Hello Queensland Party Members!

It has been a hectic year for political discourse in Queensland, with the hung parliament providing fodder for both State and National media on a seemingly endless stream of punch and counter punch.

More than ever, it seems that our elected representatives play the man and not the ball.   And they make an endless stream of costly promises that they can’t pay for.

And if we can’t elect politicians who keep their word, the main stream media will not hold them to account.

You can make a difference, today!  How?

1. Find a Friend for The Queensland Party! Labor and the LNP would prefer you do nothing.
2. Write a letter to the Courier Mail or your local paper to support The Queensland Party.
3. Share The Queensland Party blog posts on Facebook and Twitter.
4. Start a local branch. Contact the Secretary!
5. Donate to The Queensland Party!

How is The Queensland Party different to other political parties?

• The Queensland Party is the ONLY state based party - This means that TQP will put Queenslanders first and speak up to make sure any federal laws give you a fair go.  All other parties have federal masters which means that federal agendas get the priority, not you.

• The Queensland Party is the ONLY practical party -We are focused on common sense government to deliver community minded,  money-wise policies for all Queenslanders.

• The Queensland Party is the ONLY people’s party -The political system is broken by politicians that do what THEY like rather than what YOU want.  Only The Queensland Party will put you first. 

By taking a few minutes out of your day today, you can help fix what’s broken, by supporting The Queensland Party and putting Queenslanders first.

Newman has made moves to protect his penthouse pets by driving up the cost of living for every other apartment dweller in Brisbane Central

In another ambush to the weary people of Brisbane Central, the LNP has introduced the “BCCM and Other Legislation Amendment Bill” to Parliament that seeks to force owners of studio units to subsidise the lifestyles of penthouse owners.

This Bill will significantly increase the cost of living for ordinary people, by taking money out of their pockets and into the eager hands of penthouse owners, too miserly to pay their own fair share.

This Bill will set up needless hostility and division within the Community Titles Scheme communities and pit owner v owner in a battle between justice and outright knavery.

The BCCM Legislation was amended last year, in a bid by the Queensland Government to right a rort which had allowed affluent penthouse owners to reduce their body corporate fees by forcing their neighbours to pay more.  Under the 2011 amendments, unit owners – who had been forced against their will to subsidise the lifestyle of their wealthy neighbours – took steps to restore fairness and certainty by reverting back to the ‘pre adjustment lot entitlement schedule’.

If the LNP pass this Bill, the vast majority of apartment dwellers who live modest lives in small units will once again be forced to pay more, so that their well-off neighbours can pay less.

The perfidy of the Newman government will allow unit owners – who live in large apartments – often near the top – to pay $11,000 per year for maintaining one level of the building.  Unit owners on lower levels of the same building will pay over $29,000 per year to maintain the same amount of common property – one level of that building.

I hope that members of Newman’s government can see that any plan which makes it possible for the few to be subsidised by the many, at the expense of those least able to afford it, is hardly sound policy, and even worse politics.

Contact Ruth Bonnett:  0407 580 028

secretary@queenslandparty.org.au

Christopher Topher on Free Speech, and the Forbidden History of Unpopluar People

In the wake of the LNP majority in Queensland’s House, the Opposition has been reduced to a handful of Labor members who were somehow able to withstand the king tide of public opinion and retain their seats.

The people of Queensland have spoken, and now all of us have to do our part to make sure the current government is held to account, because we don’t have an Upper House to balance the thumping majority of the LNP.

That is why free speech is so vitally important, and I stand with those people who, like Gary Hardgrave, will protect their right to free speech – by using it!

I was an LNP member in early 2011, and when I put my hand up for the State seat of Bulimba, I was dealt with frankly, honestly and quickly by the LNP Selection Committee, who reckoned that I had said terrible things about Campbell Newman, and that it would put me in a spot of bother should a keen journalist type the words “Ruth Bonnett” into any search engine.

The LNP Selection Committee members were pleasant, professional and absolutely right.  I had been critical of the then Lord Mayor Newman, and my words still live on the internet for all to see.  I could see that the Selection Committee was concerned about those remarks, and when Newman was installed a leader of the LNP ‘outside parliament’, I understood the dilemma and withdrew from selection, just before I quit the Party.

Fast forward to today, and I would like to congratulate Premier Newman on his thumping majority win, and offer condolences to the Labor Party on its thumping.  And Queensland looks to have taken only a practice swing – in preparation for the upcoming Federal election.

I will continue to speak up about issues of importance to the wider community.  I was not silenced by the LNP, nor was I silenced when Katter’s Party tried to kneecap us prior to the Queensland election.  And I sure as eggs won’t be silenced by the Gillard government.

Freedom of speech is essential to holding the government to account.  Queenslanders don’t have much chance in Parliament now, but we can all protect free speech by using it, and letting the Gillard government know that in order to hold the Newman government to account, they might just want to think twice about Finkelstein’s recommendations.

I, too, am standing up for free speech, but I need your help.  Please post this video onto Facebook and Twitter.  Email, text, tweet, blog, host and post to everyone you can, especially your Federal MP and let them know that if they support this news media council, then you are never going to support them.

I have written previously about how urban votes have been used to trash the civil rights of fellow Queenslanders by way of Labor-Greens preference deals which have given birth to laws which do not meet the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Labor and the Greens have conspired to rob fellow Queenslanders of the very freedoms that our diggers fought and died for.

ANZAC day helps us remember why love of country, freedom and flag inspired our diggers to fight and die for freedom.

ANZAC Day goes beyond the anniversary of the landing on Gallipoli in 1915. It is the day we remember all Australians who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. The spirit of ANZAC, with its human qualities of courage, mateship, and sacrifice, continues to have meaning and relevance for our sense of national identity. On ANZAC day, ceremonies are held in towns and cities across the nation to acknowledge the service of our veterans.[1]

Recent sneering attacks on a Victoria Cross recipient showed many Australians that service to country and sacrifice are important to most of us, and the public support of Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith should have been more useful than any high priced focus group.

Labor has done something much worse than use snide remarks to insult and denigrate diggers.

Labor has deliberately written into law the sort of tyranny that ANZACs fought to restrain.

Labor  has used Greens preference deals and  legislative weapons like retrospectivity, impossibility and outrageous costs of compliance to intimidate primary producers.  Laws are made to impose punishment retrospectively for previous innocent acts.   It is a basic principle of all democratic countries that laws should not be impossible to comply with (lex non cogit ad impossibilia).   It is also apparent that the burden of these laws increases the costs to the landholder in managing the property.

The powers of ‘authorised officers’ evoke the authority and rex of the infamous ‘Star Chamber’.

It is not right that groups of people are demonised, then set upon by laws that would make Mao blush with pride.

I have met people who risked their lives and limited liberty to flee oppressive regimes. 

If we don’t stand our ground against these oppressive and unnecessary laws in our lifetime, there will be nowhere else to run.

On this ANZAC day it would be well worth remembering that this generation have been asked by John McCrae to take the torch “Take up our quarrel with to foe: To you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high.”  [2]

Labor should not be allowed to hide that torch, nor should they be allowed to extinguish it.

Allow the ANZACS to rest in peace and honour those who are still alive and well and holding that torch high.

I have written previously about Management Rights contracts that are often kept on foot by owners who are absolutely convinced that they should grant an extension every time the Manager requests one.

At Carmel by the Sea, the Manager – Staymint – has been told to go at the expiry of their contract.

The owners there will save millions of dollars in excessive fees for the simple fact that they have worked hard to honour the existing Management Rights contract and allowed it to expire.

Unit owners who are being asked to grant an extension may want to think of other less expensive ways of thanking a hard working Manager, rather than binding all owners to millions and millions of dollars of extra fees.

At another building, the Manager failed to take up their option and the owners have rightly decided not to re-engage the Manager.  These lucky owners are poised to save significant money by the simple act of going to tender.   The Adjudicator has ruled in the owner’s favour and simply told the Manager that his contract has expired, and that the Committee has done the right thing.

Many owners in large buildings are now reconsidering the status quo, and are now say “No thank you” to requests for extensions.

Another large body corporate could have exited from their expensive contract, but received inadequate legal advice and so are now 7 years from being able to negotiate fairer, enforceable contracts.

How do Managers convince owners to grant extensions? 

Some Managers have been known to lobby effectively to gain Committee support from volunteer committee members who may not have the time to fully understand the implications.  Once the Manager has Committee support, he finds it much easier to gain owner support.  Some Managers actively gather proxies for meetings, or ask owners to hand their voting papers in to their office.

In some cases, owners who try to raise the alarm about extending contracts are publicly attacked and can sometimes be the victim of vicious whispering campaigns.

Managers do have a lot at stake and can resort to effective measures to gain support for a vote that in the long run is costly to owners and not in their best interest.

One vote to extend could cost the owners millions of dollars in excessive fees, used to cover the large bank loans necessary to fund the purchase.

Fairer contracts can be negotiated that give each party some breathing room.

Learn more from this QandA document, circulated by a body corporate committee who is recommending that owners simply vote NO to any extensions, because of the significant cost in doing so.

If elected to represent Brisbane Central, I will continue to advocate for fair, enforceable contracts which can be terminated for significant misconduct.

I grew up in the storm belt of Southern Ontario, where fierce electrical storms regularly shook the house, burned trees, took down wires and set crops alight.  Balls of chain lightning would zip through the house.

My mother would wake us seven children up in the worst of storms.  She wanted to know where her children were if the house did get hit by lightning and we had to run.

My mother told us about wind storms, so severe that when she was heavily pregnant with my youngest sister, she ran for cover from the barn to the house.  The barn door just missed her back as she stumbled towards the house, dragging my younger brother in one arm and shielding the life growing inside with the other.

Winters held special magic for me – snow falling and glistening in the narrow wedge of a solitary yard light, snow shining like diamond so bright you could barely open your eyes, unbelievably cold mornings and ice coated trees.   The arrival of spring was always a time for celebration.

I remember developing an awe and respect for nature which remains to this day.

I have a track record of taking practical measures to protect our clean, green city.

Firstly, I serve on a body corporate committee which has reduced power and water consumption.  The reduction in water and power use should provide cost savings and reduce the burden on electricity and water supplies. 

Secondly, I believe economics and environmentalism go hand in hand.  Economics is about resource allocation and true environmentalism is about using resources wisely.  I have supported measures to ensure that unit living remains economically viable by calling for a review into Management Rights and by ensuring that all contracts are fair and enforceable.  Only by having fair and enforceable contracts can unit living remain economically sustainable.

I also think that our primary producers provide environmental services to everyone, including control of feral animals, protection of native species, land and water management and other important services too numerous to mention here.  By strengthening ties with the people in the bush, city folk can better appreciate the provision of these important services.

I have seen how politicians can demonise a group of people, just before they hit them between the eyes.  Newman demonised unit owners and split the urban community from the suburban city dwellers.  I thought it was wrong then, and I think it is wrong to demonise any group of people now.

By boosting regional tourism and increasing practical environmental awareness, perhaps we can engage with our primary producers on a constructive, respectful and productive basis.

There is a world of history in the outback.   A good start would be to read some bush poetry.

A sense of community is one of the most important gifts of all.

I have lived in Brisbane Central for over seven years and have helped build and maintain a strong and active social club.

That strong sense of community helped as we watched and waited while the river came in, and as we banded together, owners and tenants alike,  to clear the mud out of our car park.

I had some residents come up and apologise for not being able to help out, because they were needed more elsewhere.  I must say it almost moved me to tears.   I will never forget the dedication and commitment of those hardy volunteers who cleaned up the mud, delivered groceries, fed others and kept it going until the lifts were back up, the car park was drained and scraped, the fire protection services restored and the cars kept cleared off the driveway for our numerous contractors.

I did not fully appreciate the mud army until well after the crisis was over in our own building.  It was only then that I was able to see what damage was done to the rest of Brisbane and surrounding towns.

In fact, one of our major contractors followed me up the fire escape before the lifts came back into service.  Every single person said g’day.   He turned to me and said ‘Ruth this just doesn’t happen in other buildings.  You have a great community here.’

A strong community is so important, and Brisbane Central residents can rest assured that I will take practical steps to support those who need a leg up, and to champion those residents who wish to  give back to the community through volunteerism, laughter, acceptance and tolerance.

I would like to strengthen city ties with regional communities to boost regional tourism, promote practical environmental awareness, create more business opportunities in Brisbane Central and bring our great history to life.

Newman’s rates rort took a wrecking ball to the Brisbane Centr community, created social upheaval, anxiety and distress for many people.

I will stand up for strong local and regional communities.

Small business is very important to almost every community in Queensland. 

My track record of support for small to medium businesses and jobs includes participation in the Eastern Busway Reference Group.  The construction of this busway is expected to impact the businesses along the route, and I put a case forward for a ‘park and ride’ facility.

State Labor does not think parking facilities are necessary at major busway and train stations, but I do.  Windsor station could do with a park and ride facility.

Newman’s rates rort was a direct hit on small businesses operating out of strata units.   The rates for commercial stratas went skyrocketing, increasing the cost to businesses and putting those going concerns at a distinct disadvantage to their competitors.

I will be campaigning for the removal of unfair and indecent rates hikes for both residential and commercial units at the next Brisbane City Council election.

Newman’s Cycle Hire scheme has also impacted local residents and businesses by taking up precious parking and creating garish advertising spaces.

I have a background in Commercial Real Estate and an understanding of what small to medium sized businesses require to thrive.

I threw my support behind the traders at McWhirter’s by producing a video to show others just how damaging the closure of the walkway was.

The traders have now had a win, thanks to Lendlease, not Labor or the LNP.

I have a solid track record of going to bat for small business when it is needed. 

Unlike any of my opponents in Brisbane Central, I live in a unit and currently serve as Secretary for a large body corporate.

I serve on what is the fourth level of government in Queensland.

I have helped Brisbane Central residents save cost of living increases by campaigning against the unfair rates hikes to unit owners, which saw small studio units cop many times the increase that penthouse owners got.    As Secretary of the Brisbane Association for Rates Equity, I was at the epicentre of a long and tough campaign to get some sanity back into rating for unit owners, saving Brisbane Central ratepayers some $9.6 Million in excessive charges.

Newman’s rates rort chased people out of their homes, and caused working people and students to overcrowd into small units, just to afford the rent increases from the distortion in the market cause by jamming up rates by multiples of 5, 6 or 7.  I spoke to many affected owners, some of whom were elderly people suddenly faced with the ignominy of being dependent upon their children for survival.

I won’t soon forget the social upheaval that Newman caused in Brisbane Central, nor his refusal to back down, causing two unit owners to risk it all by taking Brisbane City Council to court.

Newman is like that.  Queenslanders will be faced with rising costs just to meet his shopping list, and we will be forced to risk it all if he is true to form.

I serve on a committee which has passed on reductions in body corporate fees to owners, by carefully controlling spending, setting procedures and monitoring the budget.  This same committee has also taken measures to reduce electricity costs, power consumption and water use.

I also advocate strongly for a review into the management rights industry, currently protected by Labor under law.   Managers can ride roughshod over unit dwellers, just to protect their vested interests.  Contracts cannot be terminated, even for significant misconduct.

Labor is a bit late to the table for unit owners, and may miss Grace.

I am ready to serve the people of Brisbane Central, if I am elected.  I have already demonstrated that I can take on significant threats – like Newman’s rates rort – and win.  I have demonstrated that I can take on significant misconduct – and thrive. I have demonstrated that I can work with a committee to help keep city living sustainable into the future.

As the Independent Candidate for Brisbane Central who takes a stand on practical and positive environmental issues, I totally support the protection of the Bimblebox Nature Refuge from mining activities.

With the help of Brisbane Central voters, I could potentially hold a balance of power position, and be able to hold the government to account.

Unit owners may enjoy ‘lock it and leave it’ lifestyles, but the same cannot be said for land holders.  Current vegetation management laws lock the land and leave it.  Urban voters may not realize that there is little point of the ‘feel good’ solution of tying up more and more land as national parks, state forests or nature refuges, if there are no resources provided to maintain them.

Practical environmentalists need to talk about the situation of feral pigs that wildlife officers estimate in the hundreds of thousands, which flee back into the refuge as soon as any human approaches.  Feral animals like this threaten native flora and fauna and foul water systems.

From one affected land holder:

In 2010, I was forced to create 2 Nature Refuges of around 210 acres, nearly 2/3rds of my property, if I wanted to cut off a third of the land and sell it. If I refused, I was told I wouldn’t have the subdivision approved. (Please note that both myself and the new owner of the subdivided section, totally protect the area regardless and would not have harmed it at all – protecting it is the attraction for both of us in owning it.) I was obliged to sign documents waiving all rights to compensation EVER, never using it ever again for any other purpose, and agreeing to keep the area free of feral pests and weeds. Never mind that it is on the boundary of the Wooroonooran National Park, which is a refuge for hundreds of feral pigs who flee back into the forest as soon as any human approaches, doing incredible harm to the ecosystems on both sides of the boundary. The government expects ME to keep my bit safe from the pigs but does absolutely NOTHING to protect the national park from them, thereby allowing them to breed up and prove an ongoing disaster.

I believe we can protect the environment and people, by ensuring that laws meet the widely accepted United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, by ensuring that landholders are justly compensated and by ensuring that land which is set aside, is managed by true environmental stewards.