Three rookie pollies take the heat from local seats

Local MPs begin their careers as the heat is on

STEP UP: Member for Noosa Sandy Bolton is sworn in and ready to serve in the Queensland Parliament. Picture: Contributed

A SEASONAL blow torch has welcomed our local MPs to the first session of State Parliament this week as Sandy Bolton (Noosa), Marty Hunt (Nicklin) and Dan Purdie (Ninderry) swore oaths of allegiance.

And now the political heat is also on as Noosa and surrounding areas are to be represented by state political rookies keen to embark on their steep learning curve and make a mark for their voters.

"A big day and very hot in our suits!!” is how Ms Bolton on Facebook summed up her first taste of official proceedings as Brisbane basted in a summer swelter.

This was after her and the other "newbie MPs” underwent a second stint of "Pollie School”.

This cramming is aimed at getting their heads around how to best serve our interests.

Ms Bolton summed this up as crash courses in "sessional orders, notice papers, standing orders, separations of power and conventions, the technology behind Hansard, roving cameras in chamber, deadlines, debate, and a touch of history”.

Ms Bolton said time management was the big lesson, and making sure she was in the right place and on the right floor when the parliamentary bells rang.

All three pollies are acutely life-skilled, with Ms Bolton a former Noosa councillor and community champion who came within a whisker of being mayor.

"We've been very busy. I've been meeting with ministers, of course, on those particular Noosa- centric issues,” she said.

"This is the first opportunity because everyone's been away on holidays. You can't really do business until parliament opens and we all get into it.

"My focus is to push forward on those particular things - the TAFE site and Beckmans (Road upgrade), and that's what I'm doing right at this moment amongst all the meetings.

"I look forward in the next couple of months to having some outcomes there and being able to report back to the community on our progress.”

Both Mr Hunt and Mr Purdie are former long-serving police officers who have seen first- hand how tough life can be.

Mr Hunt is a Nambour PCYC local legend who used his first day in parliament to post a message to voters alongside Sunshine Coast LNP newcomers Mr Purdie and Member for Buderim Brent Mickelberg.

"We're looking forward to coming down here to represent you good people of the Sunshine Coast.

"We're going to be your Sunshine Coast representatives in Brisbane, not your Brisbane representatives on the Sunshine Coast,” he said.

"And each time we come down here, we'll be fighting for you.”

Mr Hunt is also encouraging locals to get behind the LNP campaign to tackle the "ice” drug scourge by attending an upcoming Nambour community forum on February 21 at 11am.

"After 30 years of policing, I know the dangers of illicit drug use in our community and the crime associated with it, the injuries in hospitals, the violence.”

Mr Purdie said he found his new workplace all "a bit hectic, but I'm still very excited”.

"It's still all a bit surreal, it's taking a while to set in. I'm going to do my best to learn as much as I can.

"I've been on the front line with the police enforcing the laws. I'm now in a position where I've got influence to enact the laws and I'm excited by that.”

He was keen to make decisions on "a grander scale that hopefully will benefit people in Ninderry”.

"Being a local copper on the Sunny Coast for a long time, I've got first-hand experience as to what I think the real needs are out on the street.”