As Australians prepare to spend around $50 billion in the lead-up to Christmas Day, Federal Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta has urged locals to shop small in our community.

“The coming month is when many local businesses take risks, make investments and employ more locals in the hope that the upswing in Christmas retail trade makes it possible,” Mr Vasta said.

“From the many local stores which have unique gifts and must-haves for family, friends and loved ones, to small businesses which sell the groceries necessary for the festive season, there is nothing we need this Christmas which Bonner small businesses don’t sell.”

Mr Vasta said many of Bonner’s small businesses employ more young people and those looking for casual work during the Christmas season.

“Christmas is a vital injection of cash and confidence into our community and a chance to help our small businesses employ more local – particularly young people – and keep that money flowing around our local economy.

Mr Vasta also backed Federal Small Business Minister Michael McCormack’s challenge to Australians this Christmas – think local and shop small. 

“Through your support and the hard work of millions of Aussies and their small businesses, this can be a merry Christmas for local jobs and for our communities,” Mr McCormack said.

Mr Speaker,

I present the fifth report of the Petitions Committee for the 45th Parliament together with 3 petitions and 1 ministerial response to a petition previously prevented. The terms of the petitions and the ministerial response will be printed in Hansard.

As this is my last presentation for the year, I will take the opportunity to brief the House on the work of the Petitions Committee thus far. Since the commencement of the 45th Parliament, the Petitions Committee has held 5 meetings, considered 87 petitions, certified 32 e-petitions and 32 paper petitions as being in order and certified 23 petitions as being out of order. The committee has taken time to deliberate over the content of some petitions at these meetings to ensure that they meet the requirements of the standing orders.

In my role as the Chair, I have presented 13 petitions and 21 ministerial responses that were certified in the 44th Parliament. I have, on behalf of the Committee, presented 16 e-petitions and 18 paper petitions along with 5 ministerial responses.

Mr Speaker, the Petitions Committee is pleased to note that at this time there has been a good uptake of the e-petitions system, with there being an equal number of e-petitions and paper petitions that have been found in order to this date. The committee is also pleased that the majority of petitions that the committee considers are in order, which is a good result for those who seek to petition the House.

The content of the petitions has been diverse with petitions from school children concerned about the price paid to dairy farmers for their milk, communities concerned about the lack of mobile phone coverage or the protection of local environments. Communities have banded together to petition the House on topics close to them such as the provision of an integrated cancer centre in a regional hospital.

Mr Speaker, the Petitions Committee has been very busy so far this Parliament and I am sure that in 2017, the committee will continue to be busy assisting concerned members of the Australian community to petition the House.

Federal Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta said veterans and their families in the Manly-Lota area would benefit from Australian Government grant funding for a local project.

Mr Vasta said the Returned and Services League of Australia’s Manly-Lota Sub-Branch had been awarded $37,800 to install air-conditioning at its community hall in Manly under the Veteran and Community Grants program.

“By providing funding to local organisations for special projects, the Government is helping improve the lives of veterans, their families and local communities,” Mr Vasta said.

“The dedication and hard work of organisations such as Manly-Lota RSL ensure veterans and their families receive services, support and opportunities to play a bigger role in our community.
  
“Manly-Lota RSL has a well-deserved reputation for its commitment to improving the lives of those who have served our nation and these grants are another way we honour the service and sacrifice of the men and women who serve in defence of our country.”

President of Manly-Lota RSL, Doug Jones welcomed the announcement.

“Air-conditioning for the hall will not only benefit the older ex-diggers, but also other citizens who use the hall. There are 27 community organisations that currently use the hall,” Mr Jones said.

“Temperatures can get quite hot inside the hall, so this will make it more comfortable for the people inside particularly the elderly.”

Ex-service and community organisations, veteran groups and private organisations that contribute to the health and welfare of the veteran community are eligible to apply for funding through the DVA Veteran and Community Grants program.

For more information about the Veteran and Community Grants program or to apply, visit the DVA website www.dva.gov.au/consultation-and-grants/grants or contact your nearest DVA office on 133 254 or 1800 555 254 from regional Australia.  

It was my pleasure to attend the launch of the Shop Small campaign here on Tuesday evening. I’d like to thank Minister McCormack and my colleagues for spreading the message of just how important it is to shop local within our communities. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. There’s great value to be found by shopping local, all while supporting local jobs and providing security to local businesses and their families. 
 
Since Shop Small began this month I’ve been happy to see this message taken up throughout my electorate. There has always been a strong emphasis on supporting small business within the community. Last month I was thrilled to see an even greater turnout for the annual Bayside Business Expo held in Wynnum. The expo provides a great opportunity for small businesses just starting out and established businesses to network and share their knowledge. The expo also showcases what these local businesses had to offer to locals who dropped in.

As an avid supporter of small business, I look forward to seeing initiatives like Shop Small and the Bayside Business Expo provide a boost to local businesses this holiday shopping season.

Today I rise to speak on a vital issue in my electorate: the issue of youth unemployment. I would like to address the effect of youth unemployment on the community, and what this Government is doing to help young people find and stay in work. I’d also like to mention a local organisation in Bonner that is doing fantastic work with young locals to help boost their job prospects.

I’m pleased to say the latest figures show unemployment is continuing to fall and jobs growth is on the rise under this Coalition Government. Over 50,000 more young Australians have found jobs in the last 18 months. This is a great accomplishment. However, there’s more to be done to address the barriers young people face to employment.

I’ve heard many heartbreaking stories from young jobseekers and their parents about the mental strain of searching for work for months on end. I want to assure my constituents the Government is tackling this issue head on.

This year the Government expanded on its existing youth employment initiatives, such as the Transition to Work service and Empowering YOUth Initiatives programme, by introducing the $840 million Youth Employment Package. A central part of this package is the Youth Jobs PaTH (Prepare-Trial-Hire) programme.

Youth Jobs PaTH will give thousands of young Australians a chance to get real work experience and a real job, through pre-employment government-funded skills training, internships lasting 4 to 12 weeks, and a Youth Bonus Wage Subsidy up to $10,000 for employers.

This programme presents a great opportunity for local youth and local businesses when it launches in April 2017. It will help young people be better prepared for the workplace and encourage more businesses to hire them. I’ve been happy to hear from local businesses interested in Youth Jobs PaTH and I encourage more businesses in my electorate to register online to participate and host an intern.

I’m proud that local businesses and groups in Bonner have already rallied to help disadvantaged youth find work. BABI Youth and Family Service is one outstanding local organisation that for years has been giving young people training and employment opportunities.

Recently BABI’s general manager Michelle McNamara shared with me a promising new social enterprise project that will involve the whole community to help vulnerable and disadvantaged young people find work. The two-year program would see BABI team up with local businesses and RTOs to deliver valuable counselling, training and work experience for young locals.

The program will address the barriers young people face getting into employment, from mental health issues to lack of transport. I’m proud to support this project and look forward to seeing it get off the ground.

BABI has serviced the Bayside and Redlands area for over 30 years. I commend them for their outstanding work and I wish them the best in their future work helping young people where they need it most. The Government will continue to support local youth employment programs like those run by BABI. I look forward to seeing Youth Jobs PaTH begin next year and seeing more positive employment outcomes for young people in my electorate.

Hemmant Flexible Learning Centre will soon have two new General Learning Areas and associated walkways after Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP today announced a $298,312 Australian Government grant through the Capital Grants Program.

Mr Vasta congratulated Hemmant Flexible Learning Centre on being selected for the grant and said it would be in addition to the record levels of funding the Turnbull Government is investing in schools.

“These funds will ensure students at Hemmant Flexible Learning Centre have the infrastructure necessary to help them get the most out of their time at school,” Mr Vasta said.

Principal of Hemmant Flexible Learning Centre, Paul Flanders said he was pleased with the announcement.

“These additional educational facilities at Hemmant Flexible Learning Centre will be of great benefit to the young people who attend the school,” Mr Flanders said.

“These new rooms will allow for more differentiated and specialised delivery of curriculum to cater for the diverse needs of our student population.”

Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said the Capital Grants Program provides funding for non-government schools to improve capital infrastructure where they otherwise may not have access to sufficient resources. 

“The Turnbull Government is committed to improving the quality of our school education and ensuring students have access to the resources they need so they are equipped with the skills to succeed in an increasingly competitive world,” Minister Birmingham said.

“The Turnbull Government believes in an education system that puts students first. That’s why in addition to our Capital Grants Program, our record levels of schools funding will be allocated according to need and tied to a range of evidence-based initiatives. These initiatives will focus on outcomes in literacy, numeracy and STEM subjects, helping lift teacher quality and better preparing our children for life after school.” 

Further information on the Capital Grants Program can be found on the Department of Education and Training website at www.education.gov.au.

8 November 2016

Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta MP, has encouraged the community to honour Remembrance Day and remember every Australian who has made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of our nation.

“Remembrance Day on November 11 marks 98 years since the Armistice that ended the First World War,” Ross Vasta said.

“I encourage everyone to pause for one minute’s silence at 11am and to wear a red poppy in memory of our servicemen and women who have lost their lives fighting for our freedom in both World Wars and in all theatres of war and conflict.

“On Remembrance Day we honour more than 102,000 Australians who have died serving our country.

“It is important we keep their memory alive and educate the next generation about their service and sacrifice.”

I’m pleased today to provide a positive update on the nbn rollout in Bonner. Under the Coalition’s revised rollout plan, thousands of people are being connected to the nbn each month. More people can access the nbn every month than Labor managed to connect the entire time they were in office!

The nbn has hit every rollout target the Coalition has set since coming to Government. This includes for Bonner.

Construction of the nbn network is now underway around the Eight Mile Plains and Capalaba exchanges. Right now, 1,100 premises in Eight Mile Plains are being equipped for fibre to the node connections. By Christmas it’s expected construction will begin for around 14,000 premises in the area.

Work is planned to progress south of the Eight Mile Plains site over the next few months. It is also expected to extend west of the Capalaba site, with nbn construction expected to begin in Chandler, Ransome and Gumdale before the end of the year.

There’s also good news for the Mt Gravatt region. Nbn network construction is planned to start in the Mt Gravatt area in the first half of 2017–mainly in areas of Upper Mt Gravatt, stretching toward Mackenzie. This is an area that, thanks to Labor’s mismanagement, has had to wait even longer for superfast broadband.

I’m thrilled for the locals in these areas who’ve been sharing with me for years their frustrations with slow, choppy internet. I’ve fought hard to bring the nbn to Bonner on their behalf and now it’s well on its way.

The vast majority of residents and businesses in Bonner will have access to the nbn in the next few years. Everyone in my electorate will have the nbn by 2020. This is a remarkable achievement and I thank my colleagues and nbn™ for working so hard to make this a reality.