David Batt (Hinkler, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

On the Australia Day long weekend, I was proud to attend awards and citizenship ceremonies in Hinkler. They were a true celebration of the people of my community and a salute to what it means to be living in the best country in the world.

On the honours list, Member of the Order of Australia medals were awarded to Terry Doherty, my former PE teacher at Bundy high school, for service to basketball; and to Robert Blair, for service to our First Nations community. Dee-Anne Kuilboer received an Australian Corrections Medal for working in corrective services, and Hinkler's newest OAM recipients were Ernest Drew from Burnett Heads for service to people with disability, particularly those who are vision impaired or blind; and Bundaberg's Luke Harding, for outstanding service to the community, through various organisations including the SES, the RSL and Defence.

Congratulations also to the winners of the Fraser Coast 2026 Australia Day Awards: the Citizen of the Year was Bernard Whebell, of the Hervey Bay Neighbourhood Centre; the Young Citizen of the Year was Toby Robinson; the Art and Culture Award of the Year was won by Emma Newman; the Sport and Wellbeing Award of the Year winner was Cody Steele-Sullivan; and Community Group of the Year was Scouts Queensland.

Meanwhile, the Bundaberg region winners included the Citizen of the Year, Jo Leveritt, founder of Wide Bay Advocacy and Bundaberg Street Law; the Young Citizen of the Year, Harrison Titmarsh; the Senior Citizen of the Year, Lester Lewis; the Sportsperson of the Year, Michael Ebert; the Creative Citizen of the Year, Ross Driver; and Community Group of the Year, Next Level Youth Jam. They are all worthy recipients. I congratulate them all.

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