Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's an honour to present this evening two speeches written by young Capricornians Alexis and Kodi as part of the Raise Our Voice campaign. This year's question is: what do you want your community to look like in the next 10 years, and what can the next parliament do to achieve it? These are their thought-provoking responses, beginning with Kodi from Collinsville:

Imagine a community where voices can be heard and dreams can become a reality.

In the next ten years, the Parliament has the chance to make this vision come to life for Collinsville.

My name is Kodi Mackie. A local who has lived in this town their entire life. Many people don't know about Collinsville. It's truly a hidden gem, home to approximately 1,500 people. However, it has very little facilities to offer and no major tourist attractions, besides the mines.

So, you're probably wondering; how is this small town so special and different from the rest? Well, there is only two words to describe it, community spirit.

The Community is what keeps the town alive. In most places, people don't even know their own neighbours. But in Collinsville the town is your family, the people you rely on.

Sadly, this spirit is starting to fade away, which is why we desperately need the parliament's help over the next decade to steer Collinsville in the right direction, so generations to come can keep the spirit alive.

The parliament must immediately focus on funding a variety of sporting teams to be introduced into the town. By offering locals a chance to train and represent their town together through different sports, it will increase the community wellbeing drastically.

The town also needs to be provided with more opportunities for people to be able to express themselves and bond with others. This can be achieved by operating local workshops multiple times a year.

Finally, the parliament needs to allow the town to be heard. I want our community to look strong, powerful and to come together as one.

Every voice deserves to be heard no matter how small. This is why I believe the next parliament has the chance to save our town.

My next speaker says:

My name is Alexis, and I am a grade 11 student at The Rockhampton Grammar School. When asked "what do you want your community to look like in ten years?" I started to wonder what Rockhampton desperately needed and what issues I personally have seen and dealt with.

In 2022, my dad was diagnosed with cancer which led to my family having to travel to places such as Mackay which is a 3 and-a-half-hour drive and Gold Coast which is an 8-hour drive to get treatment or scans.

This is a serious barrier for those living in regional/remote areas of Australia that needs to be addressed by parliament. The lack of medical technology and specialists in regional and remote parts of Australia forces families, like mine, to travel to appointments which means time off work, travelling expenses, accommodation fees and much more.

The need for such medical technology/doctors far outweighs the cost of implementing them and further developing regional and remote areas.

Without funds from the government this will not be able to be achieved, that is why I am personally asking for your help so other families can get medical attention without having to leave Rockhampton.

The voices of young people like Alexis and Kodi remind us of the importance of community, health and the role parliament can play in shaping the future. Their ideas reflect the hopes and challenges faced by regional areas like Collinsville and Rockhampton. It's essential that we listen to those voices and work together to create communities that are strong, vibrant and inclusive for generations to come. Thank you, Alexis and Kodi, for sharing your voices with the parliament.