Llew O'Brien
Wide Bay · National Party · Australia
“Mal is a relentless optimist, possibly powered entirely by community spirit, and he has built a 26,000-strong following celebrating Gympie and its past and present. As for Sean, if there's an award for helping people, either he has won it, he has been nominated for it or he's too busy volunteering and helping people to even notice it.”
“Two of the Gympie region's hardest workers and biggest advocates, Mal Dodt and Sean Connelly, have been given microphones and a licence to inform and entertain.”
“The show featured a wide range of agricultural displays and entertainment, and, together with the Murgon rodeo, people celebrated local industry and tradition. One of the biggest challenges facing show societies today is a lack of volunteers.”
“The Prime Minister and every Labor member of this parliament went to the last election asking the Australian people to trust them. What has the Albanese Labor government given the Australian people in return? Broken promises and betrayal in the form of tax increases on savings, investments, housing and small business.”
“This is to be achieved by removing some of the red tape around the Fair Work Act to allow the Fair Work Commission to be more efficient, particularly in matters relating to dismissal or unlawful termination disputes, and enabling the commission to dismiss or prevent frivolous, vexatious or unreasonable cases and applications.”
“That also sounds good—too good, actually. The third is to improve fairness to contractors, especially in the road transport sector, by extending protections for unfair termination and contract thresholds. The fourth is intended to modernise the system and remove some of the technical flaws in the existing legislation.”
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“They are both exceptional representatives of Murgon and the wider region, and I wish them every success at the Ekka later this year.”
“The show featured a wide range of agricultural displays and entertainment, and, together with the Murgon rodeo, people celebrated local industry and tradition. One of the biggest challenges facing show societies today is a lack of volunteers. That's why it's so encouraging to see young people stepping up in the Murgon Show Society, particularly Josh Steinhardt, the 2026 show society president. He continues to set a remarkable example. Having taken on the role at just 19 years old, Josh's dedication to agriculture and community service reflects the very heart of what these shows represent. I also congratulate Murgon showgirl Steph Simpson and rural show ambassador Matt McCauley, who were selected as the South Burnett Sub Chamber regional winners.”
“Mal is a relentless optimist, possibly powered entirely by community spirit, and he has built a 26,000-strong following celebrating Gympie and its past and present. As for Sean, if there's an award for helping people, either he has won it, he has been nominated for it or he's too busy volunteering and helping people to even notice it. Mal and Sean are both passionate about helping others, and, together, they're proof that the real treasure of Gympie is definitely its townspeople and, occasionally, their podcast. Sharon and I had the pleasure of attending the Murgon show last weekend. Unfortunately, the show had to be postponed from its original date in March due to heavy rain and flooding. But, despite those challenges, the event was a tremendous success, showcasing the resilience and spirit of Murgon and surrounding communities.”
“Two of the Gympie region's hardest workers and biggest advocates, Mal Dodt and Sean Connelly, have been given microphones and a licence to inform and entertain. Together, they are the brains trust—and I use that term loosely!—behind podcast The Gympie Grapevine , a one-stop shop for everything from upcoming events to the big important conversations on mental health, men's health and connecting people with the right support. It's like your local noticeboard therapist and town crier, just with better sound quality and much dodgier dad jokes. I had the pleasure of joining Sean and Mal on episode 15, and I can confirm, between the local legends, the sports clubs, the community champions and the mighty Gympie Grippers Armwrestling Club, it's the most entertaining way to stay informed about what's happening in the region.”
“The government's failure to get its spending and borrowing under control means higher taxes, higher inflation and higher interest rates to come as it hobbles future generations with Labor's trillion dollars of debt. The coalition will get Labor's expenditure under control and axe Labor's toxic taxes.”
“The Prime Minister and every Labor member of this parliament went to the last election asking the Australian people to trust them. What has the Albanese Labor government given the Australian people in return? Broken promises and betrayal in the form of tax increases on savings, investments, housing and small business. They didn't have the guts to tell us about their so-called reforms before the election, and now they won't take their new taxes to an election. Instead, Labor with their political soulmates the Greens have done a deal that attacks aspiration and punishes young Australians who are trying to get ahead. Labor's tax grabs are designed to hurt people who are trying to get ahead by using the same taxation arrangements that their parents had access to and the Prime Minister had access to, to secure his financial future.”
“The Fair Work Commission reforms contained in this bill seem to be warranted, but the procurement bargaining provisions will only further this government's aim to entrench union controlled enterprise agreement structures into the workplace landscape. This bill should be split so this House can pass the Fair Work Commission reforms while the implications of the procurement amendments can be properly examined. As it stands, I cannot give my support to this bill.”
“The amendment goes further by allowing the government to exclude businesses that are planning to make an enterprise agreement, but haven't yet, or that already have one but without union involvement. These rules could affect the whole supply chain, because government contracts often require all contractors and subcontractors to have agreement terms that are at least as good as those of the main contractor. This cascading effect means that employers who have no direct contractual relationship with the government could be forced to enter into an enterprise agreement with a union in order to secure a contract with another business many levels from the head contract. It will influence the wider economy far greater than the original government contracts.”
“One local business is in the midst of a multimillion-dollar project that will deliver important new regional infrastructure. They don't have any unions in their business and they are, rightly, worried how this bill will impact their competitiveness when tendering for government projects and grants. One of the key elements of Australia's industrial relations system has always been the right of freedom of association for employers and employees. This was entrenched in the Fair Work Act in 2009, giving workers the right to choose to be in a union member or not. This bill allows the government or a Commonwealth authority to choose who gets contracts or grants based on whether a business has a union enterprise agreement.”
“Disguised as part of the enterprise bargaining and improved workplace outcomes mechanisms are the procurement and funding incentives, which give the government the power to lawfully favour employers with enterprise agreements when awarding contracts and giving financial assistance. This proposed amendment is designed to give the trade union movement even more power over the Australian economy and create an anticompetitive environment that permits the Labor government to openly favour tenders for government contracts from businesses that have a trade-union backed enterprise agreement. Business owners in Wide Bay have expressed their concerns to me personally about this aspect of the bill and they are very worried and they're rightfully very worried.”
“That also sounds good—too good, actually. The third is to improve fairness to contractors, especially in the road transport sector, by extending protections for unfair termination and contract thresholds. The fourth is intended to modernise the system and remove some of the technical flaws in the existing legislation. This sounds like quite an innocuous and reasonable bill that will deliver improvements for workers and their employers, but, like with everything this government does, there is a hidden agenda. While the majority of the bill deals with the procedural aspects of the functioning of the Fair Work Commission, there is a ticking time bomb within that will fundamentally change the future of Australia's industrial landscape and the economy generally.”
“This is to be achieved by removing some of the red tape around the Fair Work Act to allow the Fair Work Commission to be more efficient, particularly in matters relating to dismissal or unlawful termination disputes, and enabling the commission to dismiss or prevent frivolous, vexatious or unreasonable cases and applications. There are four key policy objectives in the bill. The first is to make dispute resolution faster and more efficient and reduce the delays, costs and administrative burden for workers, employers and the commission. It all sounds very good, doesn't it? The second is to promote enterprise bargaining and improve workplace outcomes to deliver higher wages, increased productivity and tailored workplace arrangements through collective bargaining, higher wages and increased productivity.”
“I rise to speak on the Workplace Relations Legislation Amendment (Building Cooperative Workplaces No. 1) Bill, which is intended to amend the Fair Work Act 2009, the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 and the Independent Contractors Act 2006. The government claims this is supposed to improve the operation of the workplace relations framework. The government says the bill introduces measures that will streamline the processes of the Fair Work Commission and ensure the Fair Work Act can operate more effectively. The government also says it will encourage enterprise bargaining and deliver better protections for contractors, particularly those in the road transport sector.”
“My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister advise whether a bricklayer who comes up with a faster way to lay bricks, a farmer who comes up with a more efficient way to harvest his crops or a hairdresser who comes up with a new hairstyle will be eligible for the innovative business CGT concession?”
“Similar tributes are no doubt being echoed for Moira not only by her family and close friends but also the Maryborough community at large.”
“Moira's outstanding community influence and commitment was recognised in 2018, when the Maryborough state government office was named in honour of her. In the suburb of Granville, where Moira and Brendan were raised, the Brendan Hansen Park honours Brendan's memory, and Moira continued to be a great supporter of the Granville State School, where she presented the Brendan Hansen Bursary Award to the dux of the school each year. Tragically, one of Moira and Brendan's daughters, Mary, was killed in an accident in London in 2002. Mary was also a musician, like her. and a member of the band Stereolab. In a touching tribute to Mary, one of her fellow band members said: … I feel Mary's energy is still around somewhere. It didn't just disappear.”
“Moira skilfully managed the multiple commitments of raising her children, supporting her husband in his roles and being actively involved in a number of local community groups, in particular the Maryborough Choral Society, which she was instrumental in founding. Brendan passed away in 1999 aged 77 and was posthumously awarded an OAM for his service to the community of Maryborough, recognising his service to the Maryborough and district housing action group and the scouting movement. A talented singer, pianist and musical mentor, Moira was awarded an OAM in 2025 for her service to community music. Her influence and dedication to family and community was truly inspiring. Moira was also playing piano for groups visiting nursing homes well into her 90s. The Hansen name is familiar to Maryborough residents.”
“On 26 May this year, Moira Hansen, OAM, a humble, kind and gracious lady, passed away at the age of 96 years. Moira was a much-loved member of the Maryborough community, and she'll be remembered for her empathy, her generosity and her enduring musical legacy. Moira Ann O'Sullivan was born in Granville in 1929, and it was there that she met her husband, Brendan Hansen, who, as a member of the Labor Party, went on to hold a number of roles between 1961 and 1983, including as the federal member for Wide Bay, the state member for Maryborough and a Maryborough council alderman. Moira and Brendan were married in Maryborough's St Mary's Catholic church in 1960 and had eight children.”
“Inclusion is important, but it cannot and should not override the sex based protections afforded to women and girls. Women in the 21st century deserve the right to say no to the intrusion of non-biological females in their change rooms, in their sport, in their domestic violence shelters, in their rape crisis counselling centres and in any of their safe spaces.”
“Just because some women are comfortable with sharing these spaces with men who identify as women should not override the valid concerns of women and girls who do not consent to sharing these spaces. Women have spent centuries fighting for their rights. The suffragettes fought for equality and to emancipate women from the restrictive roles they had traditionally been relegated to. The changes the Gillard government made in 2013 regressed the rights of women and created an artificial construct that men and women are interchangeable and biology plays no role in determining what it means to be female or male. Biological sex matters in relation to the privacy, safety and services that are directly for women and girls, and our laws must reflect this reality.”
“By treating sex as self-declared rather than biological, the court's interpretation has effectively stripped women of the right to say no in spaces built for their personal privacy and protection. When legislation fails to reflect reality and strips rights from one group to appease another, it must be amended. This bill restores the rights of women and protects their privacy and safety in bathrooms, change rooms, refuges and sporting activities. The fallacy that a biological man can self-identify as a woman and have the legal right to access places, spaces and activities that are specifically designed for women and girls must be overturned. The life experience of women born and raised female is inherently different from those who were born and raised male.”
“The 2013 amendments left biological women and girls vulnerable in situations where privacy and safety depend on a clear definition of male and female genders. As a consequence of those amendments, we now see biological males who identify as females given court sanctioned access to places and settings reasonably intended as sanctuaries for women and girls. These amendments and the recent Federal Court case Tickle v Giggle mean that women have no right to their own exclusive spaces, as men who identify as women can access them also. Tickle v Giggle robs rights and protections for girls and women, sacrificing their privacy, dignity and safety to the ideology of gender identity.”
“I commend my colleague the member for Lyne for bringing forward the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sex-based Rights) Bill 2026 to reinstate the rights of women, which have been eroded since the amendment of the Sex Discrimination Act by the Gillard government in 2013. This bill seeks to restore the biological definition of the two genders, male and female, that were removed in 2013, to reinstate common sense and bring clarity to the law and to protect the rights of women to have settings reserved exclusively for their use while still retaining measures to prevent discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. This bill does not remove rights. It reinstates them. It strengthens the definition of gender and gives women and girls their right to biological-female-only services, activities and spaces.”
“Labor's attack on older Australians by cutting the loading on the private health insurance rebate and its betrayal of veterans by capping their healthcare plans are absolutely disgraceful. The coalition will fix Labor's mess. We'll ensure our migration program works for Australians and in the best interests of Australia's citizens, not in the best interests of Labor. We'll fix bracket creep and axe Labor's toxic tax hikes, saving people on houses. We'll take action to restore incentive, aspiration and prosperity for all Australians.”
“Labor's budget of broken promises delivers toxic taxes, destroys aspiration and saddles future generations with more debt and higher interest payments. Because this Labor government can't control its spending, Labor is coming after more of your money. Taxes will rise by around $280 billion under Labor—so much for Labor's promise of lower taxes! Under Labor, Australia's debt will hit $1.25 trillion, costing taxpayers $80,000 in interest payments every minute—so much for Labor's promise of paying down the debt! Labor preaches about intergenerational equity, but Labor is taxing away the incentives for young people to save and invest and saddling them with higher taxes from its failure to manage its own budget—so much for Labor's promise of helping the next generation!”
“It sets Australians up for intergenerational warfare. It holds everyone back and leaves everyone behind, and it breaks faith with the Australian people.”
“Hardworking Australians are being expected to cut their personal spending, but this Labor government keeps on spending. The number of staffers in the Prime Minister's office has increased by 16 per cent. The number of public servants has increased by 26 per cent. Under Labor, even the basics have become unaffordable for many Australians. Households are paying more for electricity. A loaf of bread costs 22 per cent more than it did before this government was elected. Milk costs 23 per cent more, tea and coffee are up by 19 per cent, fruit is up by 18 per cent and home insurance is up by a whopping 40 per cent. The $1,000 instant tax deduction for taxpayers contained in this bill won't even begin to cover the rising costs of groceries, fuel and mortgage repayments. The 2026 budget removes incentives for saving. It's an attack on aspiration.”
“One business owner told me that he's worked hard and taken risks to get ahead in life, and now that effort is going to be taxed into oblivion by this Albanese Labor government. He pays company tax, tax on wage earnings and payroll tax, and a further tax on dividends if he's fortunate enough to make a profit. The final death knell for his aspiration is the tax on his trust when he distributes his earnings. He said, 'If the government was so concerned for the state of the budget and the country, why hasn't it reined in its own spending and handouts?' It's a legitimate question: why hasn't this government been prudent in the way that it spends and manages our taxpayer dollars? There have been 15 interest rate rises since Labor was elected in 2022, and the cost of living has skyrocketed.”
“It's the same with the working Australians tax offset in this bill. By the time it comes into effect, in the 2027-28 financial year, any benefit will be completely gone. If the government were serious about tackling cost-of-living relief and bracket creep, it would adopt the coalition's plan of indexing tax rates instead of increasing taxes by a whopping $273 billion over nine years. The new minimum 30 per cent tax on discretionary trusts punishes the families, farmers and small businesses that use these structures for succession and estate planning, and the future tax on testamentary trusts amounts to a death tax, plain and simple. I'm hearing from small-business owners across Wide Bay who are also outraged by the capital gains tax—an attack on enterprise and aspiration—contained in this so-called budget.”
“If this government were serious about helping generations to come, it would restrain its spending and not leave them to inherit Labor's $1.25 trillion debt bomb, costing $80,000 in interest every minute. With two million migrants coming into the country over Labor's term, if the government were serious about addressing intergenerational equity and improving housing and rental affordability for Australians, it would cut immigration and implement an immigration policy that worked for Australian citizens, not the Labor Party's political interests. The income tax cuts announced in last year's budget will take effect this year, but with inflation running at 2.4 per cent, energy bills soaring by 39 per cent and bracket creep costing households $2,000 a year since Labor came to office, their value has been completely eroded.”
“These broken promises, disguised as intergenerational equality, mean that those who are investing in the share market to save for their first home will pay higher taxes and be worse off. Treasury modelling indicates that Labor's changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax could result in 35,000 fewer homes being built over the next decade. What a shocker! Restricting negative gearing to new builds only while grandfathering negative gearing on existing properties denies many Australians the opportunity to build their own wealth and blocks them from the opportunities that our very own prime minister has enjoyed to build his substantial portfolio of assets.”
“This budget is a direct attack on aspiration for older Australians who are being punished for working hard and saving for their retirement, for business owners who take on the risk of investing in themselves and creating jobs only to now have the Albanese government claim a bigger slice of their capital, and for younger Australians who are being denied the same incentives to save and invest that their parents enjoyed. The hypocrisy and dishonesty of this Albanese Labor government—which promised more than 50 times there would be no changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing—is absolutely staggering. If the government had the guts and the courage of its convictions, it would have taken these broken promises to an election. But it certainly lacks both guts and conviction.”
“I rise to speak on the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Bill 2026 and the Income Tax Rates Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Bill 2026. These bills break faith and break promises that the Albanese Labor government made to the Australian people. The 2026 budget increases taxes, increases debt, and makes life harder for Australian households and certainly harder for Australian businesses. Everywhere I go, people tell me that the biggest problem in their lives is the cost-of-living crisis. It's at the top of their list of concerns. This budget spends more, taxes more and borrows more, adding to inflationary pressure and making it even harder for households to make ends meet and for businesses to balance their books.”
“However, according to the Australian Men's Health Forum, less than two per cent of that funding went specifically to men's health. The imbalance is also reflected in medical research, with the National Health and Medical Research Council showing expenditure on women's health research in 2025 more than six times higher than that on men's health research. Australia rightly measures gender gaps to address poor outcomes and disadvantage, making much-needed and welcome improvements for women. But, when men are dying younger, making up over 75 per cent of suicides and carrying a greater burden of preventable diseases, is it not time we treated the gender life gap with the serious national attention that it also deserves?”
“Of the 3,307 Australians who died by suicide in 2024, 2,529 were males, more than 75 per cent. Last year, the number of men and boys who took their own lives was almost double the national road toll. Yet the recently released National Suicide Prevention Strategy, while acknowledging these terrible statistics for Australian men, does not contain a broader male population response. The minister's foreword does not even mention male suicide. The same pattern exists beyond suicide. Men have higher rates of lung cancer, liver disease and heart disease, yet receive comparatively little targeted attention in the health policy. The 2025 budget rightly included a significant $792 million investment in women's health. Since 2022, the Albanese government has allocated over $1.4 billion towards women's and men's health initiatives.”
“Men are often not good at speaking up when they need help. Too many boys and men suffer in silence, trying to push through hardship on their own. But, in Australia, there is already something screaming out that men and boys need help, and that's the alarming statistics showing Australian males dying prematurely and from preventable causes. The life expectancy gap between men and women, with men living around five per cent fewer years on average, tells only part of the story. A clearer picture comes from looking at the potential years of life lost, which measures the years lost through premature death. In 2023, Australia lost more than 913,000 potential years of life from premature death, with the male rate at a staggering 64 per cent higher than the female rate. One of the big drivers of this burden is suicide.”
“This week, thousands of visitors streamed through the gates to enjoy all the exhibits and entertainment on offer. At the show, I had the honour of presenting the Charlie Campbell Outstanding Individual Contribution Award to show worker Janeen Greaves for her contribution to the show. I also congratulate Joy Duke, president of the Fraser Coast Show Society, and her dedicated army of 386 volunteers on staging this successful event.”
“Agricultural shows are among the oldest and most enduring community events in Australia, showcasing the best of what the regions have to offer. They raise awareness of our regional strengths and values, and celebrate local industry, produce, talent and art, bringing the community together. The first Gympie agricultural show was staged in 1877, making it the oldest ongoing cultural event in the Gympie region, and, in early May, more than 81,000 people visited the 2026 show over three days. It took more than 670 volunteers and a range of community groups and exhibitors to make the event possible. I thank Deb Brown, Gympie Show Society president, and her team for their hard work. The Fraser Coast Show has been running for more than 150 years.”
“So much for no-one being held back and no-one being left behind—this government penalises working Aussies and stokes class and intergenerational warfare. Labor said it wouldn't introduce a death tax, yet this new 30 per cent tax on discretionary trusts is exactly that. This prime minister said that his word was his bond, and it's just turned out that his word is not worth a pinch of shit.”
“We're four years into the Albanese government, and all we've had is a litany of broken promises. We've had higher taxes, more debt, a higher cost of living and a whole range of antibusiness policies. Before the 2022 election, this prime minister promised to restore faith in politics and deliver on every one of his promises. Instead, his promise to keep his promises has even been broken many times. Where is the $275 reduction in electricity prices we were promised? Where are the cheaper mortgages? Where is the real wage growth? What happened to the promise of no new taxes, no changes to super and no tampering with the coalition's legislated tax cuts? What happened to not changing capital gains or negative gearing?”
“Of course, no single bill will capture every circumstance. There is more work that should be done in the future to give victims of other serious crimes similar pathways to compensation. But this bill is a major step forward. It restores a measure of fairness to a system that has too often compounded harm and reinforces the principle that court ordered compensation means something in practice, not just in theory. Convicted perpetrators must never be able to get away with their crimes. They must not be allowed to lose in court, declare bankruptcy and expect to be able to preserve their retirement savings while the victim receives nothing. The parliament has the opportunity today to close this loophole and strengthen justice for survivors, and I commend the bill to the House. Debate adjourned.”
“Survivors have gone through the court process, as I said before. Just coming forward is extraordinarily difficult. But to go through this and then, as I said, have these evil individuals, who are just human garbage, continue to perpetrate their deception must be so difficult. The coalition's position is clear. We support survivors, and we'll support the bill. Survivors and their families have waited too long while gaps in Australia's superannuation and bankruptcy framework have been exploited by the worst criminals. I acknowledge the work of the former coalition government in bringing the legislation forward. Most importantly, I acknowledge those survivors, their families and advocates, many of whom have come to this place and shared their stories with extraordinary courage. This reform is a result of years of persistent advocacy.”
“The bill addresses that injustice by enabling survivors of child sexual abuse, where there is an existing court ordered compensation, to seek access to eligible superannuation amounts held by the perpetrator to satisfy that unpaid order. The bill allows a survivor to apply to the Australian Taxation Office for limited information about a perpetrator's superannuation so they can make an informed decision about whether a court application is worthwhile. Critically, the bill amends bankruptcy law so that compensation debts for child sexual abuse can survive bankruptcy action, which closes the loophole some offenders have used to defeat valid court orders. We should be clear about why this matters. Child sexual abuse causes lifelong harm and, for many survivors, the abuse does not end when the offending does.”
“This is completely and utterly intolerable, and it is something that I can't believe we haven't already fixed but I'm so glad we are fixing, and I commend the government for doing this. Survivors can do everything to bring about justice for the horror that's occurred to them. Making the complaint and coming forward is hard enough. Taking part in a process that is extremely difficult—the court process—where the offender is found guilty and then having this happen must feel like they're being offended against again. The same type of deception and manipulation and vile behaviour that was perpetrated on them as a child is at play again but being used to hide assets that should be going to the victim to help them recover or live on and survive the horror that's occurred.”
“I rise to speak in support of the Treasury Laws Amendment (The Survivors Law) Bill 2026 because, at its heart, it's about a simple proposition: perpetrators of sexual crimes against kids should not be able to manipulate the laws to avoid providing financial compensation for their crimes, and survivors should not be forced to keep fighting for justice. Under the current law, superannuation is generally protected from creditors. That protection is important for most Australians, but it has created a loophole that has been manipulated by criminals and, in this case, the most evil people in our society. We have seen circumstances where offenders have moved assets into superannuation or declared bankruptcy and, in doing so, sought to sidestep court ordered compensation.”
“It isn't running a migration system that strains housing services and cohesion. And it isn't expanding the political class to suit a big Australia agenda. Patriotism isn't quietly diluting our national day—shifting citizenship ceremonies away from 26 January and pretending nothing has changed. Patriotism isn't a fad. It's measured by sincerity and outcomes, and, by that test, this Prime Minister and his government are neither competent nor patriotic.”
“It became obvious during the South Australian election that Premier Peter Malinauskas's focus group stumbled across the word 'patriotism', and now federal Labor is scrambling to use it. Patriotism isn't a slogan; it's what you do. If patriotism is love of country, why is this Prime Minister radically reshaping Australia in ways that are unrecognisable to everyday Australians? Patriotism isn't dividing Australia by race. It isn't failing to tackle the rising cost of living. It isn't signing up to international climate agendas that hurt our economy. It isn't mismanaging the economy and driving up interest rates. It isn't presiding over the longest per capita recession in our history. It isn't allowing business insolvencies to surge past 41,000. It isn't being slow to respond to terrorist threats on Australian soil.”
“Gympie's future is bright, bold and uniquely our own, and I'm proud to stand alongside our locals, volunteers and visionaries who are helping our community write its next great chapter.”
“Regional communities in Imbil, Amamoor, Brooyar and Glastonbury present some of the best rally roads in the country, and the forestry stages of the event will test drivers' skills over gravel, through blind turns and in unforgiving terrain. I'm looking forward to seeing our local drivers in action—particularly my friend Sasha Power, an up-and-coming young female racer who has a big future ahead of her in motorsport. Gympie has come a long way from its origins as a goldmining town, and, as we look ahead, it's clear the region is entering a new era, one shaped by our resilience, our community spirit and our willingness to embrace all the opportunities that the future presents. From world-class events to renewed celebrations of our heritage, our region is thriving and the momentum is only growing.”
“Motorsport lovers are excited about the Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland 2026 round, where Australia's best rally drivers will be competing over three days of full-throttled, thrilling and adrenaline-pumping action across the Gympie region. Gympie's CBD will play host to the sprint events, the Wheels on Mary Show and Shine, and the street rally stage, which will be an exciting race on a purpose-built urban track through the closed streets in the town centre. The city's streets will also be a focal point for spectators throughout the event, as Gympie transforms into a full motorsport precinct, with a walk-through service park where you can get close to the action and catch a behind-the-scenes look at the drivers and teams as they repair and maintain the race vehicles.”