Residents of Central and North Queensland can now seek reimbursement for improvements to their homes to reduce the impacts of cyclone damage, following today’s announcement that the household resilience program has been boosted by more than $21 million.

The Morrison Liberal National Government will provide a funding injection of just under $63,000 to 19 local community groups and organisations in the electorate of Dawson to support the work of local volunteers.

Eight Mackay organisations, three in Whitsundays, three in South Townsville, three in Burdekin and two in Bowen will receive grants to support the work of their volunteers.

Owners of Driver Reviver locations across the region can now apply for a share of $3 million in Australian Government funding to upgrade their life-saving rest sites.

I am deeply disappointed with the unsatisfactory response from the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice in the Government of the United Kingdom, the Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC MP, which advised that Julian Assange will not be granted compassionate release from prison on the basis that he does not meet the criteria and he also presents as a flight risk.

Tourism operators on the Great Barrier Reef will receive much-needed additional support from the Morrison-McCormack Government.

More than $50 million in safety upgrades for the Bruce Highway between Mackay and Proserpine will start this month, supporting 95 jobs in the region.

The jointly Australian and Queensland Government-funded project will be built by locally based company Vassallo Construction at a time when supporting local jobs has never been more important.

The first Australian Government-funded GP-led respiratory clinic in North Queensland has opened in Mackay to support local GPs with patients who require further assessment and testing for coronavirus (COVID-19).

The North Mackay Respiratory Clinic will assess, test, and diagnose community members experiencing mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms (a fever, cough, shortness of breath, a sore throat and/or unusual fatigue). Community members will be directed back to their usual GP for ongoing care.

MORE than 24 tonnes of debris including plastics, discarded fishing gear, old cigarette lighters and toothbrushes have been removed from the beaches of the Great Barrier Reef in 2019, thanks to the Morrison Government’s partnership with Tangaroa Blue Foundation to deliver the ReefClean project.

The opportunity to drive the future of road safety innovation and technology is here, with applications for Round 1 of the Australian Government’s $12 million Road Safety Innovation Fund now open.

It is good to see the ATO act quickly and decisively regarding deductions on working from home and I welcome the arrangements which have now been put in place for expenses incurred from March 1 to June 30 this year.

The Morrison Liberal National Government has unveiled a $110 million initiative to secure freight flights so that fishers and farmers can get their produce into overseas markets.

Our horticulture producers are facing difficulties because they rely on backpacker workers to harvest their crops, and these visa programs are being impacted by the Coronavirus and restrictions on movements.

Reports coming in from the tourism and hospitality industry are that there are going to be a lot of casual workers being laid off.

Federal Minister for Emergency Management David Littleproud and the State Minister for Sport Mick de Brenni announced today that Townsville Cycle Club will receive funding of $1.86 million to make vital repairs to its flood-damaged infrastructure at the Murray Sporting Complex in Annandale.

This area of Townsville was one of the worst hit during the 2019 monsoonal flooding and a number of sporting groups were impacted.

NORTH Queensland could soon benefit from better bridges and freight roads with applications now open for Round 5 of the Morrison Liberal National Government’s Bridges Renewal Program (BRP) and Round 7 of the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program (HVSPP).

I encourage local councils and state and territory governments to apply for a share of $300 million of funding under the two programs.

We are going to have thousands of people in the region who are going to get the $750 stimulus payment from the end of this month.

My plea is that people spend it with a local business in our region.

Spend it locally, spend it with a small business and spend to support someone’s job.

Student accommodation at James Cook University (JCU) in Townsville will be significantly increased, along with local job and economic opportunities, with the construction of a new residence backed by a $46 million Australian Government loan through the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF).

This project is an important step in the development of the university and the city of Townsville.

Despite claims by one inner-city Liberal MP on Sky News this morning, the Morrison Liberal National Government is providing funding to coal-fired power projects, principally because they provide stable and reliable baseload supply.

In North Queensland, a clean coal-fired power project has been granted $4 million by the Morrison government for planning works to get the project to construction stage.