July 28, 2016
Newly elected Federal Member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien has thanked voters for putting their faith and trust in him.
Speaking at the Declaration of the Poll in Maryborough on Thursday afternoon, Mr O’Brien committed to serving all Wide Bay communities to the best of his ability.
“I thank the electors of Wide Bay for entrusting me with the great responsibility of being their representative in the Australian Parliament for the next three years,” Mr O’Brien said.
“I thank my wife Sharon and my three children Rees, William and Yve, for their love and support and belief in me. It sustained me through the long campaign, and I am incredibly grateful for the sacrifices they made along the way.
“I thank the former Member for Wide Bay, Warren Truss and his wife Lyn, for their support, encouragement and guidance.
“I also thank my campaign team and many volunteers, led by my campaign manager Ben Ellingsen, and our local co-ordinators in Maryborough, Gympie, the South Burnett and Noosa, who helped with fundraising and ensured pre-poll and voting booths were covered.
“I pay tribute to the other candidates in the race for Wide Bay. Putting your hand up as a candidate is a big decision and it does take a toll on you personally and those around you.
“You expect scrutiny and to be grilled on your plans and ambitions for your electorate and that’s a good feature of our democracy, striving to do the best you can to provide better opportunities for the people you seek to represent.
“I now look forward to delivering on my plan to create local jobs, support local projects and assist local community groups in Wide Bay.”
Mr O’Brien said this support would include:
- A $20 million Wide Bay Burnett Jobs Package to create local jobs
- $396,698 for CCTV cameras to improve community safety at Murgon
- $25,000 to extend Murgon’s Men’s Shed
- $20,000 for a new acoustic ceiling at Murgon’s PCYC, and
- Mobile phone coverage to Poona and along the Wide Bay Highway between Woolooga and Kilkivan
