse economy of the Mackay region has been undermined by the Bruce Highway, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen. “Parts of the Bruce Highway are so flood prone, it only needs a cane toad to pee on the side of the road and the highway is cut,” he said. “We’ve seen in the past week how flooded roads can stop producti...

Read more...

Thank you for the opportunity to come and talk with you this morning. I’m sure you’re all hoping this isn’t going to be some political spiel that’s all spin and no substance. When I talk to community groups in Mackay, I don’t’ tend to talk about politics because I like to focus on letting people know about some of the things we are working on and ...

Read more...

As a Federal Parliamentarian, I find myself in the same position I was in as a councillor. For that matter, it’s the same position school teachers have found themselves in too. In the classroom, it was focusing on the Three R’s – Reading, Writing, and Rithmatic. Councillors know that the best way to get elected is to focus on the Three R’s too. O...

Read more...