CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Ms COMER (Petrie) (16:35): I rise today to share three of the incredible things upcoming in my electorate of Petrie. Firstly, this Sunday, 13 September, I'm incredibly excited to be hosting Petrie's first ever Welcoming the Babies event. It's going to be at the Woodside Sports Ground in North Lakes.

It's going to be celebrating our newest and cutest little members of the community. Whilst our babies can't vote and a lot of them probably can't even walk or talk yet, I think it's really important to honour the contribution that our little babies make to our community. So I encourage all families to come out and just enjoy the fun.

We're going to have face-painting artists and bubbles. The PCYC is getting involved and is going to have an interactive play space. Even some of the local kindies are getting involved and going to offer some different activities and some information.

We're also going to have dads' groups there and some mums' groups to talk to parents and offer any support that they might need. So I encourage everyone to come along. Whilst I love representing my community of Petrie here, I'm eager to get back home and get right into the community and have a great time with you all.

Very soon, at the end of September, on the 26th, Bisma Asif, the incredible state member for Sandgate, and I are hosting the second edition of the Hidden World family fun day. It was a great event last year and, by popular demand, we're having the second edition. It's going to be bigger and better than it was before.

There's going to be jumping castles, face painting and bubbles, all fun things to get the family together. I think it's really important as the local member to find ways to bring the community together, to get to learn about their neighbours, have a laugh and just have all the kids having a bit of fun. It's a free event.

I encourage the communities of Fitzgibbon and Bracken Ridge to come along to the Hidden World Playground. I want to acknowledge the incredible milestone that's coming up for Petrie. On 14 December last year, I opened up the Deception Bay urgent care clinic.

In less than a year, we've almost hit 10,000 visits to this incredible clinic. We know that lots of kids fall down and bust their lip or bust their knees or people have infections and they can't get in to see a GP or get to the hospital in time. It might not be a life-threatening infection or other issue, but it is urgent.

So I want to commend the incredible staff at the urgent care clinic in Deception Bay for treating everyone with such professionalism and care. This facility is really important, and seeing that almost 10,000 people have gone along in the short amount of time it's been open shows how much of a valuable asset the urgent care clinic is to Deception Bay and the wider community.

It's between two hospitals, and it's taking pressure off those hospitals.