It’s not long now until karate enthusiasts in Mt Gravatt will have a brand new facility.

Thanks to an investment of $185,000 from Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta and the Coalition Government the Australian Academy of Martial Arts Shito-Ryu Karate-Do Club (AAMA) has confirmed work on the project is due to begin by the end of this year.

Mr Vasta recently met with the club and spoke to parents about the great benefits this new club is going to have for the whole Southern part of the electorate.

“AAMA has been operating for more than 45 years in this community and every year the number of students grows, the people of Mt Gravatt, Mansfield, Holland Park and surrounds deserve a first class training facility.”

“This new facility is going to enable the club to grow even bigger and will allow the club to lower tuition fees giving people of all ages greater access to karate and health and wellness programs.”

Sempai Vesa Pakkarinen thanked Mr Vasta for his contribution to the club, and his hard work securing the money for the new facility.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta is encouraging Australians to acknowledge the enormous contribution of Australia’s carers this week.

National Carers Week provides an opportunity to highlight the invaluable work of Australia’s 2.7 million unpaid carers to our families, communities and the nation.

“One in eight Australians care for a family member or friend who needs support due to disability, age, mental illness, or long-term physical illness,” Mr Vasta said.

“In Queensland alone there are 474,300 carers, including 54,100 young carers.”

The Australian Government is committed to improving the social and economic well-being of carers whose efforts are estimated to contribute over $1 billion weekly to our national economy.

“Australia’s 2.7 million unpaid carers spend an incredible 36 million hours every week providing care and support to family members or friends with a disability, mental illness, chronic condition, terminal illness, or who are frail aged,” Mr Vasta said.

“The Government provides over $8 billion annually in carer payments, allowances and supplements to give carers financial relief while caring for their loved ones.”

“Any additional help we can give as local MP’s is very helpful, that’s why I’m encouraging all carers to come along and bring their loved ones to my upcoming Bonner Seniors Expo,” Mr Vasta said.

“The expo will feature a range of services and organisations tailored to meet the needs of carers and elderly residents.”

Earlier this year, the Liberal National Government announced an additional $85.6 million over four years to deliver a range of new supports through the Integrated Carer Support Service.

New online services include peer support, counselling and educational resources to be designed and tested with carers and delivered through the Carer Gateway website from later this month.

A network of Carer Gateway regional delivery partners will also be established nationally from September 2019, giving carers access to expanded services such as financial support packages, face-to-face counselling and emergency crisis support.

A proposed aged care development in Lota has united my bayside constituents like few others. I phone canvassed the area and stopped by the local Manly Markets recently. The number one issue for locals by far was the proposed Lota House development.

Lota House is a significant two-storey Queensland Heritage building that was constructed in the late 1800s. It’s surrounded by heritage listed woodland. There’s now a development application in place to build a seven-storey high-rise retirement facility on this heritage site.

A development of this height and size is simple incompatible with existing development in Lota. It will present a traffic nightmare for surrounding residents. And there are also the adverse historical and environmental impacts on the area to consider.

Every single local I’ve spoken to about the proposal have raised these objections with me. They’ve now started the Bayside Action Group to come out in force against it. It was great to meet with them last week at the site and see people power in action. It’s a testament to people power that the Lord Mayor has now said that Brisbane City Council is very concerned about the proposal.

I’ve written to the Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning, Cameron Dick on this matter. I’ve asked the Minister to reject the current development application and to ask the applicants to redraft their proposal after consulting with the local community.

I look forward to updating the bayside community on this critical issue. I’d like to thank the local advocates who first brought this to my attention. Their passion and hard work to preserve the character and amenity of their suburb is admirable.

The Liberal-Nationals Government will deliver additional tax relief to more than 13,000 small and medium businesses in Bonner, five years earlier than planned.

Member for Bonner Ross Vasta said this is good news for locals.

“Lower company tax means more investment, more jobs and higher wages.”

“We will introduce legislation during the next session of Parliament, fast-tracking our business tax relief for small and medium businesses in Bonner.”

Across the country, this will provide tax relief for more than three million businesses that employ nearly seven million Australians.

This means businesses with a turnover below $50 million will face a tax rate of just 25 per cent in 2021-22 rather than from 2026-27 as currently legislated. Similar timing changes will apply to the roll out of the 16 per cent tax discount for unincorporated businesses.

“By fast-tracking this tax relief for businesses in Bonner, we will make a more immediate difference to the individual businesses and the people who work for them,” Mr Vasta said.

“This means that a small business, such as an independent supermarket or a pub that makes $500,000 profit, will have an additional $7,500 in 2020-21 and $12,500 in 2021-22 to invest back into the business or staff, or help to manage cash flow.

This builds on the first stage of company tax relief that our Government delivered in May 2017.

“Our economic plan is delivering for Bonner, and the fast tracking of tax relief for small and medium businesses is an important investment in the future economic growth of Bonner and our nation.”