I recently had the privilege of joining Zonta Gold Coast Inc for its inaugural event, themed 'Celebrate, Connect and Change'. It was a fantastic evening, where we marked a new chapter for Zonta on the Gold Coast, while honouring almost three decades of outstanding service by Zonta Paradise Point. Zonta's commitment to advancing the status of women and girls through service and advocacy is truly commendable. I was honoured to join the event panel alongside the exceptional Lucy Gregory, CEO of the Domestic Violence Prevention Centre; and inspirational young students from Benowa State High School and the Queensland Academies Health Sciences Campus. The evening highlighted the importance of celebrating women's achievements, building meaningful connections and partnerships, and driving the change needed to ensure every girl has the opportunity to thrive. I thank the dedicated team of Zonta Gold Coast for their important work in our community and give a particular shout out to Kathryn Janovsky, who is a member of my Moncrieff Community Cabinet, doing great work across the Gold Coast.

I also recently had the pleasure of joining the Little Grubbs Orchard Foundation in my electorate for its community fundraiser and trivia night at the Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach. The foundation raises critical funds to provide assistance, therapy, education and essential allied-health support for children with autism, disability or special needs. These funds help families cover costs not met by the NDIS, ensuring that children can access the vital support they need. I give a huge thank you to the founder, Lily Grubb, and her children for their incredible work to support our community's most vulnerable.

Earlier this month, I was proud to welcome the Leader of the Nationals and shadow minister for trade, investment and tourism, Senator Matt Canavan, to my electorate on the Gold Coast. Tourism is one of the biggest drivers of our local economy, contributing $8.6 billion in the last financial year alone. As one of Australia's leading tourism destinations, our city depends on a strong, reliable workforce to welcome visitors, support local businesses and keep our economy moving. During Senator Canavan's visit, we met with some of the Gold Coast leading tourism operators to hear first hand about the impact of Labor's changes to the Working Holiday Maker visa program. We spoke with Dylan Hunt from the SkyPoint Observation Deck and met with key industry stakeholders including Anthony Ardern from the Tour Collective Group, John Warn and Rachel Hancock from Experience Gold Coast, the Hon. Will Hodgman AC from Invest Gold Coast and Clark Kirby from Village Roadshow. These people understand our tourism industry better than anyone, and they are deeply concerned about the consequences of this government's decisions. Tourism businesses rely on seasonal workers to meet demand during peak holiday periods—there's no doubt—and, without enough staff, businesses cannot operate at full capacity, visitors miss out, revenue suffers, and opportunities to create local jobs are lost. At a time when small businesses are already battling rising costs and economic uncertainty, the last thing they need is a government making it harder to access the workers they depend on. Labor's changes to working holiday visas have created further uncertainty for an industry that needs certainty to plan, invest and grow.

Migration must work for Australia. It should fill critical skills gaps, strengthen our economy and support our communities, not place unnecessary pressure on businesses that are already doing it tough. That is why the coalition has announced its Australia-first migration plan. We must recognise that migration numbers need to come down, but it must be done in a considered way that puts Australia's needs first. Our plan will reduce net overseas migration to 100,000 a year for the first two years, while protecting critical regional workforce programs, including those supporting tourism and hospitality. It will prioritise skilled migration, improve the skills mix of arrivals and ensure our migration system better serves our national interest, because getting migration right is not simply about reducing numbers; it's about making sure our country has the right skills in the right places.

The Gold Coast tourism industry is vital to our local jobs, our small businesses and our economic future. This government should be listening to the people on the ground who understand what our industry needs, rather than imposing changes that risk undermining its success. The coalition will back our tourism operators, protect the workers our industries need and restore a migration system that works for Australia. Our tourism businesses deserve nothing less.