Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to acknowledge the new student leaders within the schools of Fadden. Australia’s young leaders play an important role in setting a good example by acting responsibly and indeed making positive choices. What is encouraging is that these leaders have been selected by their schools and, in many instances, by their own peers for their potential to make a positive and lasting contribution to their school communities. We all know that Australia needs great leaders and much more will be demanded of these leaders in their schools today and in their communities tomorrow.

Let me acknowledge from Arundel State School the 2009 house captains: Kiana Banchetti, Jovana Cakovan, Hamish Gray, Tyson Mayfield, Cameron Olivieri, Pascal Reisch, Chloe Walkerdene and Jordan Woods. The house vice-captains are: Shakaia Angel-Werahiko, Jye Cawley-Silva, Caesar Kuresa, Jorden Lesa, Jacob Robin, Devan Simpson, Monica Treble and Claudia Wilkie. The student counsellors are: Zach Agnew, Samantha Brida, Stella Caroz, Mirakai Conroy, Brenna Dadd, Rachel Dyba, Taylor Fitzsimmons, Sinead Flanagan, Nathan Greenup, Nicholas Hopper, Jessie Kemp. Ebonie McLennan, Lachlan Ottley, Jemma Pearl, Dylan Rovere-Bray, Eve Rushmer, Daniel Scherger, Mackenzie Stanbrook, Gemma Taktikos, Kate Wagstaff, Sarah Wagstaff and Antony Warne. The student representatives are: Tayla Evans, Adam Horrigan, James Hunt, Ji Seop Jung, Jack Kearsley, Natalie Koh, Joel Underwood and Lucy Weston. I acknowledge from Helensvale State High School, the house leader, Cameron Wills; Coombabah State School, student counsellor from 5C, Austin James; and from Saint Stephen’s College, prefect Ashleigh Dunlop.

On another matter, the Queensland state election will be decided this Saturday. Anna Bligh has pledged $60 million for a new stadium at Carrara, as though the answer to all questions is a new stadium. Yet we know there are 35,000 people languishing on hospital waiting lists and that there are 156,000 people waiting to get on hospital waiting lists in Queensland. You could fill this proposed new stadium 7½ times with the people on Queensland’s hospital waiting lists. I am from the Gold Coast and I desperately want to see an AFL stadium. I will move heaven and earth to secure the funds needed, from wherever we can get them—short of Ruddbank or indeed ‘Kevlani Bank’—so we can build an AFL stadium so that the GC17 team has a place to play and a great stadium to call home. The Springborg government will do everything it can, once it gets the books, to find the money to pay for it. But there are 35,000 people on hospital waiting lists and 156,000 people waiting to get on the waiting lists. We could fill a stadium 7½ times with people who desperately need care. When it comes to priorities, I think the answer is people’s health—the health of women, children, old people and young people. That must come before football.