Gaven MP Alex Douglas said the LNP was strongly committed to making Queensland communities safer by delivering the 1100 extra new police where they were needed to fight crime – in our suburbs and on our city streets.

“Unlike Labor, the LNP understands that policing is complex and demanding and we will provide the real support and resources that our police need to do their jobs,” Dr Douglas said.

“Labor has wasted hundreds of millions of dollars that could have been spent on revitalising frontline services including police resources. The LNP will cut Labor’s waste and ensure local residents have the police resourcing on the ground they deserve.

Dr Douglas said the LNP would recruit an extra 1100 new police over four years, at an additional cost of up to $275 million over four years.

“Three hundred will be delivered in a surge in the next year and an LNP Government will move up to 200 existing police (around 50 a year over four years) from behind office desks back to the front line.

“We will deliver at least 100 of these new frontline police to the Gold Coast and Logan regions to tackle the rise in armed and violent crime, drug crime and robberies.

“The rest of this substantial boost in police numbers will be distributed to stations across Queensland to redress Labor’s 20 years of appalling neglect.

“This commitment for more front line police is part of our plan keep families and communities safe and revitalising front line services, which also will:
• Smash organised crime by implementing strong unexplained wealth orders,
• Major Crime Squad for the Gold Coast,
• Crackdown on graffiti crime and its offenders,
• An additional $2 million a year to Local Councils to help clean up graffiti
• Boost community crime fighting with an additional $1 million a year to revitalise Neighbourhood Watch and Crime Stoppers, and
• Increased penalties for murder.

“Only the LNP has a vision to change things in Queensland for the better by making our streets safer, cutting unemployment to 4 per cent, reducing payroll tax and slashing red tape. But there won’t be real action to increase police numbers without a change of government.”

Dr Douglas said a strong and united LNP government would boost the fight against crime through local community partnerships and by cleaning up our streets.

“The LNP’s Safer Streets Crime Action Plan announced today by LNP Leader Campbell Newman will revitalise community based crime prevention by boosting support to our local Neighbourhood Watch and Crime Stoppers and by cracking down on graffiti crime,” he said.

“The LNP believes that local residents are best placed to work with police to report crime and graffiti but also to work with groups such as our local Neighbourhood Watch and Crime Stoppers to prevent crime.

“Labor has neglected Neighbourhood Watch and Crime Stoppers but the LNP will provide an additional $1million a year to these important crime prevention groups to boost community policing initiatives,” he said said.

Dr Douglas said the LNP’s Safer Streets Crime Action Plan also has long-term strategies to deal with the cause and effect of graffiti crime.

“Local residents and businesses are sick and tired of cleaning up graffiti. It’s a blight on our local neighbourhoods and is costly to clean up.

“The LNP will establish GraffitiSTOP, a hotline to report graffiti, and require public utilities to remove reported graffiti within seven days of it being reported.

“To help local councils with rapid graffiti removal, the LNP would provide an additional $2 million a year.

“Unlike the tired, 20-year Labor government which has a broken record of excuses for their failure on crime, the LNP is committed to providing Queenslanders with safer, cleaner communities.

“Local residents deserve to feel safe in their local communities and not have local buildings and businesses littered with graffiti.

“Only the LNP has a clear plan to get Queensland back on track and make our local community safer and cleaner,” he said.

Please see his speech by clicking here.

Dr Douglas questioned the Treasurer in Parliament today over what the government was doing to address under-employment in his electorate of Gaven.*

 “Commonly residents tell me they are employed but they simply do not have enough work, or their roster previously provided a 38 hour week but now only provides a 25 hour week or less,” he said.

 “Often the real extent of the struggle, especially in places like the Gold Coast, is hidden by the distortion of measuring employment if someone has a job providing one hour of work per week.

 “One hour per week simply cannot provide food on the table and a roof over your head.

 “One hour of employment per week was a sneaky way at the last state election Labor created an empty promise to provide 100,000 jobs: In the end Labor created just one hour per week, not 100,000 full time jobs.

 “Only the LNP’s plan to support small business, reduce waste and taxes and grow our four pillar economy will address the real issues behind employment and the casualisation of our workforce.”

“We only have to look at the terrible tragedy surrounding Daniel Morecombe to realise what faces students who are ignored by bus drivers not adhering to timetables,” he said.

“In the latest incident a mother arrived 15 minutes early at the Nerang interchange with her daughter just as the bus closed its door and drove off, as well as four other cars with students designated for buses that didn’t wait.

“The children on the bus asked the driver to wait so her child could get on but he refused.

“In this instant the student was in year 11, but what could have happened if the student was a lot younger and left waiting for the bus by herself?

“The safety of our children is of paramount importance.

“The mother has told me that this has happened a number of times last year when buses didn’t run to timetable.

“She has five children at two schools and relies on the bus service to get them to school.”

Dr Douglas said since Christmas he has received constant reports of passengers being stranded or left behind by buses that either don’t turn up or do not run to timetable.

“At least 300 people were stranded at Nerang Railway Station on Christmas Day when buses failed to arrive and last month ten passengers were left stranded in Surfers Paradise when the 745 bus to Nerang failed to turn up late at night.” he said.

“Is it any wonder that the Gold Coast is losing confidence in our public transport system?” he asked.

“Angry passengers have told me they are turning to bicycles because they can’t rely on buses to get them home.”

“This comes on top of at least 300 people being stranded at Nerang Railway Station on Christmas Day when buses failed to arrive,” he said.

“At least ten passengers waiting for the last 745 bus to Nerang at 11.18 pm had no way home on our faltering public transport system.

“One person phoned my office this morning angry that she was forced to pay $30 for a cab after phoning Translink and being told there was nothing they could do.

“At least three passengers phoned Translink last night from the bus-stop in Surfers Paradise and each were told there was nothing that could be done.

“Some of these passengers were from Switzerland, who are just bewildered by our unreliable bus system, which is also one of the most expensive in the world.

“What is the point of having a Translink help line when passengers are told it’s not their problem and there is nothing they can do?

“The angry passenger told me she was now purchasing a bicycle as the only reliable way of getting from Surfers Paradise to Carrara at night.

“Our public transport system is making us a laughing side amongst our international tourists.”

Dr Douglas said the three-year, $16 million initiative would encourage more local children to play sport in local clubs, after he was recently approached by a local school with students unable to participate in sporting activities due to cost.

“The LNP’s Get in the Game policy is exactly what families have expressed to me they need. Most recently St Brigid’s Primary School in Nerang sought my assistance in obtaining funding for those children who could not afford the high costs of event and club registration,” he said.

“I, like many other families, do not want to live in a society where children are unable to participate in sport because of the high financial costs.

“Get in the Game is targeted to increase sport participation and works towards closing the gap between children from more affluent backgrounds and children whom have families’ which are struggling to make ends meet.

“Sporting clubs constantly seek my support for funding and this initiative will go a long way to ensuring their needs are met to provide a better-accessed service for our local sporting teams.”

Dr Douglas said the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018 would give the state a powerful new sporting focus, provide an excellent platform to encourage and support Queenslander sport, and inspire our children to achieve their sporting dreams.

“Get in the Game is a responsible investment in the health and wellbeing of Queenslanders, and especially young people, now and in the future. It will complement existing sports funding programs.

“We know the social and health benefits of children being involved in sport, and a significant part of our plan is to provide better opportunities, especially for those that can’t afford it, to Get in the Game.”

Click here for more details on the LNP’s Get in the Game Policy

Dr Douglas said residents were sick of smelling manure from a neighbouring property, known as ‘Hinkler Farm,’ which is being developed for high density housing.

“The property owner and developer of this massive parcel of land, allows his cattle to deposit their dung right next to a normally quiet and pleasant smelling neighbourhood,” said Dr Douglas.

“The manager of the property has a home in an adjoining urban street and the cattle come looking for food at his back fence.

“The developer is using the ‘rural’ zoning to undertake massive land clearing efforts and is not bound by the Council restrictions of residential zoning. By running a few head of cattle it continues to ‘operate’ as a farm.

“I’ve asked the local Councillor to assist but he has refused to be involved stating it was the State government’s problem and controlled by the Department of Environment and Resource Management and thus no action is possible by Council.

“Maybe the local councillor can implore school children to bag up the manure and take it home for the rose gardens – it does make excellent fertiliser.

“Residents just don’t want to be eating lunch at home, in the high heat of summer, smelling cow dung. It takes the saying ‘one has to stop and smell the roses’ to a whole new level.”

Other issues raised by Dr Alex Douglas MP and residents regarding the development:
• Removal of wildlife corridor and subsequent effect on native flora and fauna
• Effect of a high-density development on residential amenity of the area
• Construction noise dirt and dust in a peaceful neighbourhood