“National Families Week is a great opportunity to reflect on the importance of all families in Bonner,” said Ross Vasta, Federal Member for Bonner today.

National Families Week will be held from Tuesday, 15 May to Monday, 21 May 2012 and will coincide with International Families Day on Tuesday, 15 May 2012.

“Wayne Swan, in last week’s Budget did little to help Australian families who are doing it tough under the Labor government”.

“Families right across Bonner are footing the bill for Labor’s reckless spending and financial mismanagement as Labor freezes family payments to generate savings.”

“Families in Bonner are struggling with cost of living pressures and are about to be hit hard by the world’s biggest carbon tax,” Ross Vasta said.

Since 2007, on average, the price of power has increased by 51%, water is up 46%, gas has increased 30%, health costs are up 20% and grocery prices have increased by 14%.

“With these additional costs, it is no surprise Australian families are finding it hard to survive under Labor.”

“Families in Bonner deserve better,” Ross Vasta said today.

“Instead local households will get hit by the world’s biggest carbon tax.”

The Coalition is committed to a stronger Australia where families can build a better life for themselves through reducing cost of living pressures while ensuring better access to child care, education, and health services.

Ross Vasta, Federal Member for Bonner said Budget week has demonstrated that the Coalition offers a very clear economic plan for Bonner and the people of Australia.

“The Coalition has demonstrated it has a strong plan for economic growth; and the plan starts with abolishing the carbon tax”, said Ross Vasta.

“Abolishing the carbon tax will be the swiftest contribution government can make to relieving cost of living pressures on Australian families.

“Strong economic growth will be the over-riding aim of the next Coalition government.

Ross Vasta said in contrast with Julia Gillard’s class war rhetoric, the Coalition was offering a clear plan to tackle the rising cost of living.

“Abolishing the carbon tax will take the pressure off power prices, gas prices and rates; it will prevent more pressure on transport prices.

“Only with a growing economy is it possible to have lower taxes, better services and a stronger budget bottom line as Australians discovered during the Howard era.

Ross Vasta said that under a Coalition government, there will also be tax cuts without a carbon tax because we’ll find the savings to pay for them.

“We will ensure Australia has a vigorous five pillar economy – strong manufacturing, vibrant agriculture, growing knowledge-based industries and a resilient services sector as well as a mining industry.

“From an economic perspective, the worst aspect of this year’s budget is that there is no plan for economic growth; nothing whatsoever to promote investment or employment.

Ross Vasta said he was also concerned that the government this week sought to increase Australia’s debt ceiling to a record $300 billion – four times higher than it was in 2008. 

“If Wayne Swan really thinks that a surplus can be delivered, as opposed to being merely forecast, why is it proposing to add a further $50 billion to the Commonwealth’s debt ceiling?

 Ross Vasta said Budget week demonstrated that it is only the Coalition that has the plan to restore hope, reward and opportunity for all the people of Bonner and all Australians.

Brisbane Airport Corporation is holding a community information session as part of its commitment to community engagement.

The Brisbane Airport Community Information Sessions are designed to give local residents the opportunity to have their questions about the Brisbane airport answered one-on-one. Stations are set up around the room on key topics of interest such as the New Parallel Runway, airport development, flight paths, aircraft noise, public transport and more. Each station is staffed by expert senior managers from BAC and/or Airservices Australia. Maps, artist impressions, flight path software and other tools are also on hand to assist.

This community Information Session is open to all members of the public, and will be held:

Saturday 12 May, 10am till 12pm
Tarragindi Bowls Club
30 Andrew Ave, Tarragindi

I would encourage you to come along if you have any questions or concerns about the operations of the Brisbane Airport.

The Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave will be held from 15-17 March 2012 to raise finds for patients and their families living with leukaemia, lymphomas, myeloma and related blood disorders.

Once again tens of thousands of Queenslanders are expected to shave or colour their hair to raise funds and show their support for the people the Foundation helps every day. Since 1999 the World’s Greatest Shave has developed as the Leukaemia Foundation’s biggest single annual fundraising event.

It enables the Foundation to continue delivering our range of services to patients, including free accommodation in Brisbane or Townsville for those needing to leave their homes ion regional and rural Queensland to be close to major treatment centres.

In 2010/2011 the Foundation provided more than 41,000 nights of accommodation to patients and their families, as well as information and advise, disease-specific workshops, free patient transport, and financial assistance where necessary.

In 2012 the Foundation hopes to raise $4 million in Queensland through the World’s Greatest Shave. I would like to encourage the community to get involved and be a part of this worthy cause. You can support the event by:

• Visiting the worldsgreatestshave.com website to see how you might participate in the event;
• Encouraging your friends and colleagues to register and participate by shaving or colouring their hair; or
• Encouraging donataions to brave shavers and colourers via the World’s Greatest Shave Website.

Thank you for you support.

Be proactive, not reactive.

Last summer saw Queensland battered cyclones and storms, the human and financial cost of which is still being counted. As we push ahead into yet another summer of unpredictable whether I would like to remind residents to be mindful of the steps they can actively take to prepare for storm season. Below are some simple steps to help prepare you and your home for this summer.

1) Clear properties of rubbish.
2) Trim trees which could cause damage during high winds.
3) Clear out gutters.
4) Prepare an emergency kit that contains emergency phone numbers, portable radio, spare batteries, torch and first aid kit.

The time to prepare is now.

The SES can assist people with emergency tarping of damaged homes, clearing of fallen trees that are blocking access and cleaning up storm debris. If you require SES assistance for storm damage, rising flood waters, fallen trees on buildings or damaged roofs, call the SES on 132 500. For life threatening emergencies please call 000.

For more information please follow the links below.

State Emergency Service
Emergency Management Queensland
Queensland Ambulance Service
Queensland Fire & Rescue Service
Queensland Police Service
Emergency Management Australia
Emergency Alert
Bureau of Meteorology
Transport & Main Roads
Energex
Telstra
Department of Communities
Lifeline
Australian Red Cross
The Salvation Army

Telstra are hosting a community meeting to help Telstra customers stay in tune with what the company is doing.

On the 14th of December 2011, Brisbane customers will have the opportunity to meet Telstra’s senior local management face-to-face at an interactive customer open session.

Representatives from Telstra Country Wide, Telstra Business and Telstra Operations, Network Planning, Customer Service along with technology experts will be on hand to answer customer questions and discuss their local telecommunication needs.

Telstra Country Wide Area General Manager for Brisbane, Andrew Kelly said Telstra is focused on customer service and customer satisfaction.

The Telstra Country Wide open session will be held at Carina Leagues Club,1390 Creek Road, Carina on the 14th of December from 9am until 1pm.

For more information, please see the flyer invitation here.

“The Government has today finally admitted what the Coalition has been saying since last Tuesday night – the Government’s self-described ‘Labor Budget’ is bad for families” said Ross Vasta, Federal Member for Bonner.

“The Government’s budget, which will freeze the indexation of the Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A and B supplements for three years, will see a quarter of a million families worse off. Even families struggling to make ends meet on incomes of $45,000 will be hit.

“Labor has turned its back on families, who will either have their payments eroded or cancelled.

“The freezing of indexation will mean inflation and the rising cost of living will erode the non-indexed payments. At the same time, the new income limit of $150,000, means those families will miss out altogether.

“Measures such as FTB-A and FTB-B, as well as the Baby Bonus and Paid Parental Leave and important measures designed to support families, they shouldn’t be used to generate savings to sort out the financial recklessness that we are so used to seeing from this weak government.

“The admission by the Gillard Labor government tells the real story of this Budget; it’s all bad news for Australian families.” Ross Vasta said.

“Tony Abbott set out a clear plan to get Australia back on track,” Ross Vasta, Federal Member for Bonner, said today.

“Australia’s forgotten families need relief from rising cost of living pressures, new taxes and wasteful government spending to take unnecessary upward pressure off interest rates.”

“Every household in Bonner facing these cost pressures will understand why this government should live within its means and avoid doing harm to small businesses and the legions of workers who are the backbone of our economy.”

“Families in Bonner know that since Labor was elected, electricity prices are up 51 per cent, gas up 30 per cent and water up 46 per cent. Education costs have risen 24 per cent, health 20 per cent and rent 21 per cent. Grocery prices are up 14 per cent.”

“A $26-a-tonne carbon tax will add 25 per cent more to electricity bills and 6.5 cents a litre more to fuel bills that are already skyrocketing.”

“In four budgets Federal Labor has turned a $20 billion surplus into a $50 billion deficit and $70 billion in net assets into $107 billion of debt. This Government is still borrowing $135 million every single day.”

“The Federal Coalition is fully aware of these growing cost pressures and is committed to bringing the Government to account and keeping unnecessary spending and costs down to ease the burden on families and Australian business.”

“The Coalition will oppose the carbon tax in Opposition and repeal it in Government.”

“To help families we’ll increase the education tax rebate for all families to $500 a year for primary and $1000 a year for secondary students and make it available for all expenses connected with education including school and sports fees,” said Mr Vasta.

“The Coalition will protect the private health insurance rebate which Labor and the Greens have committed to cut back.”

“To boost support for business a Coalition Government will cut regulatory costs by at least $1 billion per year and will make the promised ‘one in one out’ commitment of the current Government a reality. At the latest count Labor has introduced 220 new regulations for each one it has repealed.”

“Labor has proposed a scheme to swap 800 boat people in Australia for 4000 of Malaysia’s arrivals at a cost of nearly $70,000 a person or more than ten times the cost of a Sydney-Kuala Lumpur first class air ticket.”

“The Prime Minister should introduce the Howard policies that stopped the boats by picking up the phone to the president of Nauru to re-establish the Australian-built offshore processing centre. The Government should also introduce mandatory ten year minimum sentences for repeat people smugglers. In government, the Coalition will again stop the boats,” said Mr Vasta.

“This is a Government that lacks legitimacy. It was elected on a promise not to have a carbon tax and then promptly broke that promise.”

“Labor and the Greens should finalise the details of the carbon tax including its impact on jobs, industry and the cost of living and then take it to an election.”

“Only an election which makes an honest politician of this Prime Minister can give Australia a government with authority to make the tough decisions needed to build a better Australia,” said Ross Vasta.

“This Budget confirms how out of touch Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan are with Australian families. It fails the essential test: to ease the cost of living on Australians who face higher prices every day,” Mr Vasta, Federal Member for Bonner, said today.

“There is nothing in this Budget for Australian families doing it tough. All this Budget delivers is more deficit, more debt and more spin.

“The government’s failure to rein in its wasteful and reckless spending will lead to higher inflation and higher interest rates.

“This Budget is not worth the paper it is written on. There is a hole in its heart. The absence of the carbon tax means the government’s claim to deliver a surplus in 2012/13 can’t be taken seriously.

“The revenue figures for 2012/13 are wrong. The expenditure figures are wrong, as are the forecasts for inflation, economic growth and unemployment.

“Strong leadership provides certainty. This government is weak, unstable and directionless and lacks the leadership to do what’s right for Australian families and businesses.

“This year’s Budget deficit has soared to $49.4 billion and the forecast deficit in 2011/12 has blown out by $9.6 billion to $22.6 billion.

“Net government debt has climbed to a record $107 billion in 2011/12 and is forecast to remain above $100 billion across the forward estimates. This amounts to more than $4700 for every Australian.

“Again we’ve seen a typical, old fashioned Labor Budget that’s big on taxes and big on spending, but fails to help households battling higher costs of living – petrol, electricity and gas, groceries, health costs and home repayments.

“The government is launching a $2 billion assault on families by freezing the indexation of key family tax payments and income thresholds for three years.

“This is the first budget in eight years that has not provided tax cuts for everyday Australians. The government is being tough on families because it’s failed to be tough on itself.

“Labor has lost control of Australia’s borders. Offshore asylum seeker management has blown out by a record $1.75 billion since last year’s budget. Labor’s incompetent approach to border protection is in disarray.

“The new arrangements for taxing company cars will slug small business operators, tradesmen and farmers with increased costs at a time when they’re already doing it tough.

“Regional Australia has again been short changed by a city centric government that’s cut $500 million in regional funding. There is not a single new cent in this Budget for road or rail projects across Australia.

“Since coming to power, Labor has employed 24,000 additional public servants. The Government is asking the Australian people to tighten their belts, but it’s refusing to do the same itself.

“Australians are looking for stability and certainty from their government, not this weak and directionless approach.”

Ross Vasta, Federal Member for Bonner, has today encouraged voluntary organisations in Bonner to apply for the 2011 round of Volunteer Grants, which opened this week.

Volunteer grants were first introduced by the Howard Government in recognition of the valuable contribution voluntary groups make to the community. 2011 marks the tenth year of their operation. The grants provide funding of between $1,000 and $5,000 to voluntary organisations to:

• Purchase portable, tangible, small equipment items to help volunteers
• Contribute to the reimbursement of fuel costs for their volunteers who use their own car to transport others to activities, deliver food and assist people in need
• Contribute to the reimbursement of transport costs incurred by volunteers with disability who are unable to drive
• Contribute to the costs of training courses and/or undertake background screening checks for volunteers.

“Volunteers and voluntary organisations have helped shape Australia through their work in the community,” Mr Vasta said.

“These grants will provide welcome support to voluntary organisations in Bonner.”

Applications for the grants close on the 8th June.

For further information on Volunteer Grants, call 1800 183 374 or email vg2011@fahcsia.gov.au.