Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to congratulate and thank the Logan Country Chamber of Commerce, which recently held an awards night for 120 businesses within the district of Jimboomba in the electorate of Wright. I am so proud of the business and the mindset that these guys are conducting in an environment where the cost-of-living pressures are having an absolute impact on the way they go about conducting their businesses. When I asked them what their anticipated reception of a carbon tax was and what impact it would have on their business, every one of them, sadly, said that they would have to reluctantly pass on those additional costs to clients and customers—mums and dads, pensioners and other people who live within the electorate of Wright, the silent majority who are doing it ever-increasingly tough.

Notwithstanding that, I congratulate the President of the Logan Country Chamber of Commerce, Filipa Callahan, on the way she conducted herself on that night, along with the rest of the executive—Paula McSporran and Bob Wiley. I also make special mention of Patrick Bletchen, who has just invested into the development of a little shopping complex. Here is private enterprise going out and trying to make it in the world of commerce. He has about 50 per cent of his business premises leased. I have grave concerns for Patrick and I will work with him to try to make sure that we get those shops leased in adversity. (Time expired)