A full record of Mark's Speeches are available at www.parliament.qld.gov.au
A full record of Mark's Speeches are available at www.parliament.qld.gov.au
As the Premier has just said, last week Queensland farewelled a hero—Senior Constable Brett Forte. Brett was a valued member of the Queensland Police Service, a loving husband and an amazing father to his three children. Brett was an all-round good bloke who cared for not only his family and friends but also the community that he served.
Monday, 29 May 2017 will be a day Queenslanders will never forget. Senior Constable Brett Forte died while trying to save his police partner’s life after their police car was shot at on multiple occasions. Most Queenslanders will never ever be confronted with such violence and there is a good reason for that. It is because of the more than 11,000 men and women like Brett who make up our Queensland Police Service.
Day in and day out our police right across Queensland come face to face with people in our communities who have no regard for the law, but our police never back down. Just like Brett, these men and women are Queensland heroes. These men and women in blue are the reason each and every one of us can go to bed and sleep easy, knowing that our police are out there working hard to protect our communities.
I had the honour to meet Brett’s family including his wife, Susie; his dad, Stuart; and his extended police family from the Toowoomba Police Station. Each and every one of these people are good people—great people who have lost a son, a husband, a father and a mate. Sometimes—just sometimes—bad things unfortunately happen to good people, and in this case a horrific crime has happened to a great bloke.
I would like to extend my sincerest condolences to all of Brett’s family and friends. I know that our police right across Queensland have been hit hard by this event, and I would like to extend a message to the entire Queensland Police Service: the thoughts of all Queenslanders are with you. The courage and commitment you all show in protecting your communities is outstanding, and I am always very proud to be your minister.