I have some very special guests in the chamber tonight. Laura Lewis and Deborah Oxtoby are two incredible advocates for people with autism in our community. Hi Laura! Hi Deb! They flew down from Brisbane to be here tonight. I hope this speech can do justice to your amazing work and the difference you’re making in so many people’s lives.

This year Laura and Deb started a social group for children with autism. The What’s Your Superpower group meets every Friday night at Waterloo Bay Leisure Centre. In just one month, they grew to over 100 members. They’re growing faster by the day! When you hear their members’ stories and how much the group has helped them, it’s easy to see why.

I first met Laura at one of my weekend mobile offices. The thing that strikes you most when you talk to her is just how passionate she is about the work she’s doing.

Laura’s oldest son Clay has autism spectrum disorder. She recently shared a beautiful piece she wrote on her blog about the struggles she’s been through since Clay’s diagnosis. I’d read the whole thing here if I had enough time! It’s called “To feel like you belong” and I encourage everyone listening to give it a read.

About What’s Your Superpower, Laura says: “I met my peers and we could just look at each other and understand.” What a touching line that says everything about this wonderful group. It’s not just about giving children the chance to hang out with others like them. It’s not just about giving their families a space to socialise without being judged.

It’s about helping others understand—really understand—that people with autism aren’t so different. Deb told me the group breaks down barriers and encourages acceptance. That’s why I’m so happy to be here tonight speaking on their behalf and getting their good word out.

Laura’s son Clay is a great example of people with autism overcoming barriers. After he struggled to find part-time work after school, Clay started his own bin-cleaning business. It’s been a roaring success! He’s in great demand in the bayside area. The glowing reviews on the Clay Needs No Moulding Facebook page all point to what a professional, hard-working young man he is.

I’m pleased to say the tight-knit bayside community has thrown their support behind What’s Your Superpower. Deb tells me after Clay’s story ran in the local paper, some local businesses approached their group asking what they could do to help. It really highlights the importance of what this group is doing.

Laura and Deb started What’s Your Superpower to give kids with autism and their families a place to have fun and be themselves on Friday nights. Now they’re looking to inspire others across Australia to start their own groups.

What’s Your Superpower has helped reduce social isolation for these children. It’s raised awareness in the community. It’s brought local businesses and local representatives like me in to bat for them. If you’re in the Brisbane area, you’re welcome to join them. Or if you can start your own group with other like-minded parents, you can also spread the conversation and advocate for greater support for people with autism.

The Government is also doing its part with two very important announcements on the weekend. We’ve announced the new Autism Advisory Group made up of autism experts, service providers and people with autism. This group will advise the National Disability Insurance Agency on autism and how to deliver the best outcomes for people with autism. We’ve also announced $7.8 million in funding to ensure six Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centres stay open until 2020 and continue providing intensive support to children with autism.

Thanks Laura and thank you Deb for being here tonight. There are great things ahead for What’s Your Superpower and I look forward to seeing the group and its members thrive.

Last month we had DonateLife Week. I hope everyone had a chance to have that very difficult but necessary chat with their loved ones.

That week I met an extraordinary young man from my electorate. Lachlan Wallis knows more than anyone how important it is to register as an organ and tissue donor.

Lachlan was born with a disease of the liver meaning he’d always need a transplant. His condition worsened to the point his father David was preparing to donate part of his liver to keep him alive. But, thankfully, a donor was found. Lachlan underwent a liver transplant at eight years old.

Thanks to the efforts of a complete stranger and their family who chose to give the gift of life, Lachlan survived. Now he’s in his last year at Iona College. He’s a tall guy—taller than me! He plays rugby and cricket at school. Looking at him, you’d never guess he was so sick as a kid.

That’s what takes other sick kids and their parents by surprise when Lachlan visits them in hospital. You see, Lachlan organises hospital visits in his spare time, where he helps young patients going through the same thing he did. He tells me when these kids and their families see him, sometimes just after cricket practice when he’s still in his gear, it shows them they really can get better.

Lachlan’s parents also come along on these visits. They chat with patients’ families, sharing what they went through to help other parents. What an amazing family.

I wanted to thank Lachlan for all the great work he’s done in the community. I heard he wanted to follow his grandfather’s footsteps and become a police officer. So I invited him and David to meet local officers at Wynnum Police Station as part of DonateLife Week.

It was a great morning and I was so pleased to meet this inspiring young man. Lachlan says it’s so important to have a chat with your loved ones about your wishes—to join the Australian Organ Donor Register and let your family know what you’ve done. DonateLife Week is over but it’s never too late to sign up to be a donor. You could save a life.

The winter break was a great time to catch up with local companies that are going above and beyond in Bonner. One of these is the Port of Brisbane Company. Just recently Port of Brisbane recognised outstanding local organisations for their work in the community through a range of grants. They’ve also been working on a pilot project with the goal of improving safety across the entire road freight industry in Australia.

The Port of Brisbane’s annual Community Grants program is a fantastic initiative. These grants are awarded to local and not-for-profit organisations for innovative projects that benefit the wider community.

I want to thank Port of Brisbane CEO Roy Cummins for inviting me to their recent awards ceremony. It was an incredible event bringing together an incredible group of people. Together these people are making such a difference in our community and it was great to meet them and hear about their work.

Quite a few of them were familiar faces and I wasn’t surprised their organisations were awarded grants. One of them was Nyree Mannion. Nyree started the Make it Home Safely initiative three years ago to educate young people about safe driving. Their Port of Brisbane grant will go toward a new car to support Make it Home’s Learn to Drive program.

Port of Brisbane is also working with the Queensland Trucking Association on another project to improve road safety. Their Heavy Vehicle Safety Around Ports project has just received federal funding through the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator. The government is proud to support this program that will boost safety in and around the Port of Brisbane and other ports across Australia.

Today I want to speak about a remarkable figure in the bayside community. Senior Sergeant Tony Brown recently marked 30 years as a police officer. It’s a rare feat in his line of work.

I have to say Tony’s done a terrific job while he’s been acting officer-in-charge at Wynnum Police Station. Earlier this year, he came out to one of my crime mobile offices to reassure residents in Gumdale and Wakerley about local crime and police presence in the area.

The last 30 years have gone by just like that, Tony told me the other day. He’s worked all around south-east Queensland: out in the country as a rural constable, down at the Gold Coast, and in his home town of Wynnum.

Tony’s spent a lot of his career as a detective investigating crime. One of his proudest achievements was putting a lot of time into a homicide at Wishart and eventually securing a conviction. He takes pride in being out in the public eye and reassuring people that things are safe. And thankfully, crime has remained relatively low around the bayside—the biggest challenges he sees in the future are more people and more development in the area, bringing more traffic issues and more demand for services.

Tony you’ve had an outstanding career and you should be proud of everything you’ve achieved. Thank you for all you’ve done for the bayside community. There are great things ahead in your future and I wish you the best.

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Last week I had a big turnout at my roundtable on Labor’s Retirees and Pensioners Tax. It goes to show just how worried the community is about Labor’s shameless retiree tax grab.

Thanks to the Assistant Minister to the Treasurer for coming out to Bonner to hear my constituents’ concerns. Many people had horror stories about what Labor’s policy will mean for them.

Betty, a self-funded retiree from Wynnum, told me it would affect her portfolio greatly—potentially forcing her to dip into her capital.

Denis from Wakerley told the room that in terms of his own super fund, he stands to lose 20 per cent of his income if Labor gets their proposal through.

I didn’t invite along millionaires to this session; they weren’t the ‘top end of town’, as Labor would have you believe they’re targeting with this tax. These are ordinary people, just like you and me, who’ve tried to be self-reliant. Now Labor wants to take 20 or 30 per cent of their income to fund their unsustainable spending!

Almost a million retirees and pensioners will be immediately affected. Dave from Mansfield also made a great point. He was a third generation Labor voter until they announced this reckless new policy. Now he’s worried about his niece’s and nephew’s and other younger people’s ability to generate a decent income for their future.

I invite my constituents who’d like to share their own story about the terrible impact of Labor’s Retirees and Pensioners Tax to contact me.

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises the fantastic contribution that volunteers make to the community of Bonner, and to Australia in general;

(2) notes there are 8 million volunteers around Australia in organisations like sports clubs, charities and schools;

(3) congratulates the Government for allocating $20 million in funding to support volunteering; and

(4) notes that volunteering efforts make an estimated annual economic and social contribution of $290 billion.

I’m thrilled this Government is continuing its strong support of our volunteers. Volunteers are the lifeblood of our local community organisations and groups. They make a real difference. I’m proud to recognise outstanding volunteers in my electorate every year with the Bonner Volunteer Awards. And I’m proud to be part of a Government that is supporting their efforts with $20 million for the 2018 Volunteer Grants round.

There are more than 8.7 million volunteers across Australia who make an estimated annual economic and social contribution of $290 billion. Volunteers help people into jobs. They reduce social marginalisation. They help increase community participation. By helping people come together and work alongside each other, they help build a stronger and safer community.

I’ve gotten to know so many fantastic volunteers in my electorate. I’ve spoken here before about the men and women who’ve been nominated for my Volunteer Awards. They come from all walks of life, from many different backgrounds, but deep down they’re the same. Hard-working. Selfless. Giving up their free time to help others. And never ever asking for recognition or reward.

There are many amazing volunteers I want to talk about today. But in the interest of time I want to single out Mrs Irene Edwards OAM from Manly West.

Irene epitomises the very best qualities of a volunteer. She’s done so much for the community over many years. She’s been a volunteer, team leader, management committee member, and historical officer at Wynnum Manly Meals on Wheels for over thirty years. In that time, she’s helped countless elderly locals. She’s provided them good meals and, better yet, the love and support of a good friend.

You couldn’t find a more skilled or passionate fundraiser. I’ve been working with the Meals on Wheels to get their new kitchen and community centre up and running in Wakerley. Irene was a major driving force in raising over $1.5 million toward the new centre. She’s also helped local veterans, fundraising for the National Servicemen’s Association of Australia, Brisbane East Branch for over a decade.

Irene has touched the lives of so many in the Wynnum Manly community. Her work has not gone unnoticed. She’s received the Medal of Merit from the Lions Club of Moreton Bay, as well as a Paul Harris Fellowship Award from the Rotary Club of Wynnum and Manly, for her volunteer work.

And in June, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, Governor of Queensland, presented her with a Medal of the Order of Australia for her services to the community. Unfortunately she was too ill to attend Government House for the general presentation. So in a very touching, rare display, the Governor General paid her a home visit for a private investiture ceremony. Her husband Ken tells me it was a wonderful experience for them, their children, and their grandchildren who attended.

Irene was deeply humbled and proud to accept this high honour. Ken tells me she still can’t believe it—well I and many others in the community can, and we thank you for everything you’ve done for us.

I am so thankful for all our local volunteers; Bonner wouldn’t be the same without you. You all deserve the highest praise for the incredible work you do in our area. I encourage local groups in my electorate to apply for the Volunteer Grants 2018 round to support our amazing volunteers.