http://steveirons.com.au RSS feeds for Steve Irons MP 60 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4/AUSLINK-National-Land-Transport-Amendment-Bill.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=78&ModuleID=390&ArticleID=4 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=4&PortalID=0&TabID=78 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4/AUSLINK-National-Land-Transport-Amendment-Bill.aspx Mr IRONS (Swan) (4:40 PM) —I rise to support the AusLink (National Land Transport) Amendment Bill 2008 and to outline the many transport challenges in my electorate of Swan. It is great to hear from the member for Capricornia and hear that the Rudd government is meeting their commitments in her electorate, and I will go onto that further in my speech. As members of the House will know, this bill has three components. Each of these components is important and carries my full support. The bill’s first purpose is to extend the Roads to Recovery program from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2014. The Roads to Recovery program is an enormously successful and popular program. It was great to hear the member for Braddon last week recognise the success of this Howard initiated program. He said that it was the bee’s knees. He went on to say it was all about safety and we should not bring politics into it but later in his speech pilloried the Howard government for allocating $15 million in 2004 in his electorate as purely an election stunt. So it is okay for the member for Braddon to first criticise the members of this side of the House for speaking about the inadequacies of the Rudd government and then turn around and do exactly that to the previous government. I like the way he thinks! He certainly put a smile on my face. The member for Dunkley spoke on the same day about tolls and the inconsistencies of the Victorian state Labor government on this issue. It is fantastic that in the great state of Western Australia road tolls are an issue we do not have to deal with. The Roads to Recovery scheme was established by the Howard government in November 2000 with the aim of providing a new support program for local roads of $1.2 billion over five years. In January 2004, the coalition government announced a further $1.2 billion over the four years from July 2005 to June 2009. At this point, it became a component of AusLink. AusLink was first established by the former coalition government in 2004 and represents the most significant change since Federation in the way the Commonwealth tackles the national transport task. The national land transport AusLink network is a single integrated network of land transport linkages of strategic national importance which is funded by federal, state and territory governments. The AusLink network is based on national and interregional transport corridors, including connections through urban areas, links to ports and airports, rail, road and internodal connections that together are of critical importance to national and regional economic growth, development and connectivity. Therefore, when the Roads to Recovery fund became part of AusLink it became part of the long-term Howard government transport infrastructure plan for Australia. In the 2005-06 budget, the fund was supplemented with a bonus of $307.5 million to provide an extra boost for councils that year. This coalition policy has made an enormous contribution to the local community in my electorate of Swan. The Roads to Recovery life-of-program allocation for 2005-06 to 2008-09 for the councils in my electorate has been as follows: the City of Belmont received $921,000; the City of Canning, $2,175,000; the City of Perth, $729,000; and the Town of Victoria Park, $157,000. It was obviously a popular policy with the local councils. Up to 2005, 19 projects were nominated by the City of Belmont; 19 by the City of Canning; 12 by the City of South Perth; and 16 by the Town of Victoria Park. The beauty of this policy is that it decentralises power. It allows local governments to nominate projects they see as necessary and spend the money appropriately. This has never been as important as now, given the ever-centralising tendencies of the federal government. I will take this opportunity to commend the local councils who do an excellent job in implementing this program. With local government responsible for 80 per cent of all roads nationally, this was and will continue to be a vital policy for the health of Australia’s transport system. The second purpose of this bill is to allow certain funds allocated under Roads to Recovery to be preserved in particular states or territories while arrangements can be made to determine the most appropriate entities to receive the funds. This provision is less important to my electorate on account of the local government entities that administer the scheme. However, I appreciate that in Western Australia seven per cent of Roads to Recovery funds are provided for special projects, being divided up between bridge works and access roads to Indigenous communities. In such cases it has been necessary to preserve these funds while a suitable authority is found to receive and manage their expenditure. The amendments to this bill provide legislative clarity to this longstanding practice. The third major component of this policy is the provision to amend the definition to put beyond doubt that future funding under AusLink may be applied to rest stops, parking bays and decoupling facilities. This is a necessary amendment and I am happy to support it. While other components of this bill are clearly admirable it is important for all members to accept that this is purely a continuation of coalition government policy. It has become increasingly clear that the Rudd government has continued with the me-too-ism of the campaign, and I will reflect on that with particular reference to my electorate of Swan. For a government that has continually criticised the Howard government and its achievements in government, it is great to see that they can at least recognise and applaud the Roads to Recovery program by continuing this program. I would now like to refer to some specific issues that demonstrate the challenges facing my electorate. First I would like to talk about the Great Eastern Highway that runs through my electorate of Swan. The Great Eastern Highway is a major road linking Perth with Kalgoorlie. It is also the gateway to Perth and is the first experience of many interstate and international visitors to Perth and Western Australia, besides the ashtray exits of our airports. It should be the golden pathway to our beautiful city and state but it has been sadly neglected by the state Labor government for the last eight years. It is the key route for vehicles accessing the wheat belt and the eastern goldfields. It also forms the western most 595 kilometres of the main road transportation link between Perth and the east coast of Australia. The road is mostly a federally funded national highway due to its national strategic importance. It is signed as National Highway 94, except for a nine-kilometre stretch between the Great Eastern Highway bypass and the Roe Highway, and the 40-kilometre section between Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. It is also signed as Highway 1 between The Causeway and Morrison Road and as State Route 51 between Johnson Street, Guildford and Roe Highway. I have here a press release from the Labor Party dated 29 October 2007. It states: A Rudd Labor government will put $180 million into the Great Eastern Highway upgrade from Kooyong Road to the Tonkin Highway, a project that will cost $225 million, with the Western Australian government funding the balance. I will seek leave to table that at the end of my speech. The promise of funding during the election came four days after the Howard government offered a similar package. This road has needed a section upgrade between Kooyong Road and Tonkin Highway since 2000. It has always been considered a state road but the lack of care and concern by the Gallop and Carpenter governments mean that they have ignored previous offers of funding to fix this road and have put at risk the people who use it daily. The need for the Great Eastern Highway to be updated is highlighted by these figures I hold here on the aircraft and passenger movement increases. This document says that the total aircraft movements in 2003-04 were 78,000 and in 2007-08 were 107,000. The passenger numbers have risen from six million in 2003-04 to over nine million in 2007-08. The road has not seen a cent of the promised money yet. It was obviously a promise made so that the sitting member at the time, Kim Wilkie, would be re-elected. It did not work. Instead, the Rudd government has pursued its favourite policy: delaying tough decisions by commissioning reports and organising committees. The people of my electorate have clearly been let down. I pledged on my first day in parliament to make sure the Rudd government delivered on its promises to the people of Swan. And on this I will continue until the money is forthcoming and the people in Swan benefit from the ease of congestion and a safer road. Secondly, I would like to highlight the key need for an integrated transport solution network in my electorate. An integrated transport solution involves taking a holistic approach to transport operations in Swan. Kewdale rail freight terminal is a WA transport hub which receives goods from all over Australia by road and rail. Most people like to see their freight transported by the rail network as it takes heavy vehicles off the road. Kewdale is in the seat of Swan and is considered to be the key transport area of WA as there are so many companies and jobs in the area. Transport to the north-west and south-west and into the eastern states all leave from this area. It is an important part of the Western Australian economy and many of my constituents are employed in this industry. However, it becomes increasingly difficult for rail freight companies to profitably operate when they are constantly impeded by bureaucracy. It is unbelievable that an operator of an interstate train may have to deal with seven safety regulators, three transport accident investigators, 15 pieces of legislation covering occupational health and safety of rail operations and 75 pieces of legislation over environmental management. Even negotiating the road freight bureaucracy can be problematic, with varying state based interpretations of the national heavy vehicle reforms on fatigue management, incomplete rollouts of state approved road networks that can carry the highly efficient B-triple vehicle combinations and the different treatment by states of widths and heights of loads. An integrated transport solution should therefore be negotiated cooperatively at COAG level. An additional aspect of the integrated transport solution is safe and accessible public transport to free up congested roads and provide an affordable transport option for thousands of local people. I was pleased to see the WA Liberal Party commit to free public transport for the elderly in Western Australia during the recent election campaign. It will make a great deal of difference to the many pensioners in Western Australia. However, as I have communicated to my state colleagues, pensioners across my electorate are currently scared to use the public transport on account of the recent crime spree near public transport nodes. I recently spoke in parliament about the disabled woman who was badly beaten at a bus stop near Curtin University in Bentley in my electorate. I also spoke about the Thornlie train line that runs through the heart of my electorate. It is well known in the local area for being the ‘crime line’ after a certain time at night. This message was reinforced on Sunday at a community barbecue in Como organised by local resident Janet Reid, where the recent crime near Canning Bridge station was discussed. We must address this situation, which the Carpenter government allowed to get out of control, and make public transport a truly viable alternative for the people of Western Australia. I would like to finally concentrate on what can be done in the future to address these issues. I have recently spoken with a senior member of the incoming WA state government about the transport and infrastructure challenges facing my electorate, and the future seems bright. The person in question pointed out that there are vast sums of federal money the Howard government allocated for projects that is yet to be utilised. Ending this tremendous neglect seems immediately possible. There are also many potential land transport projects that I look forward to working with the new state government on to ensure appropriate funding is available. The proposed new entrance to Perth airport in my electorate could be one of these. I am sure with the new Liberal-National government in WA we can look forward to a significant improvement in the transport infrastructure in Western Australia. We will have a government that practises long-term planning as opposed to the short-term panic policies of the outgoing state Labor government. It will be a government that produces a feasible state infrastructure strategy. It will be a government that helps foster an integrated transport system for the state and for country areas. In summation, Australia is facing a growing transport task, with the amount of freight on Australia’s road and rail systems estimated to nearly double by 2020. The demand in our capital cities continues to grow. Perth’s population is expected to double in the next 50 years, and it will need to provide a strong and integrated transport network if it is to cope. The ineptness of the Carpenter government in meeting their basic responsibilities for the local people on transport infrastructure is well known and has only made the problem worse. The challenge is limiting our carbon emissions and adding impetus to the need to develop an efficient and effective transport sector. The Howard government’s record was commendable. The coalition created AusLink in 2004. Under the first AusLink program from 2004-05 to 2008-09, the Howard government provided $15.8 billion in land transport infrastructure funding. For the second AusLink program, the coalition pledged another $16.8 billion over five years for national road and rail projects, totalling around $32 billion to improve Australia’s road and rail infrastructure. The coalition will press the states to harmonise their laws so that all Australians in the transport sector will be subject to the same regulatory treatment. We support a single national system of recognition for heavy vehicles. The coalition’s policies to build on its achievements in creating a national rail network via the Australian Rail Track Corporation are welcome. Total infrastructure spending in Australia in constant 2007 dollars rose from $21 billion in 1996 to $56 billion in 2007. The Labor Party’s continuation of these policies in this legislation is a testament to the Howard government legacy and I hope they will continue to support them. However, I urge the government to pursue an integrated transport policy and to meet the election policy commitments they made to the people of Swan. I commend the bill to the House. datasearch Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:55:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:4 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/32/Swan-Electorate-Mental-Health.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=78&ModuleID=390&ArticleID=32 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=32&PortalID=0&TabID=78 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/32/Swan-Electorate-Mental-Health.aspx Mr IRONS (Swan) (8:48 PM) —I rise tonight to talk about the challenges facing those relying upon mental health care in my electorate of Swan. There are numerous types of mental illnesses with varying degrees of severity. Examples include anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Mental illness is widely recognised as a major health concern in Australia. Mental health affects a large number of Australians across the nation. It surprises many people to find that one million Australians experience some form of mental health illness. One in five Western Australians will suffer from mental illness in their lifetime. There can therefore be no doubt that mental health is an important issue at a both a state and a national level. When I was campaigning as the Liberal Party candidate for Swan back in November I met a lady called Mary. Mary is a recovering schizophrenic and she told me about her concerns about the local mental health services. At the time, I said that, if elected, I would raise the issue of mental health in parliament. Following the budget announcement in May, Mary contacted me again about the Rudd government’s proposed cuts to the funding of the mental health system and made the following points. First, there are not enough rehabilitation centres at present. People are pushed too soon to live independently, and this often has disastrous consequences. Second, while people are forced to function independently, there are not enough community nurses. Third, staff in hospitals are overworked and cannot devote the one-to-one time that patients need. Unfortunately, the Rudd government’s cost cutting means that $244.3 million will be taken out of mental health services over the coming four-year period. The spending cuts look set to exacerbate the problems Mary raised. As the member for Sturt recently stated, we need to recognise the importance of providing state-of-the-art mental health care for the mentally ill and acknowledge that the way to help the mentally ill rehabilitate from their illness is to improve mental health services, not cut them. Having spoken with the Hon. Helen Morton, West Australian MLC for the East Metropolitan Region and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Mental Health and Water, I am disappointed to report that the inaction of the Labor federal government has been matched by the state Labor government. Incredibly the Carpenter government failed to provide a safety net of services for people with mental illnesses. Patients are dying and families are suffering because Labor has failed to implement self-harm risk management guidelines in hospital wards and emergency departments despite these guidelines being established in 2000. Supporting Mary’s point, Helen Morton said that patients are often discharged from treatment before they are ready and that there is an absence of proper planning for the transition of patients back into the community. The responsibility for caring for seriously ill patients is being pushed onto the community and prisons, which are ill-equipped to manage the medical and psychological needs of patients. The result of Labor’s careless discharge of seriously ill patients is the staggering rate of readmission. Rates of readmission within 28 days of discharge are up to eight times higher for mental health patients than for recipients of other health services in Western Australia. The human toll of Labor’s deficient mental health system extends beyond the high rate of suicide, which is greater than the total number of deaths on the road in WA. Eight active patients of mental health services die each week in WA. I am informed by the Hon. Helen Morton that the WA Labor government has been unable to provide specific information on the causes of these deaths. Despite a $2 billion surplus, the state of mental health in Western Australia is disgraceful. I hope that the incoming state government in WA, being sworn in today, will mark a turnaround for the state and propel Western Australia to international best practice. Labor’s inaction is in sharp contrast to the progress made by the Howard government in improving support and services for people with mental disorders and their families. The investment of $1 billion in the Commonwealth’s mental health reform package in the 2006 budget represented the biggest government investment in mental health in Australian history. New Medicare services for people with mental illnesses commenced on 1 November 2006, including better access to mental health services provided by psychiatrists, GPs, psychologists and other allied health professionals. The strong uptake of these new services shows that it is an area of previously unmet demand within the community. The provision of $18 million to Lifeline has significantly enhanced telephone counselling services for individuals experiencing a psychosocial crisis. The announcement of community grants totalling $23.5 million has reinforced the Commonwealth’s suicide prevention efforts. The new funding also allows an additional 1,800 people, mostly from overseas, to receive specialised torture and trauma services each year. I call upon the Rudd government to match the vision and intent of this policy. In summary, I have outlined the challenges facing people relying upon mental health care in my electorate of Swan. I urge the Rudd government to abandon their spending cuts, which have led to great concern from people in my community. I urge them to cooperate with the new WA government and to properly address the issue of mental health. Too many lives in my electorate and in Western Australia depend upon it. datasearch Tue, 23 Sep 2008 01:25:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:32 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/36/Swan-Electorate-Perth-Football-Club.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=78&ModuleID=390&ArticleID=36 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=36&PortalID=0&TabID=78 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/36/Swan-Electorate-Perth-Football-Club.aspx Mr IRONS (Swan) (6:39 PM) —Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the local Perth district football club finals, which took place in my electorate of Swan. Over the two days, more than 3,000 spectators watched five matches involving 250 young football players. The event took place at EFTel Oval, the home of the Perth Demons football club, and involved players ranging from the under-12 to under-17 level. As a director of junior development for Perth Football Club, I was particularly pleased to attend and be involved in the awards presentation. The quality of the games played over the weekend was exceptional and it was good to see such close competition between the teams. The last game of the weekend was between Victoria Park and South Perth under-17s and was decided by a point. This year’s final series included other teams Redcliffe, Thornlie, Queens Park and Maddington. Professor Matthew Tonts of the University of Western Australia argues that sport has a vital role to play in generating social capital and building local communities. This was clearly demonstrated by the events of the weekend, where local families from all sections of the community came together to generate a carnival atmosphere. Junior sports in my electorate in WA were ignored for eight years by the state Labor government, and many clubs need help to continue the growth of community oriented sports. Today the Rudd government announced yet another review by an independent expert panel that will spend months preparing its sports funding review. I do not see one member of the panel from grassroots junior sport, which I feel will mean that nothing will be achieved to meet the real needs of junior sport. Junior sport is much too important to the fabric of this nation to send to a committee. datasearch Mon, 22 Sep 2008 02:58:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:36 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/31/Swan-Electorate-Manning-Primary-School.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=78&ModuleID=390&ArticleID=31 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=31&PortalID=0&TabID=78 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/31/Swan-Electorate-Manning-Primary-School.aspx Mr IRONS (Swan) (9:36 AM) —Last Friday I had the pleasure of presenting an Australian flag to the Manning Primary School at their weekly assembly in my electorate of Swan. I also took an Aboriginal flag to present to the school and was fortunate to run into Troy Cook. Troy is the captain of the Perth Football Club in the Western Australian Football League and also played with the Dockers and the Sydney Swans in the AFL. Troy has been an inspirational Indigenous Australian Rules football player and a great role model and mentor for other Indigenous boys in Western Australia. I am proud to serve on the board of the Perth Football Club as the director for junior development, and the club is proud to have a young man like Troy as its captain. I took the opportunity to ask Troy if he could present the Aboriginal flag to the school captains, James Fiori and Caelie Jones. Troy did that for me, but he was also there to pick up a cheque for the David Wirrpanda Foundation as their representative. The David Wirrpanda Foundation was founded out of a mutual desire to assist and develop young people through education, promoting healthy lifestyles and building self-esteem. It was fantastic that the school had raised money for the foundation. The assembly was a fitting tribute to Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech on the 45th anniversary of its delivery. I was extremely impressed to hear some of the students’ own versions of this famous speech. The whole presentation was very professional, and the children of Manning Primary should be very proud of their effort. The dreams they spoke about were family- and community-minded, with a touch of global concern for peace in our world. Manning Primary School is located in the city of South Perth in an area considered to be inner metropolitan and established residential. There are 237 preprimary to year 7 children enrolled in 2008. Approximately 10 per cent are of Aboriginal heritage, while 16 per cent are from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds. The ethnic backgrounds of the students include Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Cambodian, Indian, Sri Lankan, African, Korean, Indonesian, Serbian, Colombian, Russian and Arabian. The school was founded in 1936 and successive principals have overseen ambitious building projects, leaving some impressive architecture on the 6.4-hectare site, the largest school site in WA. Unfortunately, the good work of the Manning Primary School under the expert guidance of Principal Robert Searle is under threat. Sadly for a school of such stature, the school’s facilities have been allowed to deteriorate through insufficient state government funding. The Rudd government should be supporting schools and our children by providing the funding they desperately need. The Investing in Our Schools Program of the Howard government was scrapped, a program which was used to direct much needed funds to schools, which is what they really need. With the new Barnett Liberal government in Western Australia, I am sure we will see funds for school maintenance released to many schools in WA instead of being locked up, as they were by the Carpenter government, for election slush funding. The new Labor opposition leader, Mr Eric Ripper, should be ashamed of his time as the Treasurer who presided over such a deterioration in schools and state assets. I thoroughly enjoyed the warm hospitality of the staff and children at Manning Primary School. I was also pleased to hear that Jay Gillich had won a golf scholarship to Como Secondary College for next year. datasearch Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:23:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:31 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/19/Employment-Opportunities-for-the-Disabled.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=78&ModuleID=390&ArticleID=19 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=19&PortalID=0&TabID=78 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/19/Employment-Opportunities-for-the-Disabled.aspx Mr IRONS (Swan) (4:49 PM) —I would first like to acknowledge the 60th wedding anniversary of Dennis Lillee’s parents, who live in my electorate of Swan. Keith and Shirley were married on this date 60 years ago and are the proud parents of Dennis Keith Lillee, who became an Australian sporting legend and arguably the greatest ever fast bowler. Congratulations to Keith and Shirley, and I wish them many more wedding anniversaries and a return to full health for Keith.  I would now like to raise the important issue of employment opportunities for the disabled in my electorate of Swan. I commend the excellent work being done in my community by local organisations to promote employment for the disabled. Last week I had the pleasure of launching the Microbusiness Forum for People with Disabilities in Canning Vale, Western Australia. The event was organised by the dedicated people of the Canning Coalition to raise the profile of employment opportunities for local community members with disabilities. It was a privilege to be there and meet such an inspirational group of people. Many of the speakers on that day talked about how rewarding starting their own businesses had been. For example, Sally Richards from Canberra spoke about the great satisfaction her son Jackson, who has Phelan-McDermid syndrome, gains from the business they run, called JACKmail. Similarly, it was wonderful to hear about the success of Richard Hill as Director of Riccom, a website design and disability awareness training company. Equally, Norma and Nathan Hatchett should be commended for their innovative Hooked on Hessian textile company. Whilst the day was a positive experience, I was left in no doubt about the extreme challenges faced by disabled people to achieve their goal of employment. I would first like to refer to how the good work of the Canning Coalition in promoting employment for the disabled is being threatened by the Rudd Labor government. The Canning Coalition came into existence in 2006 following a Howard government policy for a national network of 213 local community partnerships regions. Local community partnerships are incorporated, not-for-profit, community based organisations that work to help young people gain skills, experience and career guidance as they move through and beyond school. Unfortunately, the Local Community Partnerships program is at risk. The Rudd government has refused to commit to the program beyond 2009. This has led to a great degree of uncertainty for the Canning Coalition, who are hamstrung and unable to plan properly for the future. The good work this organisation does is at risk. Secondly, I would like to consider the Labor government’s lengthy delay in producing the National Mental Health and Disability Employment Strategy. On 15 February 2008, the government announced the development of this strategy which the member for Maribyrnong referred to as, ‘A new strategy to get people with a disability or mental illness into work.’ I genuinely believe that the member for Maribyrnong is a man of integrity who wants to make progress on this issue. However, to have to wait for the end of the year is disappointing, especially given that the government has been much more forthcoming on staging the Business Services Excellence Awards, which were recently held at the National Disability Services Employment Conference. Thirdly, the government needs to ensure its own departments improve on their record of employing people with disabilities. The Australian on Monday reported that a Rudd government agency had written to the Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, to ask for a clause to prevent disabled people applying for hundreds of jobs on health and safety grounds. Mr Innes said: ... the public sector’s efforts to employ the disabled had been “pathetic” ... the agency’s conduct would embarrass the Minister for Employment Participation, Brendan O’Connor, and the parliamentary secretary for disabilities, Bill Shorten ... At the moment, 80 per cent of people with a disability who are employed work in the private sector. Government departments must do better. I would like to draw the attention of the House to how difficult it is for the disabled and their families to make the decision to start their own business. Whilst the disabled and their families are eligible to apply to the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme for assistance in setting up their own businesses, they immediately must forfeit all special pensions they receive. This raises the risk threshold and denies many disabled people the empowering opportunity of starting their own businesses. In summary, I urge the member for Maribyrnong and the Labor Party to focus on the following points. Firstly, the Labor government needs to commit to the future of Local Community Partnerships. Secondly, the government needs to be more focused and work more quickly to release the National Mental Health and Disability Employment Strategy to ensure Australians have a fair idea of what is planned for them. Thirdly, the government needs to ensure that the public sector vastly improve their record of employing people with disabilities. Finally, the government should provide support and encourage those applying to the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme by not taking their pensions away immediately. It is vital that we keep building employment opportunities for the disabled and that both sides of parliament accept this challenge. datasearch Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:41:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:19 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/71/Charitable-organisations-the-backbone-of-the-local-community-says-MP.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=78&ModuleID=390&ArticleID=71 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=71&PortalID=0&TabID=78 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/71/Charitable-organisations-the-backbone-of-the-local-community-says-MP.aspx Charitable organisations ‘the backbone of the local community’ says MP Steve Irons MP has witnessed at first hand this week the important role that charitable organisations and the unsung heroes that run them play in the local community of Swan. The week began on Monday with a local event organised by the National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) to mark National Child Protection Week and launch it’s ‘children see, children do’ message. ‘In the electorate of Swan there are 19,073 children under the age of 15 and it should be the highest priority to ensure that these children are protected’ Mr Irons said. ‘The work of NAPCAN in raising the awareness of child abuse and neglect is essential and I commend the good people of NAPCAN who work so hard for this noble cause’ he continued. Having been given up by his natural parents as a child and then fostered by the Irons family, Steve was well placed to speak on this issue. ‘I strongly support the ‘children see children do’ message of the national child protection week’ he said. ‘As parents we all have a responsibility to protect the best interests of our children and that is something I would urge the community to prioritise’. The week continued on Tuesday with an event at Cannington Carousel Shopping Centre to mark National Hearing Awareness week. The occasion was organised by Australian Hearing ‘I congratulate the work done by Australian Hearing’ Mr Irons said. ‘In its 60-plus years of dedicated service Australian Hearing has fitted more than one million hearing aids and provided millions of services. Today Australian Hearing has more than 1,000 professional staff, 96 permanent sites and more than 257 visiting sites nationwide’ he continued. ‘The excellent work Australian Hearing does in conjunction with seniors is well known, however the work they do with the young is equally important. Each year, Australian Hearing fits between 1,200 and 1,500 children with hearing aids for the first time. And now about 74 percent of all newborns in Australia are being screened for hearing’. Mr Irons also took the opportunity to have a free hearing test: ‘They said I passed but I think I had better sign up for another test as I still cannot understand a word my 15 year old son says until he actually wants something which is usually money’ he quipped. Mr Irons also had the pleasure of meeting some of the most inspirational local characters at the Microbusiness forum in Canning Vale on Wednesday, organised by the dedicated and caring people of the Canning Coalition to help raise awareness of Microbusiness for people with disabilities. Among the speakers were Sally Richards from Canberra who spoke about her son Jackson who has Phelan-McDermid Syndrome. Like others at the forum Sally and Jackson had an inspirational story of how they set up their own business, in this case ‘Jackmail’, against the odds. ‘I am impressed by the sheer innovation and brilliance of these wonderful people’ Mr Irons said. ‘They are all a great example to us’. Mr Irons said he was proud of the Howard Government’s record in helping the disabled fulfil their potential in employment. ‘The Coalition Government provided funding of $295m through the Disability Employment Assistance Program to help more than 70,000 job seekers with a disability to find and keep jobs’ Mr Irons said. ‘This was followed up with a $99m Coalition Government package to ensure that people with disabilities in business services enjoy continued service, choices in their employment and payment of wages in a quality environment’ However Mr Irons expressed doubt that the Rudd Government was as focused on creating and protecting employment opportunities for the disabled. ‘I am not convinced the Rudd government’s concentration is properly focused on this issue’ he said. ‘The fact we are still waiting for its findings on the National Mental Health and Employment Strategy is disgraceful’. In particular Mr Irons referred to the lack of support being provided to the disabled who apply the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme. ‘It is unreasonable that the disabled should be expected to immediately surrender their pensions when applying to the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme. It denies many disabled people the opportunity of starting their own businesses. ‘These people deserve our support when taking the brave step of setting up a new business, not a financial penalty’. Mr Irons has learnt much this week about the strength of the local community and the inspirational characters within it. ‘I will be speaking in parliament next week to fight for more resources for these invaluable organisations’. ‘They are largely unsung heroes and do not feature on Mr Rudd’s spin agenda but without them the local community would be a very different place’ he said.     datasearch Fri, 12 Sep 2008 07:26:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:71 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/118/School-trial-under-fire.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=78&ModuleID=390&ArticleID=118 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=118&PortalID=0&TabID=78 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/118/School-trial-under-fire.aspx By Adam Brockman Swan MHR Steve Irons has questioned the Government's 'big stick' approach  to proposed school enrolment and attendance legislation which would allow Centrelink to withhold welfare payments to parents in Cannington whose children do not attend school frequently enough. datasearch Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:09:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:118 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/76/Irons-furious-at-Rippers-pork-barrel-tactics.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=78&ModuleID=390&ArticleID=76 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=76&PortalID=0&TabID=78 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/76/Irons-furious-at-Rippers-pork-barrel-tactics.aspx With just hours left before the people of WA vote in the 2008 State election the Federal Member for Swan Steve Irons has spoken in Parliament about the shameless pork barrelling in his electorate being led by Mr Ripper. Mr Irons was responding to a pledge by the Labor Party to spend $1m to upgrade Belmay Primary School. The scale of the investment has surprised many including Belmay Primary School Principal Chris Leed who described the funding as ‘unexpected’ adding that the school had been in need of repairs for quite some time. ‘As much as I welcome the funding of any educational institution, this reeks of vote buying’ Mr Irons said today in an address to Parliament. ‘Have the Carpenter government sat on previous budget surpluses to roll them out as vote buying slush funds?’ Mr Irons pointed to the fact he had received many phone calls to his office from Redcliffe Primary School which is in equal need of repairs and infrastructure but has been ignored. ‘The people of WA deserve a Government that works hard for them all the time, not just when it suits them for electoral purposes’. ‘Labor is only interested in grand statements and spin with little or no substance’. Mr Irons called on the voters of Western Australia to show the Carpenter Government what they think of the treatment they have meted out over the last eight years and toss them out at the WA State election on 6 September 2008. datasearch Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:58:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:76 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/45/Social-Security-and-Veterans-Entitlements-Legislation-Amendment-Schooling-Requirements.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=78&ModuleID=390&ArticleID=45 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=45&PortalID=0&TabID=78 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/45/Social-Security-and-Veterans-Entitlements-Legislation-Amendment-Schooling-Requirements.aspx Mr IRONS (Swan) (12:47 PM) —I rise to talk about the Social Security and Veterans’ Entitlements Legislation Amendment (Schooling Requirements) Bill 2008 and its effect on the people of my electorate of Swan. I rise not to oppose the bill but to speak about some of the areas that I have grave doubts about with this legislation. Today the member for Moreton spoke about his union time involved with schools and recognised the member for Canning for his time as a teacher. He seemed to intimate that their involvement with schools gave him and the member for Canning some exclusive rights to talk on this bill. I would let the member for Moreton know that, as a humble parent, I think I also have a right to speak on this bill. The member for Moreton spoke about his brother’s truancy record. I advise the House that I too have a truancy record. It is not something I am proud of but it gives me a life experience and an ability to comment on this bill. Yesterday in the House the member for Parramatta made a speech about this bill, and I happen to agree with her—I do not favour punitive approaches except as a last resort. But the real issue, as also referred to by the member for Parramatta, is that this is a state issue and the states have sat on their hands and done nothing about this problem for years. In her speech the member for Parramatta said there is already a last resort at state level which is called prosecution. The member went on to state that historically this has not been used. Wouldn’t it be simple enough for the COAG to get their collective ‘no blame game’ hats on and solve the truancy problem at a state level, as it should be? My colleague the member for Cook remarked in his speech yesterday that this bill is a further measure in the Rudd government’s bid to cover the incompetence of the state governments. As honourable members will know, the immediate effect of the bill is the implementation of the school attendance and enrolment pilot. The pilot, commencing from January 2009, will operate in six Northern Territory communities and two metropolitan locations, one of which will be Cannington in Western Australia, part of my electorate of Swan. Under the pilot, all parents who are also income support recipients will be required to notify Centrelink of their child’s enrolment at school. State education authorities will be able to notify Centrelink of a child’s nonattendance at school. Centrelink will then be able to advise the parent that taking steps to ensure school attendance is a condition of receiving income support. Having not been consulted by the government on this important issue concerning my electorate, my electorate office contacted the Cannington branch of Centrelink for more details on the proposed measure. These hardworking Centrelink people, who as a result of Rudd’s razor gangs faced significant job cuts this year, helpfully informed my staff that the Cannington scheme will involve Centrelink customers of the Cannington, Victoria Park, Gosnells and Midland branches. Among the schools that could be expected to administer this scheme is Bentley Primary School. Bentley Primary School opened on its current site in 1953. It was once a school of 900 students, with demountable classrooms dominating the landscape. In 1973 the current open area classrooms were built and the administration block established. It was the first school to participate in the school renewal program, and it was decided in 1991 to amalgamate the junior primary and senior primary schools. As a result, the resource centre was built to provide a state-of-the-art computerised library with accompanying art and music rooms. This resource centre, the Shelagh Shannon Resource Centre, acknowledges the outstanding services of Mrs Shannon, who was registrar from 1969 to her retirement in 1991. The original Bentley Junior School buildings were leased to the Islamic community in January 1994. I provide the House with this information not to digress but to demonstrate the importance and the fragility of the services local schools provide. I had the pleasure recently of being invited to Carlisle Primary School to take part in their ‘Kick Around Australia’ celebrations. A diverse group of children took part in an extravaganza of kicking, handballing and banner-making fun. In my role as the Director of Junior Development for Perth Demons Football Club in the Western Australian Football League, I appreciate the efforts of the Carlisle Primary School and commend Sports Director Clint McNerny for his efforts in organising a great day. When I read through Ms Gillard’s legislation, I asked myself one simple question: how will this affect the invaluable services that schools provide to the people in my electorate? In the case of Carlisle Primary School, how would the government’s legislation specifically affect their capacity to organise such events as I just spoke about? This is a question I shall come back to. Before examining the bill before the House in detail it is important to consider the Western Australian state government’s response to truancy. The Carpenter government’s response to this issue extends to funds being provided to each district education office to develop a retention and participation plan. The plans must include processes for identifying and profiling the district’s alienated student population, prevention strategies for each phase of schooling, intervention strategies for those students identified as alienated, strategies to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes for these students, and interagency collaboration. SMS technology has been introduced to enable schools to alert parents about their children’s absence from school. However, there are reports that the technology is not working and that only a few schools are using it. I refer honourable members to an article by Y Phillips and J Strut ‘Schools wag SMS’ in the West Australian of 14 June 2008. There have not been any prosecutions for nonenrolment or nonattendance since the School Education Act 1999 came into effect in 2000. This hands-off approach by the state Labor government is inexcusable. As always, when a state government fails—which is a frequent occurrence in Western Australia—it is up to the federal government to make up for the shortfall. In this context, it is appropriate to make my first point on the bill. I restate the fact that the states have always had responsibility for school attendance. The principle of compulsory education and the requirement that schoolchildren be enrolled in and attend school, registered for home schooling or eligible for exception is ensconced in state and territory education legislation. What have the states been doing? I have recently made speeches in this House about the homelessness crisis in my electorate and about the growing violence around public transport nodes. These are both state issues looked after by HomesWest and the police department. Will the Rudd government step in and take over these state issues as well? When will the federal government in the new environment of supposed COAG cooperation ensure that the states are accountable for education and its integrity? How long must the people of Western Australia and Swan continue to suffer while we wait for some responsibility to be taken? I draw the attention of the House to the fact that this policy seems to ignore the recommendations of widely accepted research. According to US analysis of the research into effective truancy prevention and intervention, those approaches that have ‘solid research evidence for their effectiveness’ are intensive ongoing interventions involving well-defined attendance policies, parental engagement, family counselling, individualised plans, a team approach, trained school staff and ongoing evaluation. There is no mention here of extreme policies that take money away from vulnerable families. Indeed, the same analysis actually singles out financial sanctions against families and tying benefits to children’s school attendance programs as ‘not having an impact on truancy’. Evaluations of US school attendance programs found that case management, not sanctions, was the most important attribute of successful programs. Given the convincing nature of this research, I find it remarkable that this Rudd Labor government has chosen a big-stick option. Additionally, I am not convinced that in putting this legislation before the House the government has thought through the implications of the Privacy Act. To place such a burden on schools such as Carlisle Primary School would inevitably lead to resources being diverted away from events like Kick Around Australia Day and towards Rudd red tape. I note the member for Warringah’s important contribution to this debate yesterday. The vital question he posed on privacy, which was summarily dismissed with carefree abandon by the member for Bennelong, has yet to be properly addressed. I repeat his question: will Centrelink have to provide all schools with details of those living on welfare? I also ask: will the principal of each school want to provide information on his students and their parents to Centrelink not only as a privacy issue but also as a social issue? Families have to be able to trust their teachers and principals and this legislation will drive a wedge into that trust. The feedback I get from teachers and principals in my electorate is that they do not want to be responsible for running a government stunt. The government knows the legislation proposed is unworkable. The Tasmanian government has already indicated that. This boils down to another example of government grandstanding to catch media headlines. Given the points I have made, I object to the district of Cannington in my electorate being used as a trial site. Why does the minister not run this pilot program in her own electorate? That way she could keep a close eye on it. Given all these problems and unanswered questions, it was not surprising to read a report in the Age on 26 August that federal Labor backbenchers were angry about the welfare policy announcement. Apparently most of the 18 members who spoke either opposed or expressed concern about the bill. The Deputy Prime Minister noted recently in her second reading speech on the bill that up to 20,000 Australian children of compulsory school age may not be enrolled in school. Something should be done to address this issue, but the flawed nature of the bill as it currently stands means that it needs the closer scrutiny of a Senate committee. I agree that all children have a right to an education and it is the prime responsibility of their parents to avail themselves of the opportunities provided by the states and their education systems, no matter how run down they are. This is an on-ground issue which cannot be controlled from Canberra but which needs the lazy Labor states to ensure there is a cooperative attitude amongst parents of children and the education system in each state. In my role as the Director of Junior Development at the Perth Football Club I see what it takes for children in my district to improve their levels of competency in sport. There is no tricky scientific solution. The children who develop the quickest are the ones who have parents who are involved in their lives and who take seriously the responsibility of bringing up their children. It certainly is not punitive, last-resort stunts. I will support this bill because its intent is honourable and correct, but I believe the process is wrong. When the lazy state governments pick the ball up and encourage people to take their children to school under any circumstances with programs that make it easy for the parents who struggle with the concept of educating their children, then we will see some real results. In my electorate a group of self-motivated volunteers have started a breakfast program at a primary school and, as a result, attendance at the school has increased. I applaud this simple and pragmatic program. Where was the state government when the program started? It was nowhere to be seen. It was done by the community and the champions of our society—volunteers. It was achieved by the efforts of people who really want to see the children of our communities at school where they should be with a non-punitive program. In closing, I urge the government to look closely at the effects and results of this pilot scheme and ensure it has the will and flexibility to implement necessary changes that will surely arise. datasearch Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:24:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:45 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/43/Schools-Funding.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=78&ModuleID=390&ArticleID=43 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=43&PortalID=0&TabID=78 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/43/Schools-Funding.aspx Mr IRONS (Swan) (9:30 AM) —Today I rise to speak about the poor treatment of schools in my electorate by the Carpenter government in Western Australia over the last two parliaments. In particular, I want to give examples of the poor maintenance and funding provided by the Carpenter government to two schools in the north of my electorate. The area concerned is covered by the state electorate of Belmont, which happens to be the seat held by the Deputy Premier and Treasurer of WA, Mr Eric Ripper. We have had announcements from Mr Ripper advising that he has given a state grant to the Belmay Primary School. How much would you expect for a school maintenance program? How does $200,000 sound? Not bad. But the Carpenter government has rolled out the pork barrel and announced funding of $1 million. As much as I welcome the funding of any educational institution, this reeks of vote buying. When the Principal of Belmay Primary School, Mr Chris Leed, was questioned by the local paper, he stated that the announcement was unexpected and the school had been in need of repairs for some time. Would it be mischievous of me to say that the repairs had been required for four years or more? Of course it would, but I dare say it is probably true. Have the Carpenter government sat on previous budget surpluses to roll them out now as vote-buying slush funds? Of course they have. People in my electorate should be angry that the Carpenter government have treated them with contempt. This is blatant electioneering and pork barrelling by the Labor Party, who earlier this year in this same room had the cheek to accuse me of pork barrelling during the 2007 federal election. Just because I tried to get a $90,000 grant for the bowling club in my electorate, the members on the other side interjected with calls of pork barrelling. The Labor Party have proven they are a party of hypocrisy. I have received phone calls at my office from the people at Redcliffe Primary School, which is just down the road from Belmay Primary School. Redcliffe School is in need of the same repairs and infrastructure being provided to Belmay Primary School in a vote-buying grab. Redcliffe Primary School is older than Belmay Primary School and it is in its centenary year. I congratulate this place of education, which has provided 100 years of service and education to the community. The school needs repairs to its roof, the gutters need replacing and the verandas are in a disgraceful condition. But the Carpenter government ignores the school’s needs because it does not suit them and their re-election plan. Redcliffe Primary School has been trying to get funding for nearly three years but it has not received any funding at all. It suits the government to ignore it. Redcliffe Primary School is in its centenary year and it has been overlooked for purely political reasons. The students are the ones who are expected to learn and be educated in these substandard conditions. The WA government are showing signs of desperation. They are spending money and pork barrelling with huge amounts from a war chest of surpluses that actually belong to the taxpayers. They are a disgrace for having sat on this money for so many years. I call on the voters of Western Australia to show the Carpenter Labor government what they think of the treatment the government have meted out for the last eight years and to toss them out at the WA state election on 6 September 2008. datasearch Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:20:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:43 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/18/Emissions-Trading-Scheme.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=78&ModuleID=390&ArticleID=18 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=18&PortalID=0&TabID=78 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/18/Emissions-Trading-Scheme.aspx Mr IRONS (Swan) (4:53 PM) —I rise today to discuss the Rudd government’s climate change legislation and, in particular, its plan for an emissions trading scheme in Australia and the effect it will have on my constituents in the Swan electorate. With reference to two of the many constituents who have approached me on this issue, I would argue that this scheme has the potential to severely disrupt business in Western Australia and I urge the government to consider a more effective way of dealing with this issue. I was recently contacted by two constituents who raised some extremely important points that I would like to take up with the House. The managing director of a locally-based resource company contacted me, having read about the Labor government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. The company in question has just completed a pre-feasibility study for a major resource subsidiary project to take place in the goldfields region of WA. This constituent’s assessment of the impact of the proposed legislation on his business is horrendous. It would not only stop his company from spending $1 billion in WA that would benefit all the people who live there with downstream benefits but also decimate the whole sector of his industry. It would make them less competitive by 16 per cent against their international competitors. This would see the shutdown of the industry in Australia and the massive export dollars that it earns. As there is so much uncertainty in the legislation, business investors worldwide are looking at Australia and thinking that we are taking a huge risk without global participation. This company has been trying to raise capital but overseas investors are not prepared to take the risk, because of the uncertainty, and this will probably kill the $1 billion capital investment in Western Australia. If the current Rudd climate proposals become law, my constituent’s company will not qualify for assistance as an emissions-intensive trade-exposed industry. Without this assistance, the industry would risk being out-competed globally by nations that are not burdened by a carbon tax—in this case, the Philippines, Russia and Indonesia. The uncertainty surrounding the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme will make it difficult to attract investors. Ultimately the project may not go ahead, and that would cost WA jobs and it would be disastrous for the Australian economy. I have also been contacted by the director of a public company based in WA—again in my electorate and again regarding the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. The company is looking at investing $2 billion into a resource extraction plant in a high unemployment region of Australia. Under the Rudd government’s climate change proposals, this project would be liable for an estimated $40 million in tax per year. Again it seems likely that this company would not qualify for assistance as an emissions-intensive trade-exposed industry. If there is no temporary protection against this tax it is likely that the project will be discontinued and relocated to a more favourable business climate, probably in Asia. Australia would lose an opportunity for $300 million to $500 million in foreign currency. These pleas for help from local businesses demonstrate several points. First, the uncertainty surrounding the CPRS caused by the Rudd government’s confusion is crippling Australian industry. The Rudd government is very happy to announce these grand policies—the Prime Minister’s ‘grand designs’ for the country—but they seem never to be properly costed and thought through. Is it any wonder business confidence is at such an unprecedented low? Second, the Rudd government is rushing through these proposals without any appreciation of the damage they are doing to the competitiveness of businesses in Australia. Third, the Rudd government clearly underestimates or just does not care about the number of jobs that will potentially be lost by such a scheme. I do not believe that the examples I have just raised are isolated and I do not believe I am overstating the threat to Australian businesses. I would like to read to the House an extract from the Australian newspaper of Friday, 22 August 2008 titled ‘Carbon plan a company killer’. It says: A “real world” analysis of the impact of the Government’s plans based on 14 companies that opened their books for the Business Council of Australia revealed that even with the Government’s proposed compensation, three firms would face a carbon cost so high they would close. The future of another two of the 14 companies drawn from hard-hit sectors such as aluminium refining, cement manufacture, petroleum refining, steel making, sugar milling and zinc and nickel refining would be extremely bleak. The companies, with annual revenues ranging from $90 million to more than $3 billion, revealed their confidential financial data to BCA consultants Port Jackson Partners on the basis that their identity would remain secret. But the research shows that on average, the companies’ pre-tax earnings would be cut by 22 per cent. The worst affected would suffer a 136 per cent reduction in earnings. I am not a climate sceptic; I am a climate realist. I understand the need for action to cut the world’s carbon pollution, but I feel duty-bound to ensure that this happens in a responsible manner. That is why the coalition supports, in principle, an ETS as part of a three pillars approach to climate change. datasearch Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:39:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:18 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/28/Horse-Disease-Response-Levy-Collection-Bill.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=78&ModuleID=390&ArticleID=28 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=28&PortalID=0&TabID=78 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/28/Horse-Disease-Response-Levy-Collection-Bill.aspx Mr IRONS (Swan) (11:09 AM) —I rise to explain to the House the importance of the Horse Disease Response Levy Bill 2008 and associated bills to my electorate of Swan. I congratulate the members for Maranoa and Forrest and all the other speakers for their contributions. I also note the presence in the House of the member for Canning, who made a significant contribution to the racing industry in Australia during his time as a trainer. It is good to see you here. The high number of members who have spoken about the subject shows the importance of the racing industry and the horse industry and associated businesses in Australia. Today I will outline the importance of the horse industry to Swan and remind the House of the significant impact of equine influenza in Western Australia. I will review the coalition government’s response to last year’s crisis. In this context, I will consider the bill that is currently before the House and put forward three aspects of the legislation that must be urgently reconsidered by the Rudd government. Ascot and Belmont Park, the two major racecourses in Western Australia, are in my electorate of Swan. Ascot is the headquarters for racing in Western Australia. Situated eight kilometres east of the Perth city centre, and with the head office of the Western Australian Turf Club positioned directly opposite, Ascot is located within the boundaries of the City of Belmont. This also happens to be the seat of the Deputy Premier of WA, who is also the WA Treasurer. We believe he has been seen at the racecourse recently—in the last month—and he has also been spotted in the electorate. It must be an election year! That’s right, the WA state election is on this weekend. Ascot is the grand old lady of Australian racecourses. Her committee buildings and grandstand look as majestic now as they did at the turn of the 20th century, when they were built. Racegoers during the summer months will enjoy picturesque gardens and magnificent facilities, including: the interstate and local bookmakers ring; an open-sided pavilion running the length of the main tote; nine superb alfresco dining and bar facilities specialising in fresh cuisine; and two tiered restaurants—’The Terrace’ on the public floor and ‘Flying Colours’ for members—both of which offer racegoers fine cuisine and spectacular views of the track. I do not know if the member for Maribyrnong will find any Penfolds Grange, which he spoke about yesterday, in those restaurants, but I am sure they can cater to his taste for $10 bottles of wine if he orders early! It amazes me that the member for Maribyrnong can stand up in this House and use one of the products of another great Australian industry, the wine industry, to play the politics of envy with. Why would he attack a great Australian product and then pretend that none of the members of the government has ever tasted or sampled this fine product? Would he have the Australian people believe that neither he nor any of the members of the current government has ever tasted or even smelt that famous Australian product? The company that produces this product is a great Australian company that produces some fine Australian wines and earns export dollars for Australia. The member for Maribyrnong included that bit about wine during his talk on the equine bills, so I just wanted to acknowledge that in my speech as well. Ascot’s 2,000-metre track is attractive, modern and well drained. It has a 300-metre inclining straight, which is regarded by experts as the toughest test of stayers in Australia. Belmont Park Racecourse is Perth’s winter racecourse. It has a circumference of 1,699 metres and a 333-metre straight. The track is situated in a prime riverfront position, with the facilities nestled between the city and the water. The racecourse falls within the boundaries of the town of Victoria Park. Belmont’s facilities are fully enclosed, ensuring that racegoers are warm and comfortable while they enjoy the spectacular views of first-class thoroughbred racing against the river backdrop. Thanks to its excellent drainage, which has ensured that race meetings are consistently held come rain, hail or shine, Belmont is renowned as arguably one of the best wet weather tracks in Australia, if not the world. The Ascot and Belmont racecourses are historic racing venues and are of significant heritage and cultural value to the people of Western Australia. People go to the races not just to bet or gamble but for the pleasure of watching the wonderful racing equine, the thoroughbred racehorse, compete at the highest level. In fact, the historic Perth Cup—that gruelling 3,200-metre event—has been run since 1887. The first Perth Cup was won by First Prince—and I have been told he was stabled in my electorate. I encourage all honourable members to come to Perth and witness this fantastic spectacle of endurance, which is held each year on New Year’s Day. The 2008 event was won by Cats Fun, which was probably a good year for it to win the race as it looks as though it will be straddled by back-to-back premierships by the Geelong Cats in the AFL! The race was marred by a six-horse fall which resulted in two horses being destroyed and three jockeys being taken to hospital with minor injuries. The eventual winner had to hurdle one of the fallen horses. In the electorate of Swan there are 1,200 horse stalls registered, and a disproportionate 35 per cent of all thoroughbred racehorses in Western Australia are located in the electorate of Swan. Therefore, it is fair to say that horses are of some importance to the people of Swan, and I am sure we have a huge birthday in Swan on 1 August every year in my electorate. The horse industry is a large industry group employing many people. In fact, the racing industry is considered one of the largest employers in Australia—veterinarians, jockeys, trainers, reinspersons, farriers, track attendants, catering staff, livestock transporters, farmers, grain growers and steelmakers are just a few of the professions associated with this industry. Each of these professions represents jobs at stake for Australians and, more importantly, in the electorate of Swan. A Sydney Morning Herald article of 26 September 2007 stated that Centrelink had paid almost $1.4 million to people affected by the EI outbreak. This begins to paint a picture of the number of jobs dependent on this industry. This brings me to the threat posed to the horse population of Swan and Western Australia by the outbreaks of disease, and in particular the outbreak of equine influenza last year. We must keep Western Australia equine disease free. I will now give you some statistics on the Western Australian racing industry, including in the Swan electorate. In Western Australia last year 2,748 persons were registered with the racing and trotting industry. These people are the backbone of racing in Western Australia. The TAB turnover for the racing code alone was $295 million. In fact, in the 2007 racing year the Western Australian government pocketed $61.3 million in turnover tax. Surely the state government have a stake in this. They should look at releasing some of these taxes to pay for the levy, as they are probably the biggest winner out of the industry and have the most to lose from it. Recently it was announced that state moneys for Perth racing would be raised to a level almost equal to the Melbourne Cup carnival for certain races. This is why I have been approached by many people from the industry and from my electorate who stress that Western Australia must remain free of disease—there is simply too much at stake. Australia was declared officially free from equine influenza on 30 June 2008. Western Australia was fortunate, due largely to the tyranny of distance and the strict quarantine protocols that are in place, that equine influenza did not spread across the Nullarbor. It is important to remember that, although Western Australia remained officially free of equine influenza, it did not escape its effects. The Western Australian racing, pacing and equestrian industries were still impacted on significantly. When Australian Racing Board chief executive Andrew Harding said that the racing and breeding industries were losing $4.3 million a day, I can assure honourable members that he was not excluding Western Australia. The cost of vaccinating thoroughbreds and pacers in Western Australia was approximately $2 million. As I am sure you will agree, Mr Deputy Speaker, this is by no means a trivial sum of money. This could be a drop in the bucket of the state tax take, but where do we see the WA Carpenter state government on this issue, with their $2 million surplus? They are nowhere to be seen and, once the election is over this weekend, we can only hope they will not be seen for a long time. The racing industry people in WA are very wise and they will see the shallowness of the Carpenter government and their inability to assist the industry. A significant number of top-quality WA brood mares were unable to be mated with stallions standing at stud last year. These stallions were stranded and could not be brought back to WA for the breeding season. Stallions shuttling to Western Australia from overseas or from the east coast were not allowed in. Some of these high-priced, well-bred stallions were unable to earn from their service fees, and the investment that owners had in these horses was stopped. Additionally, there will be some impact on the number of foals born in WA this year. Down the track this could affect the number of racing stock and therefore racing turnover with the WA TAB. Western Australia also has a burgeoning breeding industry selling racehorses and yearlings to South-East Asia, Singapore and South Africa. The potential loss of breeding stock would see us lose that market that has been so hard fought for. This must never happen; we must keep Australia and WA EI free. I was personally astonished yesterday when I heard the member for Forde claim that the wonderful thing about equine influenza is that it is a disease that can be easily controlled. I do not think there is anything wonderful about the disease at all. If this is the attitude of the Labor Party then Western Australia has much to fear. Although there was obviously nothing like the devastation that happened in the New South Wales and Queensland racing industries, there was an impact that hit at a time when betting in Western Australia was booming. While racing in Western Australia did not have to stop during the outbreak, as happened in New South Wales and Queensland, the loss of those meetings on the east coast had a dramatic impact on betting turnover, which in turn affected TAB turnover. This then affected the revenue that the WA state government takes out of racing as a tax—another example of why the state government should cough up the levy and show their support for this industry. To give back some of the tax take and to protect this source of revenue is nothing else but common sense. Western Australia and the electorate of Swan have suffered along with the rest of Australia during this crisis and should have a strong say in this bill. Before considering separate components of the bill before the House today I would like to reflect on the Howard government’s response to this crisis back in 2007. Where there are natural disasters that put livelihoods of Australians at risk, it is right that the government intervene. On 30 August 2007 the then member for Gippsland announced a $4 million fund to provide emergency grants of up to $1,500 for individuals suffering financial difficulties due to equine influenza. Following this, on 9 September 2007, the Howard government announced a $110 million funding package for people and businesses facing additional costs and significant financial hardship as a direct result of EI. This package consisted of, firstly, a $20 million estimated cost for an equine workers hardship wage supplement payment, which was aimed at workers who lost their job or most of their income and at sole traders in similar situations; and, secondly, a $45 million estimated cost for business assistance grants, which involved $5,000 grants to businesses that derive the majority of their income from the commercial horse industry and whose income suffered a significant downturn. The coalition government also provided a $44 million cash injection for primary horse carers at non-government not-for-profit equestrian organisations. On 21 October 2007 Minister McGauran announced a $117 million extension to the EI assistance package. This was simply additional funding that would allow the 9 September package to cover a further 12 weeks through to 8 February 2008. I was pleased to note that after the change in government the incoming Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry saw fit to continue this important policy. However, it increasingly became clear that a long-term strategy was required to make sure that the industry was better prepared for future outbreaks. Immunity treatment provided by the government, for example, only lasts for 12 months and, to combat future outbreaks, horses must be vaccinated annually. A comprehensive strategy is required. This is why the debate in parliament today and yesterday is so important. It is a step towards a long-term plan for the industry, a long-term plan that is vital not just for the participants in the racing industry but also for those stud farms, racehorse owners, trainers and jockeys and TAB shop owners—and not forgetting the parents who take their children out to pony clubs throughout the state. The Horse Disease Response Levy Bill 2008 is the government’s attempt to respond to this. I have grave doubts about the ability of this bill to provide any long-term solution. When I looked at this bill and the answers relating to why this legislation is necessary, I saw that part 2 of the second paragraph in the Q&A sheet states: … most industry bodies do not have the reserves or the required capital backing to arrange for commercial loans to draw on in the event of such an emergency— like an outbreak of EAD. That is obvious, but the government should then look at who benefits financially from this industry and who can afford to pay a levy. The total tax take from this industry by state governments through totaliser betting is enormous. Where is the investment by these statement governments to protect their income? First, I would question the minister on his approach to this important bill, which was not within the spirit of cooperation and listening. On 11 June 2008, the minister wrote to horse owners to discuss this important issue. Instead of taking a consultative tone, he used an aggressive and threatening tone, claiming that further assistance would be refused in the event of a disease outbreak such as equine influenza if the industry failed to sign up to the Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement. This is what the member for Wakefield referred to yesterday evening as ‘extensive consultation’. Is this the consultative tone that was flaunted by Prime Minister Rudd at his extravagant and hollow 2020 Summit? I do not think so. It is becoming increasingly obvious that the Rudd government does not practise what it preaches when it comes to participatory democracy. Perhaps there is not enough media interest in the bill to make Mr Rudd’s ears prick up. Perhaps the Prime Minister’s spin doctor told him that there was nothing in it for him. Whatever the case may be, the Rudd government has let equine people down. In a democracy, people deserve to be listened to. Threatening letters are arrogant and inexcusable. Prime Minister Rudd and his government should not be allowed to get away with bullying the people of Australia. This is an appalling base from which a bill should progress. The EADRA was not designed back in 2002 to be a mechanism for the Labor Party, despite public opinion, to force through its own bills. The member for Maribyrnong yesterday also mentioned in his speech on this legislation how he had practically saved all the members of the Australian Jockeys Association from complete decimation and is now their patron. Unfortunately, not to underestimate his contribution to the Australian Jockeys Association, I have not heard any jockeys in WA singing his praises and telling me that they have his picture hanging in their homes as a reflection of his magnificent self-praising deeds. Maybe he was just jockeying himself up for the minister’s job. The second point I would make in relation to this bill is the foolhardy provision to make all horses subject to an equal levy. This is despite the potential risk of exotic disease introduction and spreading being much higher with the number of movements, both internationally and domestically, that are associated with the racing industries. How is this fair? The Rudd government continues to favour flat taxes, with little or no regard for small business—in this case, the horse industry. Labor has implemented boring, uniform policies. They tend to ignore the great diversity that our nation has to offer and usually come up with the wrong answer. My final point is that the coverage of this legislation will be far from comprehensive. It is estimated that only a small proportion of the total number of horses would be subject to levy collection and, furthermore, that approximately 80 per cent of any liability to be recovered through the levy would fall upon pleasure and performance horse owners, who derive no income from their horses and, therefore, would receive little or no compensation through EADRA as a result of a disease event. This is not good for the racing industry or for the pleasure and performance horse owners, who rely upon each other in a symbiotic relationship in ensuring the overall health of the horse industry. In conclusion, the horse industry is very important to the people of my electorate of Swan. The equine influenza outbreak had a significant impact on the people of Western Australia, and the coalition government’s response was considered and admirable. The Labor Party’s proposed response is non-consultative, unresponsive to diversity and unfair and it threatens the health of the horse industry as a whole. Finally, we must not forget that our star Western Australian Olympic equestrians—Clayton and Lucinda Fredericks, and Sonja Johnson, from Albany—would not have been able to compete if equine influenza had been in Western Australia. Therefore, on behalf of my constituents of Swan, I urge the government to rethink its legislation and to act in a sensible and consultative manner when dealing with this important issue. I urge it to get the people who can afford to pay this levy, the state governments, and let them protect their revenue sources. datasearch Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:04:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:28 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/98/Airport-upgrade-defended.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=78&ModuleID=390&ArticleID=98 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=98&PortalID=0&TabID=78 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/98/Airport-upgrade-defended.aspx by Albina Skender Perth Airport chief Brad Geatches has hit back at a newspaper report claiming the $1 billion airport upgrade was 'not enough', describing it as 'nonsense' and 'highly inaccurate'. datasearch Tue, 02 Sep 2008 06:42:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:98 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/22/Franchises.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=78&ModuleID=390&ArticleID=22 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=22&PortalID=0&TabID=78 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/22/Franchises.aspx Mr IRONS (Swan) (7:41 AM) —I rise to support the member for Canning’s motion and acknowledge the four points he has made. But I also acknowledge the member for Blair and his support for the motion. I have spoken previously on the problems franchisees face and, in particular, about the unconscionable conduct by franchisors towards franchisees. In the first point of the member for Canning’s motion he recognises the severe financial distress and hardship faced by a number of current and former franchisees throughout Australia as a direct result of franchisor conduct. This has occurred in my electorate of Swan and in many of my colleagues’ electorates as well. The franchise model, the behaviour and the conduct of some franchisors send the franchisees into bankruptcy. This spiral into bankruptcy does not start well into the commercial relationship but even before the ink is dry on the contract. Anyone without commercial experience who has not been involved in running a business will not understand why. Let me tell you why: it is because the model being sold by some franchisors is flawed and doomed to failure before the franchise starts. Let me use the model being promoted by Michel’s Patisserie as an example, as it directly affected some of my constituents. The first time I saw a contract and the supporting figures provided by Michel’s I advised my constituent that I would not touch it, as it was not what I would call a successful model; I certainly would not pay for that model. The return on investment, without sufficient profits, was not forecast in the model that they provided. The constituent told me his bank agreed that the model was flawed, but Michel’s said their bank would finance it and, under Michel’s very professional guidance, the franchisee’s business would survive and flourish. My constituent has now left the business. He has a huge debt to Michel’s because Michel’s continued to trade with him when his business was clearly insolvent. The purpose of that could only have been to drive him into a position where he would have to sell the franchise back to Michel’s for a ‘walk away’ sum of money and they could then sell the franchise to another potential client. This is known in the business as ‘churning’, an event all franchisors deny happens. The second point in the member for Canning’s motion acknowledges that the franchisors must be held accountable for their unconscionable conduct, including nondisclosure, through a more stringent and determined application of existing trade practices legislation. I fully support this. Evidence shows that this does not happen or cannot occur under the current legislation, as the ACCC has failed to prosecute or pursue any franchisors to the benefit of the franchisees because of the flawed legislation. The current legislation has been around for some time under coalition and Labor governments, and there has been very little willingness to change the legislation to protect franchisees. Some franchisors have been expert in creating a history of evidence that supports their arguments that the franchisee was not performing to their model and therefore the franchisee deserves no protection or compensation from the authorities or the legislation in its current format. The members’ final two points are well stated also, but due to time restraints I will not acknowledge them. In my experiences with franchising and business, the current legislation is flawed because it tries to address the problems from a principle of law and not from a factual situation. I recently spoke with the Minister for Small Business, Independent Contractors and the Service Economy in this very room and suggested that we need to make changes to the franchising laws to protect franchisees from predatory franchisors. The minister’s reply was to say that changes were made in March and he could not foresee that any more changes would be needed or were necessary. I have a copy of a summary of the changes from a Sydney law firm, which concludes: Some of the new provisions are onerous (such as the requirement of disclosures within 14 days). Franchisors may need to review their systems so they can more promptly disclose relevant information to franchisees. I suggest the following, which will take us to the heart of the matter. Firstly, if you are running a business selling franchises, you should make available all disclosures prior to the signing of the contract. To have only a cooling-off period of seven days for the franchisee but then a 14-day window of disclosure by the franchisor does not match up. The franchisee should have seven days after the full disclosure by the franchisor. Secondly, the contract should be made null with a full refund to the franchisee if the model they sell and figures they provide are incorrect. This is normal practice in business, but the franchisors always use the argument that the franchisee is not meeting their model requirements. Thirdly, once the process of mediation has started, the franchisor should not be allowed to close down the business of the franchisee until that mediation is finalised and agreed to by both parties. One of my constituents was in the process of mediation when he was closed down. Fourthly, the ACCC need to be given resources and legislation to pursue unconscionable conduct by franchisors. I would provide them with some live cases to get stuck into, but unfortunately they are not able to assist. To all franchisees of Australia: we have a team of dedicated coalition members and senators who are committed to furthering your cause and making sure we protect your livelihood. datasearch Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:51:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:22 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14/Swan-Electorate-Crime.aspx#Comments 0 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=78&ModuleID=390&ArticleID=14 http://www.steveirons.com.au/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14&PortalID=0&TabID=78 http://www.steveirons.com.au/AboutSteve/Blog/tabid/78/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14/Swan-Electorate-Crime.aspx Mr IRONS (Swan) (6:51 PM) —I rise this evening to speak on the recent spate of crime near public transport nodes in my electorate of Swan and the cost of the inertia of the Carpenter Labor government. As many members would have seen on the national news last week, a disabled woman was badly beaten at a bus stop near Curtin University in Bentley, in my electorate. The vulnerable victim was the reason for the widespread publicity of this case. However, the unfortunate truth is that this is just the latest incident in an escalation of crime near the public transport facilities in the area that is threatening to get out of control. The Thornlie train line that runs through the heart of my electorate is well known in the local area for being the ‘crime line’ after a certain time at night. Migrants to Western Australia are warned in an information pamphlet that the line in question is the most dangerous in Perth. Unfortunately, the state Labor government has shown itself incapable of being tough on crime. Despite calls from the local community, Alan Carpenter fails to acknowledge the need to have guards at train stations. How are we expected to believe the rhetoric of Labor when they cannot even provide us with a safe public transport system? Many more will continue to avoid the bus network because of the risk of attack on it as well. Why should the public have to feel unsafe going to and from work? It is arrogance of the Carpenter government to assume that vulnerable people in society should put up with crime just because they have not got a car. There is total disillusionment with the state government. In a recent newspaper article, a senior official at Curtin University is quoted as wanting to meet with the local councils of Victoria Park and South Perth as a last resort to solve this problem but not with the state government, who do not provide the necessary resources for our fantastic police department. datasearch Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:18:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14