Last week saw a damning report into Star Entertainment Group that operates the Gold Coast and Brisbane casinos. Unfortunately, it highlights again the chaos and dysfunction of the Palaszczuk Government.

The actions of Star under the watch of this government are completely unacceptable. However, this report was a missed opportunity to get to the bottom of the scandals that have come upon Star, not to mention its Queensland government regulator. This inquiry – chaired by well-respected retired Justice Robert Gotterson AO KC – was way too narrow from the start to fully examine the links between the Palaszczuk Government, Labor lobbyists, unions and the regulator. The Palaszczuk Government set these terms.

We already know that Star secretly engaged the Premier’s former Deputy Chief of Staff Evan Moorhead’s lobbying firm Anacta Strategies and hired former Labor candidate Corinne Mulholland as its in-house lobbyist, together with links to other well-known Labor and union members. Mr Gotterson’s hands were effectively tied and he was unable to investigate these matters further. Queenslanders deserve better from their government.

UKRAINE AND UNCERTAIN TIMES
At the time of writing, Monday night, missiles are impacting Ukraine as part of their ongoing conflict with Russia, and unfortunately the global outlook for peace and stability continues to worsen. These events – even though a long way away in physical terms – have the potential to cause huge disruption to Australia by destabilising the international trade we depend on, pushing the price of essentials even higher and reducing overall national income. These events reinforce the need for affordable, reliable energy and policies to support our businesses and industries at home in Queensland and Australia. While we hope for peace and prosperity, uncertainty looms large on the horizon, and we must do whatever we can to ensure the independence and sustainability of our economy and way of life into the future, even in the face of huge disruption that may come our way from over the seas.

BITUMEN SCAM WARNING
Roving bitumen traders offering driveway repairs and bitumen laying services are back, targeting the community.

This is the latest iteration of a long-running scam on unaware Queenslanders. Bitumen layers, also known as bitumen bandits, are complete scammers, and Office of Fair Trading have heard reports of them trying to scam residents.

I remind residents that door-to-door traders must generally not accept payment or commence work on a property within a 10-business day cooling-off period, and consumers can cancel any agreement within this period without penalty.

Door-to-door traders must leave your premises if directed, and must not approach any residence displaying a 'do not knock' notice or sticker.

You can contact my office or the Office of Fair Trading to order a free 'do not knock' sticker. If you think you have seen these traders, contact the Office of Fair Trading on 13 QGOV (13 74 68) so they can track their movements and warn other consumers.

SCENIC RIM ELECTORATE OFFICE
You can contact me by phone, toll-free, on 1800 813 960, or email scenicrim@parliament.qld.gov.au, so I can lobby on your behalf in Brisbane. In an electorate as large as the Scenic Rim, there are lots of issues, and I appreciate your feedback that helps me do my job as well as possible.