Statement from Prime MInister- “Building a Stronger Australia”

This weekend marks one year since the Australian people entrusted the Coalition with the job of building a stronger Australia.

Since then we have been working to deliver on our commitments to you and to make decisions that are in the best long-term interests of our country.

Our focus has been on building a strong, prosperous economy and a safe and secure Australia.

 We’re making progress:

 ·         The Carbon Tax is gone;

·         The boats are stopping;

·         Our record $50 billion roads and infrastructure programme is underway;

·         The Mining Tax has been abolished;

·         We’ve given environmental approvals to major new projects worth over $800 billion;

·         We’re boosting exports and jobs with Free Trade Agreements with two of our major trading partners;

·         We’re reducing Government debt and getting the Budget back under control;

·         And importantly, 109,000 new jobs have been created since the end of last year.

 
These achievements are just the start. You can read more here.

As a nation, we’ve also faced serious challenges in the past year because of the increasingly uncertain world in which we live.

Uncertainty in Syria, Iraq and Ukraine and the rise of violent extremism has tested Australia, as it has other nations.

In an increasingly uncertain world, we are determined to keep our nation safe and secure.

Over the next two years, the Government will continue its work building a stronger economy because that means more jobs and prosperity.

We’ll be building roads, protecting the vulnerable, ending rip-offs, fixing the Budget and ensuring our country is safe and secure.

Regards,



Tony Abbott
Prime Minister

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Change of TV Channels to Complete in December 2014

Residents in Bonner should ensure they have retuned their digital television equipment, as part of the national relocation of digital television services that is due to end in December 2014, Federal Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta, said today.

“This retune process has been occurring progressively, moving free-to-air TV channels to different frequencies in order to make spectrum available for next-generation services such as mobile broadband,” Mr Vasta said.

“On or after their retune date, people will need to have retuned their digital TV, set top box or digital TV recorder to be able to view the channels that have changed frequencies.”

Mr Vasta said people can check their retune date at www.digitalready.gov.au/retune.

“Retuning is a simple process and will not affect the current quality of TV reception or coverage,” Mr Vasta said.

To retune, on your remote:

·         Press the “Menu” button;

·         Look for your set-up options and select options such as “Channels” or “Auto-tuning”;

·         A scanning bar may appear – when the scan finishes, you should be able to receive all available digital TV channels.

For more information or help with retuning, visit www.digitalready.gov.au/retune, or free call the Digital Ready Information Line on 1800 201 013.

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Movies in the Park

THE BAYSIDE PCYC AND THE MANLY HARBOUR VILLAGE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE INC

PRESENT MOVIES IN THE PARK – A Free Community Event

 

Just in time for Father's Day … “FATHER OF THE BRIDE 2”

SATURDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2014, 6.30 pm, Little Bayside Park, Manly (at the

intersection of Cambridge Parade & Esplanade)

 

Bring the family, a picnic rug or folding chairs and enjoy the Movie on the

shore of Moreton Bay!

Dine at the variety of restaurants, cafes and eateries in Manly

HarbourVillage. Food can also be purchased at the Movies from 4.00 pm!

 

For further details go to www.manlyharbourvillage.com

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Adjournment Speech- Bonner funding update

Madame/Deputy Speaker I rise to give an update on some of the positive outcomes that have been achieved in my electorate of Bonner.

As I have previously spoken about in this chamber, Bonner has benefited from a significant amount of Federal funding, and we have continued to deliver on our commitments to the area.

This month, I received the extremely good news that the Queensland RSL Manly-Lota Sub-Branch will be receiving $13,525 in Government funding. This will be provided under our restored Building Excellence in Support and Training, or BEST, grants programme.

The Manly-Lota RSL provides vital support to local veterans, and it’s wonderful to be able to supply this funding that will help the volunteers at Manly-Lota with their day-to-day work.

I am extremely proud of Bonner’s active veteran community and it was a privilege to attend services for Vietnam Veterans Day in August at the Wynnum RSL and also the Brisbane East Branch of the National Servicemen’s Association at the Manly Lota RSL Hall– it was a great honour to be asked to do a the Bible reading at the Brisbane East Branch’s service on the day.

On top of Manly-Lota’s BEST grant, the Government will also be providing $125,000 to Bonner under our ANZAC Centenary Local Grants programme. These funds will help local groups and organisations with projects and events that commemorate the coming ANZAC Centenary. I look forward to seeing these wonderful projects that have been set up to honour the Centenary being rolled out throughout Bonner.

This month has also seen the rollout of a number of Green Army projects in Bonner. The Government is now recruiting young people aged 17 to 24 to take part in rehabilitation projects in Mansfield, Wynnum North, Minnippi Parklands, Rochedale, and Carina. Local youths who sign up will be some of the first in Australia to take part in this crucial environmental initiative.

Several young people in Bonner have also benefited from individual grants to help them pay the costs of participating in state, national or international sporting competition. A total of 15 young sportsmen and women from Bonner, whom I was happy to nominate for funding, have received Local Sporting Champions grants of $500 to help cover their costs.

I was so happy to hear from Laura Tyson and her mother Dee about how the $500 grant she received helped her attend the World Acrobatic Gymnastics Championships in Paris. I’m glad Laura was able to have this wonderful experience, and I look forward to helping many more young athletes like her in future.

 Primary school students across Bonner will benefit from $100 million that the Government is putting into its new Sporting Schools initiative over the next three years. From next year, local primary schools can apply for grant money that can be spent on their sporting activities throughout the year. I’m pleased that primary schools in Bonner will have these funds available to them to help their students into a more active and healthy lifestyle.

Students who would benefit include the wonderful boys and girls at St. Catherine’s Catholic Primary School, whom I was thrilled to meet with last month. They had some great questions for me about Australian politics and life in Parliament House. I thank them and their teachers for their insight and for a lovely morning out.

Following up my previous update, I am pleased to report that the improved safety measures at Minnippi Parklands in Tingalpa are going ahead smoothly.

We have provided $70,000 in funds to go toward safety measures that will include new CCTV cameras in the area.

I would like to thank the members of the Tingalpa Model Aero Club, who have given their time and assistance in implementing the new safety measures at the Parklands. They’re a great bunch who are doing their annual fly-in to Norfolk Island this October. I was happy to arrange some meetings for them for their time over there. I wish Allen Danvers and the rest of the TMAC team the best, and I look forward to hearing the outcomes of their trip.

Finally, I am so pleased to report that the volunteers at the Mount Gravatt Men’s Shed have been doing well. Just last week I heard that five volunteers at the Shed have been working on an important G20 project. They are constructing a giant 3D “E”, which will be used to form a 25 metre-long sign of the word “BRISBANE” that will go on display in the lead-up to the G20 Cultural Celebrations later this year.

It’s great to hear the men at the Shed have taken a lot of satisfaction out of the project. It’s just one example of the great work the Mount Gravatt Men’s Shed does, and I look forward to seeing what else they achieve, with the help of the $100,000 in funding we will be providing them.

 Thank you.

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Cheaper Health Benefits for Seniors in Bonner- As Promised

In a win for seniors, the Government has delivered a key election commitment giving thousands more self-funded retirees access to cheaper medicine and health benefits.

 

“Despite repeated attempts by Labor and the Greens to block it, legislation to index income thresholds for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card has passed Parliament,” Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta, said today.

 

Mr Vasta said this means up to 27,000 additional people will qualify for the Card over the next four years, on top of the 290,000 current cardholders, which includes 1975 cardholders in Bonner.

 

“The Government recognises that by looking after their own retirement needs, self-funded retirees save the nation considerable pension costs,” Mr Vasta said.

 

“The current income thresholds for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card are $50,000 for singles and $80,000 for couples combined; however, with no indexation since 2001, income thresholds for the Card have not kept pace with living costs.”

 

“That’s why we took to the election a commitment to index the income thresholds for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.”

 

Mr Vasta said seniors and representative organisations had been calling for the change for years, and that the Government had listened – unlike Labor and the Greens.

 

“This measure fulfills a vital election promise and demonstrates the Government’s ongoing commitment to long-term, meaningful reform for Australian seniors,” Mr Vasta said.

 

Annual indexation of the income thresholds in line with the Consumer Price Index will begin from 20 September 2014.

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Bonner Home to Some of Australia’s Top Secondary Students

Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta, said he was delighted that seven students from his electorate were named as winners of the Australian Student Prize.

 

The Bonner recipients were just some of the top 500 senior secondary school students across the country to have taken home prizes valued at $2,000 each.

 

The Australian Student Prize recognises academic excellence and achievement of students in senior secondary years, with this year’s winners being rewarded for their work during the 2013 school year.

 

Mr Vasta said he was proud that the electorate of Bonner was home to such exceptional students.

 

“These awards are an ideal way to recognise the wonderful work that senior school students do, and I’m delighted that we have seven winners based in the Bonner electorate,” Mr Vasta said.

 

“I’m sure I speak for the entire Bonner community when I offer my warmest congratulations to our deserving students.”

 

Minister for Education the Hon Christopher Pyne MP said the awards highlight the Government’s commitment to giving Australian students the best possible education.

 

“If our young people are to compete and succeed in the globalised new jobs economy we need to ensure they have the best education possible,” Mr Pyne said.

 

“These awards are particularly important as they recognise students who work hard and perform at their very best at a time when they are making crucial decisions about their next move into the workforce or further study.

 

“This Government is backing our students with more funding for schools and by spreading the opportunity of a higher education to more students across Australia.”

 

This year, prize winners include 23 students who won medals as part of Australia’s team in the International Mathematics and Informatics and Science Olympiads, as well as 29 graduates of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program who achieved the programme’s highest score of 45.

 

Nominees for the Australian Student Prize are put forward by state and territory curriculum, assessment and certification authorities.

 

Allocation of prizes between the states and territories is calculated on their relative share of the Year 12 population, based on enrolment data from the previous year.

 

The Australian Student Prize has been awarded nationally since 1991.

 

A list of 2013 Australian Student Prize Winners is available at: http://education.gov.au/australian-student-prize.

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