Today I’d like to thank everyone who’s put in a nomination for my Bonner Volunteer Awards. These Awards recognise individuals and groups that have demonstrated outstanding volunteer qualities. They shine a light on people who’ve made a significant and lasting contribution to our community. They commend those who’ve set a good example for fellow volunteers and inspired others to volunteer.

The Bonner Volunteer Awards were a great success last year. This year has been no different with even more nominations coming in. It’s been great to hear so many stories of men and women making a real difference in our community. They all deserve praise and I’d like to recognise their work today.

We’re lucky in Bonner to have many grassroots sports clubs where children of all ages can hone their love and talent for a sport. These clubs depend on the hard work of their volunteers:

• Carindale Juniors AFL Club has grown to over 100 members thanks to many dedicated Bonner parents.

• Their Vice-President Brad Abell has donated hundreds of hours of his time coaching the under-10s, managing the umpires, repairing and maintaining their footy oval, and more.

• David Harvey from Manly West acts as coach, manager, game official, club referee and more for Bayside United Football Club.

• Jason Lavender started as President of Bayside Jets Basketball Club in Carina last year. He stepped up to the plate when former club president Noel Merrick had open heart surgery. He trains the kids every Tuesday night and he’s been getting them results!

There are several other Bonner volunteers who also give their free time to help young people in the community:

• Marian Sheffield volunteers for a number of clubs in the Wynnum-Manly area, including Acacia Bayside Swimming Club and Annette Roselli Dance Academy.

• Michael Lakeman runs the Manly Lota Scouts Group.

• Gloria Guthrie volunteers at Mackenzie State Special School library.

• Jacqueline Park volunteers as a reading tutor at Upper Mount Gravatt State School.

There are also local volunteers who help out our older residents in need:

• Lyn Felschow volunteers at the Holland Park Meals on Wheels, as well as her local church.

• Phil Young assists elderly people at his local Carindale complex.

Then there are volunteers who make a difference for our homeless:

• The Making a Difference Team based in Manly West regularly helps and organises donated items for the homeless or people trying to restart their lives.

• Joseph Dawson is just 14 years old and volunteers every month with the Rosies Friends on the Street program. Joseph is a hard worker who also encourages his friends to get involved with this worthy cause.

Finally there are the volunteers who’ve made a particular mark on our community:

• Linda Pascoe started the Gumdale Hub Facebook page to bring the community together to help fight crime in the area. Linda and the rest of the Gumdale Hub team do a great page running the page.

• Alex Wright from Mansfield is a long-time volunteer also helping protect his community. He’s involved with Volunteer in Policing and Mansfield Neighbourhood Watch. These are just two of the many organisations Alex volunteers with.

• Carindale local Bruce Meers is another life-long volunteer for many local charities and clubs. The list is too long to read here! Bruce has truly changed the lives of so many people young and old over the last 50 years.

Congratulations to these amazing volunteers. I look forward to meeting them at the Bonner Volunteer Awards presentation ceremony tomorrow. I can’t wait to thank them for their service to the community.

The NBN, as we know, is one of the single largest infrastructure rollouts seen in our nation's history. A rollout of the scale understandably takes time, and the Turnbull government is delivering better broadband across Australia in the fastest and most affordable way, on time, as promised and under budget. The coalition is working hard to make sure this happens for all Australians.

In December last year, the Coalition announced a range of consumer protections that are now being introduced. They include new rules to be enforced by ACMA to stop complaints handballing; giving the TIO better tools to resolve complaints; mandating line tests to confirm working connection and installation; and mandating explanations to customers about how speed tiers will affect them, their families and their businesses.

In Bonner, more than 56 per cent of the NBN rollout is already completed, and more than 17,500 households have taken up an NBN service. Let me tell you, I have had nowhere near as many complaints as we all are led to believe happen if we are to listen to those opposite. I have proudly taken ownership over the NBN in my electorate of Bonner, teaming up with my NBN reps and technicians to educate locals as well as advocate for the best possible outcomes for constituents, including the extension of the newly introduced fibre-to-the-curb technology.

In the last year I've held a number of NBN forums with representatives from NBN and telecommunication providers, seniors' specific forums and mobile offices around Bonner. I am in regular contact with the minister's office, and as soon as I am made aware of an area that is about to become NBN-ready, my team and I letterbox drop and host mobile offices to make sure that locals know about the service and what they need to do to make the switch. In the next month I'll be hosting two more: one at Gumdale on 5 June and one on the 14th in Mount Gravatt.

I'm not going to say to that I've had no complaints, but I will proudly stand here and say that on the complaints that I have received I have worked with the minister's office, NBN and the telecommunications providers to ensure that issues are dealt with, and my constituents are thankful for that. Cameron Day from Holland Park West contacted me last year and said:

My nbn was connected this week, thank you so much for your help!! It's good to know that there are people like yourself who get things done. I'll remember that. Politics isn't something I've care for much, however you have certainly changed that.

Eight Mile Plains resident Mr Sum recently reached out to tell me about the social and economic benefits that he and his work have received thanks to the introduction of the NBN in Bonner. Mr Sum said:

I've lived here for a decade and NBN is one of the best things to happen here. ADSL was slow and the other options were terrible and super expensive. Now that I'm connected to NBN I'm able to work from home, live stream on two HD devices. I've had my service for 6 months now and never had an issue in fact; it has put extra money back into my pocket.

With that, I would like to ask the positive impacts others have felt as a result of the NBN. Last year NBN Co commissioned data analytics and economics firm AlphaBeta to investigate the social and economic impacts of the National Broadband Network. Can the minister outline the status of the NBN rollout in Queensland and some of the key findings from the Connecting Australia research report?

It’s Queensland Small Business Week! I enjoy celebrating the achievements of small businesses in Bonner. Coming from a small business background myself, I also enjoy helping local small businesses grow and stay competitive.

Today I want to talk about how this Government is delivering for small business. I’d also like to shine a spotlight on local small businesses and small business groups I’ve worked with this year.

I thank the Government for extending the $20,000 instant asset write-off again. Over 3200 small businesses in Bonner have benefitted from this measure since it was first introduced. Small business owners have told me how helpful the instant asset write-off has been for them to purchase much-needed equipment.

We’re also continuing to cut red tape for small businesses and individuals, to the tune of $5.9 billion since 2013. The latest Annual Regulatory Reform Agenda report shows the regulatory burden on business was reduced by over $800 million from 1 January 2016 to 30 June 2017.

I’ve been pleased to share this great news with small businesses all across Bonner.

The 2018 Brisbane Small Business Expo recently rolled through Mt Gravatt. There were over 230 trade tables showcasing small businesses from across the Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Logan regions. It was great to have the Small Business Minister there. We chatted with hard-working small business owners who told us how our measures have helped them.

I’m proud to have helped bring the Expo to Brisbane for the first time in its seven year history. It was great to have an event like this in Bonner that recognises the outstanding contribution small businesses make to our community, and gives them the opportunity to network and learn other ways to bolster their business. Thanks to Expo organiser Paula Brand for her hard work making this happen.

I’ve also shared the good Budget news with local small businesses all over Bonner. In the last few months, I’ve been on almost ten small business walks. These walks are some of my favourite ways to engage with the local business community. I’ve been everywhere from the Wynnum CBD and Mayfair Village, to the strips and plazas along Logan Road in Mt Gravatt, going shop to shop chatting with small business owners about what matters to them most.

It’s been great chatting with the hard workers at Stavlos Barn Deli Café in Belmont, at Rod’s Meatery at the Gumdale shops on New Cleveland Road, at the Move Podiatry Clinic in Manly, at the Flour Monkey Bakery in Carina, at Gilmour’s Comfort Shoes at Palmdale Shopping Centre in Upper Mount Gravatt, and so many more.

I’m proud to be part of a Government that is backing these small businesses. The Coalition will always support small business to grow and create more jobs. We understand that when small businesses are given room to grow, employ more people and pay them better wages, we all benefit.

I look forward to delivering more for the small businesses of Bonner. I’m looking forward to returning home and hitting the pavement again to talk to more small business owners about what this Government can do for them.

Families in Bonner are urged to make the switch to the Turnbull Government’s new child care and early learning system or risk missing out on the new subsidies.

New data shows that with just weeks to go until the new system starts on 2 July, around 48% of families have already made the switch.

“Families in Bonner need to make the switch by 2 July, or they could miss out on receiving the new child care subsidy,” Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta said.

“Over 7,500 families in Bonner will be hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year better off under our reforms but they need to make the switch to the new system.

“I urge local families and child care and early learning providers yet to update their details to visit www.education.gov.au/childcare as soon as they can.

“Even if your circumstances are likely to change before 2 July, just get online and get into the new system. Updates can be made easily at any point via your Centrelink online account via myGov.

“If you’re a family who can’t remember your myGov log-in or you need a little assistance, you can phone the helpdesk on 136 150. There are many staff on the help desk and call-wait times are very short at the moment.”

Minister for Education and Training, Simon Birmingham said while more support for more families is just weeks away, the switchover to the new system isn’t automatic.

“The Turnbull Government’s reforms are set to benefit almost one million families nation-wide and it’s estimated around 230,000 families will increase their workforce participation,” Minister Birmingham said.

“Our reforms include an extra $2.5 billion investment that will mean more subsidies for families working the most and for families earning the least, scrapping the annual rebate cap for most families as well as an hourly rate cap to keep downward pressure on fees. 

Minister for Human Services Michael Keenan said the Turnbull Government estimates that around 489,000 families across Australia still need to update their details and switch over in time for the new system. 
 
“Over the last few months we’ve been letting families know what they need to do to make the switch. While the deadline may have seemed far off in the distance for many people, now it’s just around the corner on 2 July,” Minister Keenan said.

Key elements of the Turnbull Government’s new child care system:

• We’re increasing Australia’s investment in early childhood education and care by $2.5 billion over four years so that almost one million Australian families benefit – low and middle income families will be the greatest beneficiaries from the package.

• An activity test will ensure that taxpayer’s support for child care is targeted to those who depend on it in order to work, or work additional hours. It is estimated our reforms will encourage more than 230,000 families to increase their involvement in workforce participation. The activity test includes a minimum of four hours of working, looking for work, training/studying and volunteering

• Fundamentally fair – this package provides the highest rate of subsidy to those on the lowest income levels and more hours of subsidy to those who work the most. We’re increasing the base subsidy from around 72 per cent to 85 per cent for the more than 370,000 families earning $66,958 or less a year.

• Low and middle income families, earning up to and including $186,958, will no longer be limited by an annual cap on the amount of child care they can access – that’s more than 85 per cent of families using child care. Families earning more than $186,958 will also benefit from an increased annual subsidy cap of $10,190 per child.

• Our $1.2 billion Child Care Safety Net recognises vulnerable children and families need extra support. The safety net includes special funding for regional and Indigenous-focused centres to break down barriers to early learning and child care and 12 hours of guaranteed access to care/learning for families earning less than $66,958 even if they don’t meet the activity test, which could equal two six-hour sessions per week.

Examples of how families are set to benefit:

• A family on $50,000 – both parent/s working, with two children aged under 6 in long day care two days a week at $100 a day will be around $2,000 better off a year.

• A family on $80,000 – both parent/s working, with two children aged under 6 in long day care three days a week at $100 a day will be over $3,000 better off a year.

• A family on $150,000 – both parent/s working, with two children aged 6 and under in long day care three days a week at $100 a day will be more than $1000 better off a year.

CARINA MEN’S SHED OPEN DAY

Date: SATURDAY 16th JUNE 2018

Time: 10 AM TO 3 PM

Address: CLEM JONES CENTRE, 56 ZAHEL STREET, CARINA QLD 4152

·        DECORATIVE GLASS WORK, LEADLIGHTING, WOODWORK, LEATHERWORK AND
ARTWORK ON DISPLAY (SOME OF THESE ITEMS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE)

·        SURPLUS TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

·        MEMBER HOBBIES WILL ALSO BE DISPLAYED

·        TALK TO OUR MEMBERS ON THE BENEFITS OF BELONGING TO OUR SHED

·        ENJOY MUSIC PROVIDED BY OUR NEWLY FORMED BUSH BAND “THE CORRUGATED
SHEDDERS”

·        ENJOY A SAUSAGE AT THE SAUSAGE SIZZLE 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Website: www.mensshedcarina.org.au

Telephone: 07 3395 0678

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta today thanked everyone who has put in nominations for the second annual Bonner Volunteer Awards.

The Bonner Volunteer Awards recognise individuals and groups that have demonstrated outstanding volunteer qualities, made a significant and lasting contribution to the community, and set a good example for fellow volunteers and inspired others to volunteer.

“It’s great to hear about so many dedicated and hard-working volunteers in Bonner, especially during National Volunteer Week this week,” Mr Vasta said.

“These men and women are making a real difference in our community and they all deserve to be recognised.”

Mr Vasta will be presenting this year’s winners with their awards at a special ceremony on 1 June 2018.

Nominees this year include:

• Brad Abell – Vice-President and under-10s coach at Carindale Cougars Junior AFL Club;

• David Harvey – Coach, manager, game official, and club referee at Bayside United Football Club;

• Jason Lavender – President and coach at Bayside Jets Basketball Club in Carina;

• Lyn Felschow – Holland Park Meals on Wheels volunteer and church volunteer;

• Marian Sheffield – Community volunteer for a number of clubs in the Wynnum-Manly area including Acacia Bayside Swimming Club and Annette Roselli Dance Academy;

• Michael Lakeman – Leader at Manly Lota Scouts Group;

• Phil Young – Assists elderly people at local Carindale complex;

• Bruce Meers – Carindale local and life-long volunteer for a number of local charities and clubs;

• Gloria Guthrie – Volunteer at Mackenzie State Special School library;

• Jacqueline Park – Volunteer reading tutor at Upper Mount Gravatt State School;

• John Power – Volunteer at St John Vianney Catholic Parish of Manly and Gumdale;

• Alex Wright – Mansfield local and long-time volunteer for a number of clubs and organisations including Volunteer in Policing and Mansfield Neighbourhood Watch;

• Joseph Dawson – Rosies Friends on the Street volunteer;

• Carindale Cougars JAFL Club – A small, grassroots football club that has grown to over 100 members on the back of many dedicated Bonner parents who volunteer their time with the club;

• Gumdale Hub – Linda Pascoe has brought the community together to fight crime in the area through this local Facebook page;

• Making a Difference Team – This Manly West-based team regularly helps and organises donated items for the homeless or people trying to restart their lives.

It's National Volunteer Week, and another good opportunity to recognise the outstanding contribution our volunteers make to our community.

Last year, I had the opportunity to do just that with the first annual Bonner Volunteer Awards. There were many worthy winners, and so many make such a difference in our community. These include Beryl Acton. Beryl has been running sewing workshops and classes at St Bart's Anglican Church at Mount Gravatt for the past few years. She also offers to do free mending and alteration work for the Hope Chicks, who provide work for vulnerable and disadvantaged women. The Chicks love her sweetness, patience and cheerfulness. She genuinely loves the women and doesn't ever lecture or judge. She pops in from time to time, regardless of sewing workshops, just to see how everyone is going.

Then there's John Bettenay. John has been a member of several Queensland Rotary clubs since 1975, and has held various executive committee positions at both club and district levels. He joined the Rotary club of Mount Gravatt in 1996 and has been an active member of the club and its activities in the local area since that time. He has hosted international exchange students, been a member of the board of directors, is current Treasurer for the Mount Gravatt club—a position which he has held for many years—and always supports the club's regular fundraising efforts.

I'm pleased, again, to be holding the Bonner Volunteer Awards this year. There were four categories this year: youth, adult, senior and group organisations. Nominations have just closed. There are a number of outstanding candidates, and it's been difficult to pick just one winner in each category. I will be holding a presentation ceremony soon. I look forward to meeting the winners and thanking them for the very important service they provide to the community. I also look forward to updating the chamber on these volunteers and sharing their vital contributions to the community.

This is fantastic news for locals in my electorate. My Queensland LNP colleagues and I have been fighting hard for this funding. People have been telling us just how bad congestion is on the M1 and how dangerous it can be on their daily commute. I've been hearing the same story across Bonner. It is people power that has secured this funding for the M1 as well as for the Brisbane Metro. It's people power that I'm sure will lock in funding for two other critical projects that I'm fighting for in Bonner. One billion dollars in funding—what an outcome! I must thank the member for Forde for leading this fight, and my constituents who get at stuck at the M1-Gateway merge every afternoon certainly will.

Many people have told me how thrilled they are with this outcome. It means they'll be able to get home to their families sooner and safer. I know the coalition's campaign and the community's angst about these commitments is what finally drove the Queensland government to commit to match our federal commitment and deliver for the people of South East Queensland. And now $300 million for Brisbane Metro—another awesome outcome that will reduce congestion for Bonner constituents. I have tirelessly campaigned for this funding with Trevor Evans, the member for Brisbane. It's another funding commitment that shows the coalition government is listening to locals. Then there is the $10 million I helped secure with the member for Bowman. This funding will help upgrade the Green Camp Road corridor, including the notorious Green Camp Road-Rickett Road intersection. More congestion busted; more people who enjoy a much safer drive, whether it's to school pick-up or work.

That's why I'm now fighting hard for two other critical road projects in Bonner. I know the government is listening. Locals are asking us to invest in critical infrastructure to reduce congestion and improve safety, and that's exactly what we're doing. It's what we'll continue to do for dangerous black spots like the Lindum station crossing. Recently over 4,000 locals signed my petition to fix this dangerous intersection. Last week the Minister for Infrastructure came to inspect the Lindum crossing in person and to discuss the new Urban Congestion Fund announced in the budget this month. We are investing $1 billion in congestion-busting projects like the Lindum station crossing. I also took the minister to the Newnham Road and Wecker Road intersection at Mount Gravatt East. This is another notorious intersection in my electorate. The RACQ recently named this intersection as one of the worst in Brisbane for serious crashes and casualties. The minister agrees it's an absolute hazard. I've started a community petition calling for funding to fix the Newnham Road-Wecker Road intersection. It has already gathered almost 1,000 signatures. It's people power in action again.

Works have now started on the M1 Gateway merge upgrade and the Green Camp Road corridor upgrade. Brisbane City Council expects tenders for the Brisbane Metro will go out as early as the second half of this year. I'm proud to have secured funding for these vital projects to get my constituents home sooner and safer. I'm fighting just as hard for the funding to fix the Lindum crossing and Newnham Road intersection.

Lytton company Advanced Robotic Technology (ART) is one of the successful recipients of a grant provided under the Accelerating Commercialisation element of the Australian Government’s Entrepreneurs’ Programme, Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta said today.

ART has developed an advanced robotic structural steel processing system that has the potential to help Australian firms better compete with cheap imported fabricators through lower costs, quicker turnaround and superior accuracy.

Director of ART David White said the grant funding would enable the company to transition from R&D to a production product.

“This grant will help us cover the costs of building and installing a prototype system here at our Brisbane facility,” Mr White said.

“It will also help us complete and transport a display model they we can use for real-world demonstrations in Australia and overseas. This will help us generate leads with companies that are crying out for this kind of product, because we’ll be able to actively demonstrate the efficiency of this system in an industry neutral environment.”

Mr Vasta, who today visited ART with Minister for Jobs and Innovation, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, said it was great to see a local company receiving government support to develop and build world-class technology.

“This is a world-leading product that will boost productivity and allow workers to move up to higher-skilled jobs,” Mr Vasta said.

Minister Cash said she was pleased to be visiting ART to see how the Government’s funding will assist them to take their ideas to the market.

“The Entrepreneurs’ Programme supports businesses to develop and commercialise ideas that will improve business capability and competitiveness, promote economic growth and create jobs,” Minister Cash said.

Mr White said the government’s support had been invaluable for ART to develop the technology.

“Without the R&D Tax Incentive Scheme, it would not have been viable for us to invest the necessary funds that have been required to develop this level of technology. It’s been pivotal to help us recoup costs, which has in turn encouraged further development,” Mr White said.

“The assistance available through schemes like the Entrepreneurs’ Programme and the R&D Tax Incentive provides a high level of confidence that the Government is backing Australian innovation.”

More information on Accelerating Commercialisation: https://www.business.gov.au/assistance/entrepreneurs-programme/accelerating-commercialisation

More information on the R&D Tax Incentive: https://www.business.gov.au/assistance/research-and-development-tax-incentive