Garth Hamilton (Groom, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Earlier this year, I had a great debate with the leaders at St Saviour's Primary School. It was wonderful to sit down, talk with them and hear their thoughts and ideas. I made the commitment that, if they wrote to me, I would raise their concerns in the parliament—and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Ruby-Lola Boxsell wrote a wonderful letter talking about the dual concerns she has for our environment, including the pollution that we're causing, and the way we're treating ourselves, with cancer rates, particularly in regional areas. That idea of looking after the environment and looking after ourselves speaks so much to the care that is coming through, loudly and clearly, from our next generation. Akeer Adol wrote a wonderful letter that could have come off any regional kitchen table. She wrote, 'Something needs to be done about Australians in remote areas not being able to access internet or wi-fi because of costs or not knowing how to use it.' These are issues that are raised with me all the time in regional telecommunications forums. It's great to see such a switched-on young person raising these issues.

Aya Doherty wrote a letter on homelessness that I think all of us will pause and think on. If you're in Toowoomba, watching the rates of homelessness increase and seeing people on the streets that have never been there before, you can only imagine what it must be like for a young person to see this change happen in their own city. She writes, very importantly, on the impact on youth crime that this has had in our area. The last one, from our Treasurer in training, Georgina Sullivan, is about the issue of inflation causing the cost of living to increase. I'll send you down a membership straightaway. Thank you very much, kids—a great school effort.