Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to highlight the important work done by the RACQ CQ Rescue helicopter in North Queensland. I've been a huge supporter of the CQ Rescue helicopter since my tenure as mayor of the Whitsundays and was fortunate enough to attend their charity event last month to raise vital funds to keep their choppers in the air and their crew saving lives.

Based out of Mackay, the team is an invaluable life-saving service for the people of my electorate of Dawson. From outback to offshore, the rescue chopper reaches regions between Townsville and St Lawrence, stretching out west to the Bowen and Galilee basins and out easterly to the beautiful Whitsunday Islands, and more than 20 kilometres offshore to the Great Barrier Reef. The area of their operation is four times the size of Tasmania, and their crew are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year.

By September 2022, after 26 years in operation, they had completed more than 11,000 missions. The crew at RACQ CQ Rescue have seen and done it all, from attending car accidents, to vessels in distress, workplace incidents and conducting search and rescue missions. Well done to the team of RACQ CQ Rescue. I salute you.