On a brighter note: Christmas lunch in 2009 was an experience for me and many others in Perth that I will raise today and I will never forget. In our second week back in parliament, I hope that all our colleagues are refreshed from the summer recess and are looking forward to another hectic and busy...

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Nearly two weeks ago, we celebrated Australia Day in my electorate. Australia Day is an important day for my constituents. Many of them turn out to local council events to celebrate the day and to celebrate the swearing-in of our new citizens. Celebrations and citizenship ceremonies were held across...

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It is good to hear the member for Dawson talking about saving the environment. The electorate I represent is named after the Swan River. However, there is a problem with the Swan River: it is slowly dying and this government is doing nothing to prevent it from doing so. Just before Christmas, six ri...

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Recently, I had the unique opportunity of getting involved with the arts through a constituent in my electorate. Unfortunately, when it comes to the arts my brother was first in line and took all of the artistic genes available to the male line of the family, and he kept them for himself. My limited...

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Last week we celebrated Australia Day and I rise to talk about a disgraceful act that occurred in my electorate of Swan during the Australia Day week. On Wednesday, my office received a call from Ms Sherryl Pattison of Carlisle, who had noticed that the Australian flag had been stolen from the pole ...

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I rise to take this opportunity to reflect on the year 2009. As I, the member for Swan, know and as you, Madam Deputy Speaker Moylan, would know, we have a fantastic airport in Perth and Perth is probably a better place in which to have a holiday than Cairns, and we welcome everyone to come to Perth...

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As a member of the Standing Committee on Education and Training, I rise to speak on the tabling motion of the report put forward by the committee entitled Adolescent overload? I see the member for Cunningham, the chair of the committee, here. It was a pleasure working with her on this particular rep...

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Last Friday I was pleased to attend the launch of the City of Belmont’s CCTV Alarm Assist project in my electorate of Swan. I have followed the progress of this project closely over the last couple of years and was pleased to be at the launch. The basis of Alarm Assist was actually a coalition promi...

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I am pleased to speak on the House of Representatives Standing Committee’s roundtable forum held on impotence medications in Australia. I thank the member for Hindmarsh, the chair of this committee, for his interest in the subject and of course the secretariat for their fantastic contribution on the...

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I thank the Chair of the Standing Committee on Health and Ageing for tabling the report on the roundtable forum on impotence medications in Australia, and as deputy chair I would like to add some comments. I would like to start by thanking everyone who was involved in the report. I thank the member ...

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