Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Australian Volunteer Coast Guard is a fantastic organisation which we are lucky to have in my electorate of Petrie. It looks after boaties and other people in Moreton Bay when they are out on the water. I had the pleasure today of congratulating Redcliffe's Volunteer Coast Guard on their successful application for a Stronger Communities grant. The grant is an amount of $5,455 for the refurbishment of a training room. They were originally going to apply for a FLIR camera but ended up getting funding for that through another grant. A FLIR camera enables them to have great night vision when they are out on the water at night.

I caught up with some of the coastguard members a few weeks back to help them put some reflective tape on a post out in Moreton Bay that was a real danger to boaties in my electorate of Petrie, particularly for those based in Redcliffe. The coastguard have exceptional volunteers who help man the boats and they have exceptional equipment. This grant will only help with that. They are all volunteers, every single one of them. They help out Queensland police and ambulance services, and they help boaties who get into trouble out in Moreton Bay.

Running a boat is very expensive. I have written to the Queensland state minister to ask for more funding for the coastguard to help pay for the equipment they need, rather than just petrol money, which they receive at the moment. Again, this is a fantastic organisation and I congratulate them. (Time expired)

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