Member for Mulgrave Curtis Pitt was a fast mover on the court in the ‘Find Your 30’ basketball game at Innisfail State College. Featuring politicians, students and NBL players from the Cairns Taipans, the match kicked off proceedings at Community Cabinet.

Member for Mulgrave Curtis Pitt and son Tristan, Cairns Taipans point guard Skip Mills, Premier Anna Bligh and Cairns Taipans MVP for 2009-10 Dusty Rychart at Innisfail State College.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Ranger Daniel Mead shows an injured cassowary chick to Main Roads Minister Craig Wallace at the Garners Beach Cassowary Rehabilitation Facility.

At Community Cabinet, Minister Wallace announced funding of $50,000 to develop a long-term strategy to help conserve the population of the endangered species. A trial will look at extra road-signage and education programs to encourage locals and tourists to change their driving behaviour in known cassowary habitats.

Ofira, the sniffer dog trained to detect electric ants showed off her skills at Innisfail Community Cabinet.

Left to right: Minister for Primary Industries Tim Mulherin, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism and Member for Barron River Steve Wettenhall, Ofira's handler Danielle Lisle and National Electric Ant Eradication Program Coordinator Charlotte Greer from DEEDI. Ofira’s immediate priority will be sniffing out the ants at Smithfield, Kewarra Beach, Caravonica and Trinity Beach.

Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Services Peta-Kaye Croft officially opened the $2million Tully replacement ambulance station.

She is pictured in front of the station’s new state-of-the-art Stryker stretcher with (left to right) paramedics Antonette Beadnell, Tanya Weatherald, Member for Hinchinbrook Andrew Cripps, Anthony Cunneen, Vanessa Schafranek, Ron Allport, Sue Casey and Officer in Charge Bob McIlroy.

Transport Minister Rachel Nolan shows off plans for the new $2.7 million Mourilyan Harbour project to Innisfail Volunteer Coast Guard members Kathy Hunt, Bob Hunt, John O’Sullivan and Bill Hull. The group is excited about the new project which they say will put an end to ‘ramp rage’ incidents.

Premier Anna Bligh, Deputy Premier and Health Minister Paul Lucas and Minister for Local Government and Member for Cairns Desley Boyle took time out during Community Cabinet to check progress on Stage 2 of the new Cairns North community health facility. Due for completion in the middle of the year, the facility provides the community with a range of health management, treatment and training services away from a hospital setting.

A record 285 formal deputations were received for Community Cabinet at Innisfail with people coming from far and wide to meet one-on-one with Premier Anna Bligh, her cabinet ministers, parliamentary secretaries or departmental heads. Information stalls on government programs (left) lined the back wall of the new Innisfail State College double-court sports centre.

Christine Pender (left) and Eden Clark from Innisfail State College entertained the crowd at Innisfail Community Cabinet.

Discussing rural issues at Innisfail Community Cabinet were (left to right) AgForce President John Cotter, AgForce Southern Cape York branch chair Graham Elmes, Treasurer Andrew Fraser, AgForce Peninsula member Samone Price, Minister for Primary Industries Tim Mulherin, AgForce Cattle Director Alex Stubbs and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Stirling Hinchliffe.

Jeffrey Stephens, Principal of Innisfail East Primary School was honoured by Premier Anna Bligh and Minister for Education Geoff Wilson for his work in improving literacy and numeracy skills.

Premier Anna Bligh and Member for Mulgrave Curtis Pitt (right) presented Mayor of Cassowary Coast Regional Council Bill Shannon with a Queensland State Archives photo of Rankin Street, Innisfail, circa 1936.

At Innisfail Community Cabinet Christine and Stefan Homan (right) saddled up to Tourism Minister Peter Lalor (far left) and Parliamentary Secretary Steve Wettenhall to talk about the tourism potential of horse riding on Kurrimine Beach.

A deputation from the Healthier Great Green Way Initiative met with Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Desley Boyle. A collaboration between the Innisfail Health Service District, the local Rural Division of General Practitioners and the local Aboriginal Medical Service, their aim is to decrease the incidence of chronic disease.

Left to right Debbie Luland, Kathleen Dryden, Desley Boyle, Kain Danily, Jacqui Szafrin, Heather Diozbalis, Maya Smitran and Majella van Tierney.

Malanda State High School students Amy Robertson (left) and Julia Skelton (right) made the most of Community Cabinet. On Sunday at Innisfail they asked a question of the Premier in the open forum about funding for the rock eisteddfod. Then on Monday, joined by Year 12 student Michael Hore, they met with Director-General of Education Julie Grantham to formally put their case at the Mareeba deputations.

Jim Evans from Chillagoe Hub Tourist Information Centre, supported by Member for Cook Jason O’Brien, puts his case at the Mareeba Community Cabinet deputations held at the Mareeba PCYC.

Members of the Fig Tree Action Group, supported by Tablelands Regional Councillor Rhonda Sorensen (right), came to Community Cabinet at Mareeba to protest against a housing development in a sensitive area populated by tree kangaroos.

Left to right Marieia Obst, Samantha Willis and Rupert Russell.

President of the Mareeba Chamber of Commerce Rhonda Bodkin; Premier Anna Bligh; Bronwyn Price from Duesburys Accountants Mareeba; and Carol Doyle, vice-president of Study Cairns, at the Community Cabinet reception at Mareeba.

The Community Cabinet Government Reception was held at the Mareeba RSL. Premier Anna Bligh (holding baby Cody) met with Cody’s mum, Bronwyn Dwyer, Manager of Tableland Canegrowers Limited; Olive Tau Davis from Centacare Cairns Migrant Settlement Service; and Abdul Aziz Mohammed, Imam of Cairns.

At Mareeba Community Cabinet, Attorney General Cameron Dick (left), Premier Anna Bligh and Member for Cook Jason O'Brien (right) presented certificates to long-serving Justices of the Peace. Arthur Yates, standing, has been a JP for 25 years while Pellham ‘Slim’ Pearsall (seated), has served as a Justice of the Peace for half a century.

Premier Anna Bligh met with Senior Leaders at Mareeba State High School.

Back left to right: Renee Price, Shahnee-Lee Ricci, Justin Musumeci, Renee Butler, Robert Hodgson.
Front: Marissa Jones, Katrina Kazim, Krystal Tyter.

At the Kuranda Amphitheatre, Minister for Local Government and Member for Cairns Desley Boyle joined with Tablelands Regional Council Mayor Tom Gilmore to sign a new ten-year Kuranda Infrastructure Agreement. It will help protect Kuranda’s award-winning natural assets including the Barron Falls and the tropical rainforest as well as the famous cultural attractions.

Left to right Member for Barron River Steve Wettenhall, Desley Boyle, Tom Gilmore, Tablelands Regional Councillor Jenny Jensen and President of the Amphitheatre Committee Amanda Dewey.

Managing Director of the Reef & Rainforest Research Centre Sheriden Morris explains implications for the Great Barrier Reef of the latest water quality research to Primary Industries and Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin, Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones and Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor aboard the AIMS Research Vessel ‘RV Cape Ferguson’.

Principal of Innisfail State College Julie Pozzoli shows Premier Anna Bligh the tinted windows on the staffroom at the new $38million Innisfail State College. Premier Bligh officially opened the college during Community Cabinet.

The Innisfail State College String Ensemble, conducted by Ms Anita Berry, entertained people outside Community Cabinet.

Front left to right, Katie Pattison, Sara Gaugg, Nicole Bennett, Karen Summers.
Back: Emily Pattison, Louise Stout and Veronica Graham.