Print this pageNarangba Community Cabinet Meeting
The Government’s second Community Cabinet Meeting was held on Sunday 2 March 2008, at the Narangba Valley State High School in South-East Queensland. More than 600 Queenslanders turned up to hear from the Prime Minister and express their views and concerns directly to him, other Cabinet Ministers and the heads of government departments.
The Community Cabinet Meeting opened with the Premier of Queensland, Anna Bligh welcoming Cabinet members to Queensland. This was followed by a Welcome to Country by indigenous elder Dr Eve Fesl and the singing of the National Anthem by Year 10 student, Vivien Emsworth-Copland, accompanied by the Narangba Valley State High School Chamber Orchestra.
Following introductory remarks from the Prime Minister, the meeting proceeded to a 45-minute open forum where The Prime Minister and his Cabinet Ministers answered questions from the floor.
The questions canvassed local, national and international issues ranging from increasing housing affordability for owner/occupiers, new home buyers and community housing seekers, to support for Type 1 diabetes and lung cancer treatments and to whether Australia has achieved its millennium development aid targets and what are Australia’s future directions in foreign aid in the Pacific region.
Other issues raised included the impact of family law changes on the care of children and domestic violence abatement, assistance for constructing a local performing arts centre, shared transport arrangements for community group members and support for single parents through assisting with the costs of children’s participation in sporting clubs.
The day ended with some members of the public participating in one-on-one meetings with Ministers to discuss particular issues of concern. Over 80 meetings were held. Attendees included individual members of the public and local lobby groups such as a local community organisation seeking to provide recycled prescription glasses to the Timorese people.
The next Community Cabinet Meeting was held at Jamison High School, Penrith, in the electorate of Lindsay in NSW on Tuesday 15 April 2008.