December 2, 2014
by Deb Frecklington
Last week in Parliament I was reminded again of the power of individuals and groups to help influence change for the betterment of the community.
The Attorney-General, Jarrod Bleijie, announced the “Nanango Amendment”, a change to legislation which means campdrafts will no longer need to apply for Community Liquor Permits (CLP) – saving them time and money.
The change was brought about thanks to a push from the Cooyar Campdraft Association, who approached me at a meeting early in 2014 asking me to advocate for change.
They explained that while Show Societies were exempt from applying Community Liquor Permits, campdrafts, which are similar size and duration events, still needed to apply.
On behalf of the group I wrote to the Attorney-General explaining that campdrafts should be under the same classification as small regional shows, and I requested legislation be altered so they could also be exempted.
Our Government listened and I’m delighted that the aptly named “Nanango Amendment” to the Liquor and Fair Trading Legislation, exempting campdrafts was announced.
I think this example shows what can happen when community members come together with a goal to bring about change.
For the campdrafting community, the change will mean their volunteers won’t need to be bogged down with unnecessary regulation. And the changes will not only benefit our local campdraft, but all the campdrafts across Queensland.
Its groups like these that play an integral role in the cultural fabric of our regional communities, providing important social and economic benefits to local towns and the region as a whole.
So congratulations to the Cooyar Campdrafting Association for their role in making this happen.
And that’s what the role of the Member for Nanango is all about – taking relevant, local issues to our Government Ministers and Departments to advocate for the needs of our region.
In my next column – my Christmas wrap-up. See you then!
