House debates

Wednesday, 20 March 2024

Statements by Members

McPherson Electorate: Radio 4CRB, Federal and State By-Elections

1:33 pm

Photo of Karen AndrewsKaren Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I would like to say a huge 'Happy 40th birthday!' to one of my local radio stations, 4CRB. They are a community based radio station broadcasting from their station at Burleigh Heads. They are a fantastic radio station. They reach out to their community. They have guests online and they make sure that they take questions from their listeners. They do so much to brighten the days of many of their listeners.

They engage with over 82,000 listeners—broadly from the Gold Coast, northern New South Wales, Brisbane and Ipswich—and they have an online streaming service that reaches out to a further 50-something thousand listeners as well. They even reach as far as beautiful Norfolk Island—so a huge shout out to Norfolk Islanders as well.

I have joined that station for regular talkback sessions for the last 14 years, and, just last week, I had a caller ring in who wanted to talk about and raise his concerns about the costs that were associated with people choosing to leave a parliament and, as a result, there being a by-election. So what he raised with me is that this is a considerable concern to him. It has a huge cost to the community and a huge cost to taxpayers. His recommendation is that the person who leaves should contribute financially to the calling of a by-election. I'm raising that concern today.