REELECTED TO REPRESENT IPSWICH IN STATE PARLIAMENT
The people have spoken, and Jennifer Howard MP will continue to represent Ipswich as a member of the Queensland Parliament for a further three years after being re-elected at the 2017 State Election.
Following a seemingly tough State Election campaign, Jennifer Howard has been reelected as the State Member for Ipswich at the polls last month. After representing the region for almost three years, Ms Howard said she’s proud to work for a city that has “such a unique sense of community.”
“I’ve spoken to so many people over the years and there’s a common theme that comes through; that is, they’ve lived in other places but Ipswich has welcomed them,” Ms Howard said.
“A lot of those people who have told me those stories are people who move here for work at the Defence base and they’ve felt more welcome here than anywhere.”
Ms Howard said some of her proudest achievements as Ipswich’s MP stem from the funding she’s been able to achieve for local projects but also the many lives transformed and enriched as a result of these projects.
A prime example of this was assisting the 24/7 Safe Cycle fund with a $1.5 million State Government donation which was put towards building a Criterium Track in Ipswich.
“The 24/7 Cycle Fund was started to get a criterium track to make it safer for cyclists to enjoy their sport,” Ms Howard said.
“It was very much a community project, that was fundraised and supported on a very personal level.
“They had been lobbying for Government funding for many years and I was able to help get the project off the ground.”
Looking forward to the next three years, Ms Howard is keen to work with Steve Johnson, former chairman of Ipswich Rugby League for an Ipswich NRL team.
“I want to have a strong focus on getting a western corridor NRL team,” Ms Howard said.
“I think Ipswich has had some extraordinary athletes over the years and developed within the community but we lose them to Brisbane clubs.
“I think Ipswich needs to have it’s own club so we can actually have a home for our most talented athletes.”
Ms Howard said she’s also excited to keep assisting with projects like the Norman Street bridge and the redevelopment of the Ipswich CBD and Ipswich Turf Club.
