Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker Hogan, and congratulations on your elevation to the role of Deputy Speaker. I'd like to take this opportunity to commend the Logan House Fire Support Network and its founders, Louis and Christine Naumovski, who have not only worked tirelessly to support people in my electorate of Forde who have lost their homes to a fire but also campaigned for real change, which has made a real impact in the city of Logan and far beyond. Louis and Christine, with the support of a number of sponsors, have helped those who've lost everything since the devastating house fire at Slacks Creek in 2011 which claimed 11 lives. Through their support network, they have helped get families back on their feet, with care packages to help them in that short period after the fire.

Their most tremendous work to date, however, was their successful lobbying in 2015 of the Queensland government to mandate photoelectric smoke alarms—an effort which resulted in world-leading legislation in 2016. Since then, in Logan, the statistics have seen a 17 per cent drop in house fires. In the south-east, there has been a 30 per cent drop in house fires. Across the state of Queensland, there's been a 22 per cent drop in house fire call-outs. These statistics are the first yearly figures released since the smoke alarm legislation was passed in parliament.

I'd like to personally congratulate Louis and Christine for this tremendous result. They've helped so many people through times of hardship, and now their hard work and lobbying to save lives have paid off. (Time expired)

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