DAN PURDIE MP

Member for Ninderry

17th January 2024

Happy New Year!  

I HOPE you’ve had a great start to the year. Just days before Christmas, I was honoured to be appointed to the role of Shadow Minister for Police and Community Safety, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to hear directly from victims about how the crime crisis has impacted them.  

Law and order is an issue I’ve always been passionate about, and I will continue to advocate on behalf of our hard-working police to ensure they are given the resources and laws they need to keep our community safe.  

Despite my new role, my priority remains listening to the concerns of locals, and fighting for those issues you’ve told me are the most important – the cost of living, housing security and affordability, access to health services, and of course, crime.   

Escooters  

My office is receiving lots of complaints from locals about escooters and motorised bikes, with many users, particularly youth, showing complete disregard for the rules, including speeding and riding on footpaths, not wearing helmets, and generally risky behaviour. This is not acceptable, and it’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured. Our police are doing the best they can to enforce the rules, but I urge everyone who owns a mobile device, or parents of teenagers who regularly use them, to become familiar with the rules. In the meantime, proposed new regulations to further strengthen them are due to be debated in Parliament in the coming months, and I welcome feedback from our community on what more we can do to better protect pedestrians and riders. Details about the current rules are available at  

https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/safety/rules/wheeled-devices/personal-mobility-devices

Marquees 

The Coolum Boardriders have started the year off with sun safety in mind, with their brand-new marquee. I’m taking orders for the next round of sponsored marquees, so if your club is looking to replace old marquees or in need of a new one, please get in touch.