Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is an absolute fact that inner city Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast are filling up quickly. So South-East Queensland west is becoming increasingly important in terms of the growth of South-East Queensland. With Ipswich City as its hub, the Somerset area, the Lockyer Valley and the Scenic Rim are becoming more important. As I said recently, Brisbane needs Boonah.

I was pleased on 10 September this year to speak at the inaugural South-East Queensland Living Landscapes Forum, hosted by the Regional Landscape and Open Space Advisory Committee. There are many reasons that people come to South-East Queensland, including our outdoor lifestyle and access to a diverse regional landscape, open spaces, public amenity and, of course, rural production. The South-East Queensland Living Landscape Forum provided input into the review of the South-East Queensland Regional Plan and provided an opportunity for discussion and information sharing on key issues facing regional landscapes. The forum was co-presented by the Queensland Department of Infrastructure and Planning and the Council of Mayors South-East Queensland.

The forum coincided with the Boonah Arts Festival. The Boonah Arts Collective has 600 members. I was pleased to be there as a sponsor last Saturday night at the culmination of the festival, which lasts a whole week. I want to commend Julie Jackson, Sharon Murakami, Angie Deeks and the rest of the committee for putting on a fabulous show. This small community in terms of population had over 1,000 people there in one of the parks. It was fantastic. And the quality of the entertainment could rival anything we saw at the Beijing Olympics. The talent in the area is extraordinary. It showcased the history of the Fassifern Valley, from the Aboriginal Dreamtime through to now—in appropriate dress.

The Boonah Shire Arts Festival has become the hub of the local area, and Julie Jackson needs to be thanked. I would ask that the Scenic Rim council think about putting her on on a full-time basis to coordinate this festival, which is very much supported. But it is not just Boonah; Kalbar has a thriving arts community as well and there are some great jazz festivals in the local area. I have heard some of the best jazz music played ever in the Scenic Rim.

It is quite extraordinary what is happening in the area. People are ‘tree-changing’. People from everywhere are going to the area to live. The number of people I have met who have moved there in the past two or three years is amazing. And the locals are accepting them. I congratulate the Boonah Arts Collective and the council for their support.