Speech by Dale Shuttleworth

MEMBER FOR FERNY GROVE

Hansard Wednesday, 30 May 2012

MAIDEN SPEECH

Mr SHUTTLEWORTH (Ferny Grove—LNP) (5.49 pm): I rise in this chamber today wrestling with many conflicting emotions. I have a great sense of pride but then I humbly reflect upon the fact that, without the support of so many, my own effort would have fallen short. I feel a sense of relief in our success, but then I am reminded that it is not us who should make that judgement so early. I ponder upon the trust that has been shown in me by the electorate of Ferny Grove. The 244 square kilometres of the Ferny Grove electorate stretches from Keperra in the east to Mount Nebo and in the west and includes Bunya, Ferny Hills, Arana Hills, Ferny Grove and Upper Kedron, the picturesque Samford Valley, Highvale, Whites Mountain, Camp Mountain, Yugar, Cedar Creek, Mount Samson and Clear Mountain. Each contribute a unique quality to the overall fabric of the electorate. The traditional owners of the land throughout this region were the Turrbal and Garumngar people, whose presence can be witnessed at a number of very well-preserved bora sites throughout Samford and Mount Samson regions. Samford and surrounding valley suburbs are roughly 21 kilometres from the CBD of and were settled by Europeans in the mid-1850s. The settlement grew to a vibrant one by the early 20th century largely on the back of successes in banana farming, an industry which continued to prosper past the end of the First World War when returned servicemen were encouraged into the area to assist with this industry’s growth. Success was short-lived, however, when disease wiped out the crops and with it the hopes of so many in this area. There remained other industries at the time within the electorate; namely, a tannery at Arana Hills and a clay pit and tile factory at Ferny Grove. Today all of this industry has made way for developments of transport infrastructure, parklands or residential estates. The local area today, while remaining industrious, has very little industry. We boast almost 3,500 small businesses, many operating from home offices and, not surprisingly, many aligning with the four primary pillars of our economy. We have our share of colourful local identities such as Jack Mitchell, a Samford resident who has recently published his memoirs in a book titled From Samford to Salamaua—and back. This book outlines his story from the family farm through to his war service in Papua New Guinea and categorises the many outstanding community and volunteer organisations that Jack has devoted his service to over the years. Another local identity, George Wilmore, who landed at Gallipoli in April 1915, became a Salvation Army missionary and later a dynamic and successful real estate agent. Then there are the Pickering, Stokes, Marshall and McGuinn families who have so richly contributed their time and service to our local area, who have made it the great place that it is today. Their service also reminds me, as I begin my journey as the representative of Ferny Grove, that it is this unwavering dedication and willingness to serve that creates a legacy, not simply my elevation to this place. Mr Deputy Speaker, at this point I wish to reiterate my commitment to the people of Ferny Grove and say with complete conviction that I will remain wholly focused on the people and places throughout the Ferny Grove electorate. I heard while doorknocking that they were desperate to have faith in our government. They wanted a capable government to deliver a reduction in their cost of living, to restore

File name: shut2012_05_30_25.fm Page : 1 of 4 Speech by Dale Shuttleworth extracted from Hansard of Wednesday, 30 May 2012 accountability and integrity to government and to provide better services, and they desperately wanted a government in which they could once again trust to act in accordance with our own stated convictions. Today I am proud to say that I form part of that government This Campbell Newman-led LNP government has made five pledges to the people of : we promise that we will deliver a four-pillar economy focused on construction, agriculture, resources and tourism; we will lower the cost of living for families by cutting waste; we will deliver better infrastructure through better planning; we will revitalise front-line services; and we will restore accountability in government. I am extremely grateful to be a member of the class of 2012 that has brought about this great change. However, I am under no illusion that the task ahead will be made any easier by our numbers in this House. In fact, I imagine it may well be the opposite. I am certain that we will be more harshly judged. We will be held to account more stringently and have greater expectations placed upon us all. Each of the stated pledges is a measurable commitment to which we will all be held to account. Far from causing me consternation, this invigorates me and drives me more tenaciously towards the benchmarks I set for myself. My journey to this place began in my birthplace of Mackay, which was for the vast majority of my younger years also where we lived, apart from a small stint further north in Townsville, where I began school at Hermit Park State School. When we returned to Mackay, I continued school at Mackay North State School. My father, mother, two sisters and I lived quite near the school, and perhaps my oldest recollection is one of walking home across a small causeway tributary of the goose ponds from school each day. While life has dealt quite a few challenges, perhaps the biggest one we faced as a family was that, like many others, we did not remain together and circumstances of life, far too complicated for me to understand at the time, meant that for all of my high school years I was raised in a single parent home. I would like at this point to acknowledge and thank my mother, Margie, for her pivotal role in my life. As the member for Whitsunday mentioned earlier this afternoon, life in Mackay was fantastic in the 1970s. The fishing was unbelievable. The sugar industry continued to thrive. The fledgling mining industry appeared to be worth supporting and tourism competed well against our northern neighbours, with Brampton Island being one of the better resorts throughout the Whitsundays. The region contributed well towards a strong and diverse Queensland economy. I had a job with my uncle as a milk boy and recall how the newly relocated Port Curtis Dairy at East Boundary Road, Paget, was in the middle of farming land. Now those coldrooms are dwarfed by heavy industry supporting the resource sector throughout the region.

Mackay is no longer the place of my memories and, like so many regions of Queensland, the previous government’s single focus and reliance upon the resource sector has come at great cost to the diversity and strength of other sectors. The Newman-led LNP government’s commitment to grow our state through a four-pillar economy will revitalise many regions throughout the state and ensure that we all enjoy a stronger, more diversified and resilient future. I left Mackay to join the Royal Australian Navy on 8 January 1982. I took an oath to God, Queen and country. I absolutely loved the Navy. It provided me with a real purpose, direction, challenge and camaraderie like nothing I had experienced to that point. The Navy taught me my trade of electronics engineering in communication systems, and I would enjoy that job more than any other I would have in my life to this point. My 12 years of service saw me posted to a number of platforms—the tanker HMAS Supply; the destroyer HMAS Vampire; patrol boats out of Cairns; and, finally, HMAS Adelaide, a frigate which now rests on the ocean floor off Newcastle in New South Wales. During my time on these ships I deployed to South-East Asia, the United States of America, the Pacific islands, New Zealand and the Persian Gulf during Operation Damask in 1990. It was during the lead-up to this deployment that my interest in politics began. Like many of my colleagues, I was appalled at the apparent lack of funding to the defence department by the Hawke government and the damage this appeared to do to our preparedness to confront difficult situations. This became apparent when the Navy scrambled to ready our ships with additional equipment as we sailed from Sydney to Perth and then on to Diego Garcia. The ‘fitted for but not with’ options that made our ships suitable for operational deployment were hastily fitted, with little or no training provided to the officers and sailors responsible for the use and maintenance of this equipment. It seems ironic that at this time it is Defence that has once again become a casualty of the current Labor federal government as it tries desperately to deliver its first budget surplus. Over the years my focus has shifted from federal issues to those of state responsibility and, like so many individuals, my interest in politics was largely only aired at barbecues or family gatherings and I did not become actively involved until much later in life. One of the best aspects of life in the Australian Defence Force is the friendships we make, often with members of other forces, even though we compete consistently against each other. I have received many gibes over the years in relation to my naval service, most of which I could not share in the House. Although I am sure you have heard a lot, one does go along the lines of ‘a girl in every

File name: shut2012_05_30_25.fm Page : 2 of 4 Speech by Dale Shuttleworth extracted from Hansard of Wednesday, 30 May 2012

port’. I can say categorically that this was never the case. Actually, I have always been a little slow on the uptake in the courting stakes and so my decision to leave the Navy in 1994 at almost 30 years of age to settle down, marry and raise a family, while seemingly a sensible thing to do, was seriously flawed. I was about as single as you could ever get and almost eight years would pass before I met Emily, giving creed to the age-old adage that all good things come to those who wait. This is now evidenced in a compelling way through the woman I am now blessed to call my wife. There are many others at this point whom I would like to acknowledge as having made a significant contribution in my journey to this chamber. To my family in Mackay, my sister Tiana and my father, Eric, who both travelled to Brisbane for a fortnight leading up to the 24 March election, and to their families who shared them with me—Cyndy, Murray, Julie-Anne, Gary, Mitchell and Lacey—I thank you. To my sister Janette and her family—Stef, Robert and Kristi—who live in Ferny Hills: thank you for the support over many years, not just to the campaign but also for the support of my family in difficult and demanding times. To my dearest friends, who, despite our busy lives and all-too-infrequent visits, have remained close and supportive—Stephen Harris, whom I have known for 30 years and who flew up from Melbourne to assist with the election-day activities and was joined later in the day by Bruce Hobson and Ken Priest, who have contributed greatly over several years—I thank you. I would like to thank the people within the LNP campaign team who strategised effectively and who provided training, direction, mentoring and plenty of assistance. This was provided by many, but on the ground in Ferny Grove it was Matt McEachan who held it all together on their behalf. There were some stalwarts in the campaign. There was Patrick, who became a standard fixture at Bob Cassimaty Park along Samford Road; my campaign executive team of Chris Lehmann, Annette Tidbury, Mick McGuire and the less well known John Howard. To the tireless volunteers—Estelle Bush, Leann Booker, Hazel Perry and many others who know the great contribution you have made—I thank you all. There are those who significantly contributed to my campaign through their support in the mentoring role they played, knowingly or otherwise—the Hon. Peter Dutton, federal member for Dickson and shadow minister for health and ageing; and the local councillors who were returned and with whom I look forward to working: Councillor Andrew Wines from the Enoggera ward of Brisbane City Council and Councillors Brian Battersby and Bob Millar from Moreton Bay Regional Council. I hope that, if nothing else, I learn how to retain my seat from Councillor Battersby, who is in his 40th year representing his constituency. I would like to thank David Redfern, from Madison Technologies, who has taught me that individuals with an entrepreneurial flair need not dispose of morals and ethics in pursuit of financial success. He is someone for whom I will always have a great deal of respect. There are some absent friends who have all contributed greatly. These include George Clarke, my stepfather, who passed away during the campaign of the 2009 election and who I know would have been very proud today, and Graham Harper, from a family owned business Environmental Data Services that consistently punched above its weight in a competitive environment. He provided me with great opportunities and an unusual tutorial in life that today I still hold in very high regard. I thank the great team at my most recent former employer, Pronto Software. I was employed in the Brisbane branch of Pronto Software for the past seven years, and during that entire time I have been campaigning for this change in my career. Many employers would have frowned upon my endeavours. However, not only have they allowed me to continue in my pursuit but also they have actively assisted throughout. The Queensland general manager, Steve Hillyard, was a number of times seen throughout the electorate handing out how-to-vote cards and the CEO, David Jackman, located in Melbourne, is not unknown to the Liberal Party of Victoria and had on many occasions provided words of great wisdom. At this point I would like to acknowledge the previous member for Ferny Grove, who had, like so many on both sides of the House, committed a great deal of time to serving his electorate. Of course, I wish to thank my children, Isabella and Alisha. I know what the sacrifices of my many years of campaigning whilst working full time have already meant for you. I hope that in time you will appreciate that I undertook this challenge in order to provide a better future for you and, indeed, other children throughout Queensland. To my stepson, Matthew, who has provided me with a great deal of joy over the years and of whom I am now very proud as he undertakes his own military career in the Australian Army, from Woodside in South —like many families throughout my electorate we will be challenged later this year when he deploys to Afghanistan—I wish you and all the other service men and women who deploy overseas godspeed and a safe return. My hope for the electorate which I will now serve is that we will continue to grow and prosper as a community where our cohesiveness is strengthened through a desire to collectively achieve. This sense of community is often enhanced through the dogged resolve of community groups who, often using well-worn volunteers, relentlessly pursue challenges and seek out those less fortunate individuals to provide assistance and encouragement. Within Ferny Grove we are blessed to have a greater than average number of volunteers and a lower than average number of persons in need. However, there are many

File name: shut2012_05_30_25.fm Page : 3 of 4 Speech by Dale Shuttleworth extracted from Hansard of Wednesday, 30 May 2012 organisations that are long established, are consistently high achievers and contribute significantly to the local area, such as the Golden Valley Keperra Lions, Samford Lions, a number of Rotary clubs, Samford Riding for the Disabled, Meals on Wheels and both the Hills and Districts and the Samford chambers of commerce. I look forward to assisting all of those local community groups as well as the school parents and citizens associations, churches and other organisations to continue to provide great outcomes to the communities they serve. In closing, I wish to analogise that my journey to this point is like a large building project. It is built upon the foundation of faith and family using the materials of friends and colleagues, life experiences and various occupations—and, most importantly, the fastener that holds it all together, that gives it form and purpose, is my wife, Emily. I know that, like my analogy, if she were missing my life would be a pile of disorganised rubble. I remain indebted to her forever and hope never to lose sight of or appreciation of the love we share and the invaluable contribution she has made to my life. Thirty years ago I made an oath to serve my God, Queen and country, and today I renew that oath to my God, Queen and the people of Queensland. At some time before or at the end of my days I hope only to hear from those to whom I have made this oath the words, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.’

File name: shut2012_05_30_25.fm Page : 4 of 4