Happy Easter
I would like to wish all Coolum residents a very Happy Easter! I hope you have an opportunity to spend time with friends and family.
It’s also school holidays so please take care on the roads during this busy period, with many tourists visiting.
I look forward to officially opening the Coolum Art Collective’s 2023 Easter Exhibition. This popular exhibition featuring works by some of the Sunshine Coast’s leading artists and artisans will be open daily from 7-10 April at the Coolum Civic Centre.
ANZAC Day
There will be nine ANZAC Day services across the electorate of Fairfax (and more across the wider Sunshine Coast), details of which will be available on my website – www.tedobrien.com.au – as well as in my Autumn newsletter which will be delivered to mailboxes before ANZAC Day.
The Voice to Parliament
Australia’s constitution is our nation’s foundational document, and it’s also our most important. Changing it is no small issue and that’s why the Coalition has been so determined to ensure citizens are informed on both the “yes” and “no” case on the ‘Voice to Parliament’.
The Coalition gave bipartisan support for recent legislation to enable the machinery for running a referendum to pass and to ensure there was a fair and balanced process. Our support was conditional on there being a pamphlet on both “yes” and “no” cases going to every home, tax deductibility for both sides of the debate and neutrality as a principle for any civic education program.
The Prime Minister has now released the draft wording for the referendum, but many questions still remain unanswered. LNP Party Room will form a position on the ‘Voice’ as further information becomes available.
Ultimately, it will be up to the Australian people to decide if our constitution is to change to allow for a ‘Voice’.
Update on life-saving diabetes medication
I recently led the campaign against the Federal Government’s decision to cut live-saving diabetes medication, Fiasp, from the PBS; sending the price soaring from as low as $7 to up to $280 per script.
Although I welcome the recent decision to extend Fiasp on the PBS for a further 6 months, this is just a band-aid solution. I will continue to campaign for a permanent solution beyond October on behalf of 14-year-old local, Freya, and the 15,000 other Australians who rely on Fiasp.