Julia Irwin (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight, I am pleased to take the opportunity to report further on recent activities by the Petitions Committee. Last week I spoke about interstate hearings conducted by the committee in April. These were arranged to follow up on matters raised in petitions that had been presented to the House. Last week I referred to two matters that we discussed at our hearing in Sydney. Tonight I will refer to another issue from the Sydney hearing, as well as hearings in Brisbane and Melbourne in April.

In Sydney we considered a petition asking the House to recognise lymphoedema as a serious medical condition and to include it in the Enhanced Primary Care Program. Ms Cecily Miner spoke to us about the very serious impact that lymphoedema has on sufferers. I can say that I was aware of the disease in general terms but, until then, I did not realise how complicated it was to diagnose, and to treat—much less to live with.

The matters we considered in Brisbane were a mixture of national and regional in nature. We heard from petitioners regarding the state of the Warrego Highway, which is a major transport link between Brisbane and Darwin. We also heard from petitioners calling for the construction of a Toowoomba bypass to provide for safer and more efficient transport between Brisbane and the west. That petition had been signed by approximately 27,000 petitioners, so it is clearly an issue that is on the minds of people in that region.

Something that seemed to be at the heart of both petitions was decentralisation in South-East Queensland and the growth that has occurred in recent years, particularly in Toowoomba, which 23,000 vehicles now pass through each day. Petitioners also spoke to us about the impact on local infrastructure, particularly the Warrego Highway, from coal mining and ethanol and gas production. They also mentioned the impact of the continuing role of Dalby and Roma as major centres for cattle sales. I am pleased that the petitions process enables these issues to be known about more widely.

We also heard from supporters of a petition that is on more of a national issue—although the major supporters of that petition were Queensland based. The petition sought information regarding the sinking of the Montevideo Maru in World War II and the tragic loss of more than 1,000 Australians. Tragedies like this, no matter how long ago they occurred, never lose their impact on the families and friends of those who were involved.

When the committee met with petitioners in Melbourne a few weeks ago, we spoke to organisers of a petition about live animal exports to the Middle East.

Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The time allotted for petitions has expired.