Justine Keay's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
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language: en-gb
creator: OpenAustralia.org, mprss.php script
date: 2019-07-02T23:05:27+00:00
items: Braddon Electorate | Adjournment | House debates
items: Budget | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Amendment (Support for Infrastructure Financing) Bill 2019; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Future Drought Fund Bill 2018, Future Drought Fund (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Disaster Relief Funding to Tasmania | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Shipping | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Fuel Security | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Energy | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Tasmania: Energy | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Questions in Writing | Questions to the Speaker | House debates
items: Fair Work Amendment (Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Pensions and Benefits | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Braddon Electorate: Blue Hills Honey | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Treasury Laws Amendment (Making Sure Every State and Territory Gets Their Fair Share of GST) Bill 2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Payday Loans | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Irrigated Agriculture | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Symonds, Mr Christopher | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Tasmania: Health Care | Adjournment | House debates
items: Shipping Registration Amendment Bill 2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates

Braddon Electorate | Adjournment | House debates
type: item
description: Almost three years ago I was extremely fortunate to be elected to this place by the good people of Braddon. It is remarkable that, over the last three years, the issues and challenges for my...
encoded: Almost three years ago I was extremely fortunate to be elected to this place by the good people of Braddon. It is remarkable that, over the last three years, the issues and challenges for my region remain the same. And those issues will remain the same unless there is a change of government. The budget handed down this week by the Prime Minister and his Treasurer has confirmed that the people of Braddon will be better off under a Shorten Labor government. In all the key priority areas for our region, Labor has a better plan—for health, education, TAFE, apprenticeships, tax cuts, jobs and economic growth, and let's not forget wages. This government has no plan to help boost the wages of people in my electorate. My local paper—The Advocate, the wonderful Fairfax daily paper in my electorate—today talks about how subdued wages have led to significant decline in retail turnover. That's not good for businesses in my electorate. But this government has forgotten those people who earn under $40,000 a year. In my electorate, the gross income for 25 per cent of people is $33,000 a year or less. This government has completely forgotten them. We've got a household median income that is $330 a week less than the Australian median income, and this government doesn't really seem to care about the people in my electorate. Let's talk about penalty rates. Because this government hasn't acted on penalty rates, it has cost businesses in my electorate $10 million. There are so many issues that I could speak on in the time that I have, but I want to particularly focus on two: support for our farmers and support for our people when they are unwell. During the 2016 election, farmers in my electorate were devastated by a combination of flood and dairy-price clawbacks. They wanted government support, but none of that was given. The minister at the time, the member for New England, couldn't even be bothered to come down and speak to my farmers. But now, three years on, farmers are telling me…
date: 2019-04-04T11:50:00+00:00

Budget | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: After six years of cuts and chaos, last night's budget has confirmed that Braddon will be better off under Labor. For all of the key priorities for our region, Labor has a better plan: health,...
encoded: After six years of cuts and chaos, last night's budget has confirmed that Braddon will be better off under Labor. For all of the key priorities for our region, Labor has a better plan: health, education, TAFE apprenticeships, tax cuts, jobs and economic growth. The coalition have copied Labor's personal tax cuts, but they are so out of touch that they have given a smaller tax cut to people earning less than $40,000 a year, and Braddon has some of the lowest wages in the nation. Yet again, these people have been ignored. Labor will fix this inequity. The budget does nothing to fix Tasmania's health crisis, caused by years of Liberal cuts. It locks in cuts to hospitals, fails to address the elective surgery backlog in Tasmania and fails to fund TAZREACH, a program that ensures visiting medical specialists come to the region to save people time in travelling to see them. Labor will fix this. The budget locks in cuts to Braddon schools, but Labor will fix this. The budget fails to reverse cuts to TAFE and apprenticeships. In Braddon we've lost almost 700 apprentices under this government, but Labor will fix this. Our farmers will also be disappointed by the Liberals, as this budget does not contain one cent for tranche 3 of Tasmania's irrigation projects, but Labor will fix this. This program has the potential to create hundreds of jobs and grow our economy, and Labor will deliver this funding. I thank the Prime Minister for delivering a budget that clearly shows that Labor is the only choice to fix the key issues in my region.
date: 2019-04-03T13:34:00+00:00

Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Amendment (Support for Infrastructure Financing) Bill 2019; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: It is important to reiterate the importance of the relationship this country has with our Pacific nations and some of the failures of the current government, but I do acknowledge that we are...
encoded: It is important to reiterate the importance of the relationship this country has with our Pacific nations and some of the failures of the current government, but I do acknowledge that we are supportive of this bill. We will see what happens in the Senate inquiry. The relationship is very important to the people in my electorate, and that's what I am talking about when I am talking about the agricultural visa. You might like to say that it is bit of foreign aid to have people like the Niueans come and pick strawberries in my electorate and then send that money back home to their country. I think it's very, very relevant. Maybe the member is a little bit offended by what I've said because it is actually true. But we then look at the backpacker tax, which does has significant implications for some of those workers. That was an issue where this government failed to address the labour shortages in a lot of regional Australia, and some of those are National Party seats, would you believe. Anyway. We'll go now to the cuts to foreign aid where this government has cut $11 billion. That's a direct impact on the people on those islands. That aid went directly to the Pacific. This is another policy failure—proof, yet again, that this government does not take the Pacific or its people seriously at all. The Pacific will be a core business for Labor. As I said before, we announced some policy and then the government followed late last year. For starters, we will tackle climate change, because we don't believe the earth is flat and we do acknowledge that it is a significant issue of great concern to the people in the Pacific. We welcome the fact that the government has woken up and mirrored our plans in this bill, as I said before, which is important, and I think that's very relevant. Labor has a plan to create a government-funded infrastructure bank for the Pacific to drive investment in the region. New Zealand is already doing this. It's a bit sad when we have to follow our frien…
date: 2019-02-20T18:18:00+00:00

Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Amendment (Support for Infrastructure Financing) Bill 2019; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: I welcome this opportunity to speak on this bill, the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Amendment (Support for Infrastructure Financing) Bill 2019, and I thank my colleague the member for...
encoded: I welcome this opportunity to speak on this bill, the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Amendment (Support for Infrastructure Financing) Bill 2019, and I thank my colleague the member for Lyons and all those from the opposition for their contributions today. I guess this is just another example of the coalition following Labor on policy. It seems to be happening a lot, which is probably not a bad thing. Imitation is the best form of flattery. So we'll see how this goes. I know it's being referred to a Senate inquiry. We'll look forward to what comes out of those recommendations. I'm sure the Senate will look at those when this bill comes to their chamber. We announced a policy on 29 October, and the Prime Minister announced his on 8 November. Obviously, our policy is to strengthen those partnerships that we have with Pacific nations, and a number of factors that were announced around that have come through the coalition's policy. But the Liberals' commitment has only come about because of their history of blunders, sadly—their missteps, their insults and their policy failures when it comes to the Pacific. These failings came to a head in the last quarter of 2018, since the current Prime Minister was given the role. You can contrast that with Labor. Here on this side of politics, we genuinely want to engage with the Pacific. I'd like to put on record the work of the member for Corio and of Senator Claire Moore, who, sadly, is departing this place. They are both very strong advocates for Australia's role in the Pacific and for the partnership that we have with the Pacific. Their contributions have been very valuable. The member for Corio will continue to do that, as well as a number of other people in this place, but Senator Moore will be sadly missed in her advocacy for the Pacific. This proposed legislation is welcome but it is long overdue. But it does seek to reaffirm our place in the Pacific, which is a good thing—a place which, sadly, has been compromised…
date: 2019-02-20T18:18:00+00:00

Future Drought Fund Bill 2018, Future Drought Fund (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I think it's pretty unfair when we have this banter in this place, or if it's outside, where one side says the other doesn't care about farmers or that we don't care about farmers in drought. I...
encoded: I think it's pretty unfair when we have this banter in this place, or if it's outside, where one side says the other doesn't care about farmers or that we don't care about farmers in drought. I think that really needs to stop. I come from a regional area of Tasmania that has suffered significant bushfires because of very dry conditions. I have a very agricultural electorate; some of the members opposite have been to my electorate—not many, but some. My whole state is regional, if you want to look at it that way, and, sadly, a large part of my state has been the victim of bushfires. I think this is where this Future Drought Fund Bill 2018 is lacking, because it just looks at drought. In previous, recent, years, a lot of my farmers have been dealing with drought conditions, but they've also been dealing with floods. We know what's going on in Northern Queensland, and I think we need to look at a way to assist our farmers that is not just restricted to drought. There is a better way. I think it's absolutely appalling that this government is using the BAF—the Building Australia Fund—to fund something that is quite narrow, because that fund assists infrastructure building in regional communities like mine. These are significant projects which really help regional Australia move; whether it's the high-value product that comes out of our regional economies and regional communities, it's supporting jobs in that way. So there is a better way, and Labor has a better way. I heard some of the contributions that have been made, and I did feel a little sad when I heard the comments made by the member for Hunter about the most recent years under the previous Minister for Agriculture, the member for New England—I guess, his laziness and incompetence as a minister. I know this from personal experience, because when my farmers were going through issues—you couldn't even bear to talk to them because the dairy crisis was so heartwrenching—I called out to that minister. There were no pa…
date: 2019-02-20T17:54:00+00:00

Disaster Relief Funding to Tasmania | Private Members' Business | House debates
type: item
description: I'd like to thank the member for Lyons for bringing forward this motion and, also, the member for Franklin for sharing her experiences and sharing the devastation that hit her electorate in...
encoded: I'd like to thank the member for Lyons for bringing forward this motion and, also, the member for Franklin for sharing her experiences and sharing the devastation that hit her electorate in southern Tasmania. Unfortunately, bushfires have always been a part of our landscape in Tasmania, particularly over the warmer months. Even today, parts of mainland Australia and Tasmania continue to burn. In my state, the Tasmanian Fire Service still has alerts for 27 bushfires. At the height of the Tasmanian bushfire emergency there were 60 active fires across the state. Like all members in this chamber, I want to acknowledge and say thank you to all the emergency service workers, paid and volunteer, who fought very hard and continue to do so through these bushfires. I also want to say a big thank you to the army of volunteers in the community who are looking after those who have been impacted, whether it be with food or drink or just somewhere to stay. On behalf of the state of Tasmania I say thank you. I also thank all the interstate and overseas firefighters who came to our beautiful state. In my electorate of Braddon, which covers the north-west and west coast of Tasmania, we had multiple fire fronts throughout late January. Fires were burning on the west coast near Zeehan, in remote areas at Pieman Heads and at Brittons Swamp at Circular Head. The fires near Zeehan required an enormous firefighting effort. Roads were closed and people were evacuated. As well as destroying thousands of hectares of forest and protected areas, the west coast fires have had a major effect on local businesses. The community of Strahan is the gateway to the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. It's the most beautiful place on this planet. In January and February you expect all the visitors coming to Tasmania to at least get over there, but, sadly, with the road closures, local businesses have suffered. I'm, sadly, aware of one operator who lost $5,000 in bookings in just that very short pe…
date: 2019-02-18T17:44:00+00:00

Shipping | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the naming ceremony of Toll's new Australian flagged and Australian crewed vessel, Tasmanian Achiever II. It's Australia's biggest cargo ship, and,...
encoded: Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the naming ceremony of Toll's new Australian flagged and Australian crewed vessel, Tasmanian Achiever II. It's Australia's biggest cargo ship, and, together with the new Victorian Reliance II, will increase the freight task on Bass Strait by 40 per cent at a cost to the company of $300 million—a wonderful investment. It is one of 12 ships, Australian crewed and Australian flagged, left in Australia. What do we see on these ships? We see local jobs for people in my electorate. I was joined yesterday by the Prime Minister, and I felt a level of hypocrisy. Why is that? That's because this government is responsible for the sacking of hundreds of seafaring jobs in this country. Eighty workers on the Mariloula and the Lowlands Brilliancewere recently sacked by BHP—thank you to the Prime Minister! I met Jimmy last year. He had been at sea for 15 years, with 10 of those on the Mariloula. He is now unemployed, replaced by foreign crews. I call on the government and I call on the Prime Minister to support what I have been saying, and that is to protect the Bass Strait from their destructive agenda and to join with Labor to investigate a strategic fleet of Australian flagged and crewed ships to protect our national interests. If he does not do so, it is bad for business. It is bad for the exporters from Tasmania. It is bad for local jobs in my electorate and across this country. There are seafaring families that rely on these jobs.
date: 2019-02-18T13:51:00+00:00

Fuel Security | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: I rise today to highlight a critical issue to Tasmanian businesses, the Tasmanian community, the Tasmanian economy and Australia as a whole, and I would think everyone would want to listen to...
encoded: I rise today to highlight a critical issue to Tasmanian businesses, the Tasmanian community, the Tasmanian economy and Australia as a whole, and I would think everyone would want to listen to what I have to say. We currently have a fuel security emergency on our hands, yet this government is doing nothing about it. I will note there is a Liberal senator, Senator Molan, and a Liberal backbencher, the member for Canning, who do understand what I have to say, which is pleasing, and I wish there were more who would listen to them. The government's own statistics show current reserves of fuel diesel, jet fuel and petrol sit at three weeks or less, and that includes the supply sitting out at sea on vessels. This is in contravention of the International Energy Agency's 90 day fuel stockholding obligation that has been in place since March 2012. In simple terms: as a nation, we are meant to have three months supply here on the continent; instead, we have just three weeks. There are a number of factors at play here, including the closure of four Australian petroleum refineries and the loss of a domestic shipping fleet to transport fuel to and from this country. Our fuel supply is at the mercy of the boardrooms of overseas countries, which is an absolute shame. In my electorate, we have seen these decisions at work. The Alexander Spirit, when docked in Devonport, my home town, in 2015, had its crew sacked, to be replaced by foreign labour in Singapore. And who gave the permit to allow that to occur? This Liberal government. This decision has meant that Tasmania is now entirely dependent on international ships with foreign crews to supply our fuel. Nationally, this emergency, the lack of Australian-crewed ships, potentially has enormous ramifications. What happens in a time of conflict when the government needs to requisition ships to supply the Navy and the nation with fuel? Where will they come from? The simple answer is: nowhere, because, under this government, there will n…
date: 2018-12-06T10:18:00+00:00

Energy | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm that under his discredited forced divestment laws the government could force Tasmania to sell off its state owned electricity...
encoded: My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm that under his discredited forced divestment laws the government could force Tasmania to sell off its state owned electricity assets. When so many Tasmanians are already doing it tough, why does the Prime Minister want to make life even harder by privatising Tasmania's electricity assets, which will put up power prices?
date: 2018-12-06T14:44:00+00:00

Tasmania: Energy | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: This government claims its policy—and might I say lack of—is driving down power prices. I'm not sure what planet it's on, because power prices in Tasmania are going up and up under a...
encoded: This government claims its policy—and might I say lack of—is driving down power prices. I'm not sure what planet it's on, because power prices in Tasmania are going up and up under a state and federal Liberal government, hurting Tasmanian families and businesses. John Dabner, a tourism operator in my electorate of Braddon, has said publicly that his business power bill jumped by $50,000 in the past year to $150,000. A local Tassie farmer reports his business's power bill has increased by 30 per cent, that's $30,000, to what he expects next year to be $100,000 a year. If this trend continues, Tasmanian businesses have said they'll have no choice but to shut their doors, costing jobs and costing the local economy. Tasmanian energy consultant Mark White has stated, 'Job losses are inevitable in some sectors in my state due to skyrocketing power prices.' The lack of a clear national energy policy is hurting Tasmanian businesses, threatening jobs and our economy. Tasmanian families and businesses are paying the price for the Liberal government's chaos, division and dysfunction. Yet, on this side, Labor has a clear and comprehensive energy policy that will grow jobs in Tasmania, boosting our economy and putting downward pressure on power prices. My electorate will greatly benefit, because we will create a renewable energy zone in the north-west of Tasmania building more wind farms, Minister—the things you hate.
date: 2018-12-05T13:54:00+00:00

Questions in Writing | Questions to the Speaker | House debates
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description: Mr Speaker, under standing order 105(b), I refer to questions on notice Nos 1034 and 1035, which have been on the Notice Paper for 110 days. I kindly ask that you write to the relevant ministers...
encoded: Mr Speaker, under standing order 105(b), I refer to questions on notice Nos 1034 and 1035, which have been on the Notice Paper for 110 days. I kindly ask that you write to the relevant ministers seeking reasons for the delay in answering these questions.
date: 2018-12-04T15:17:00+00:00

Fair Work Amendment (Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the legislation before the House, the Fair Work Amendment (Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2018. It is quite disappointing though that it does not...
encoded: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the legislation before the House, the Fair Work Amendment (Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2018. It is quite disappointing though that it does not go far enough. It's heartening to hear my colleagues on this side of the House talk about the reasons why this piece of legislation doesn't go far enough to support those victims of domestic violence who, as we know, are predominantly women, predominantly on lower incomes, who do need paid leave of at least 10 days to ensure they can do what they need to do to make their lives better not just for themselves but for the children they may have in their care. We know the facts of domestic violence in this country and we know how shocking it is. We know that every single week in this country at least one woman is killed by a partner or a family member as a result of domestic violence. It is a national crisis. This government has been slow to act on this. When you have around 800,000 women in this country experiencing violence at home this year, it is quite shameful that this government is not taking this matter seriously in supporting the victims of family violence. This piece of legislation was introduced on 13 September. It has taken until now, December, to debate it. This legislation was on the books to debate all last week, with one member of the government speaking on it. It saddens me that that is the case with this parliament on such an important issue. The minister at the time said that they would introduce legislation as soon as possible to extend the same entitlements that other workers have to access family and domestic violence leave. That was in March this year. We're now at the end of the year, in the last sitting week, and we're just getting around to debating this. Hopefully, we'll have this debated today. Labor recognises how hard it is for victims of domestic and familial violence to leave a relationship. It's heartening to hear people on this side, my colleague…
date: 2018-12-03T16:52:00+00:00

Pensions and Benefits | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
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description: The member for Mallee gave us a little bit of a tutorial on how government finances work and how budgets work. But, clearly, when governments have money they put it into areas that are their...
encoded: The member for Mallee gave us a little bit of a tutorial on how government finances work and how budgets work. But, clearly, when governments have money they put it into areas that are their priorities. Under this government, older Australians are certainly not a priority. In my electorate of Braddon, I have a disproportionately high number of older Australians in my community. There are approximately 15,000 age pensioners, and many, many more waiting to go onto the age pension in the coming months and years. But what we've seen under this government are constant attacks on older Australians. Every single time, Labor has fought against those attacks. What we're seeing now inflicted on our older Australians are these ridiculous delays in processing age pension payments, absolutely ridiculous delays. I don't know how many on that side hear from people in their communities about these delays. We never hear people on the other side tell stories of their constituents who come to their office for support, but I feel a bit like a pseudo Centrelink office. People come to me when they're at their wits' end. We know that they are spending their savings while waiting for their payments to be processed. If they don't have savings, what are they doing? How are they surviving? This government doesn't really seem to care that these people are waiting and waiting. The minister talked about processing times, the target time and so forth, but that is not the reality out in voter land at all. I have many stories of people in my community who have come to me at their wits' end. In May I heard from Marsha from Boat Harbour, who waited seven months to receive her age pension. She kept contacting Centrelink—when she could actually get through—asking, 'What else do I need to provide you?' They said: 'Nothing. You don't need to give us anything else. You just have to wait. There are some delays.' Then there are Annette and her husband from Wynyard, who made an application in July and were i…
date: 2018-11-29T15:54:00+00:00

Braddon Electorate: Blue Hills Honey | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: It's no secret that my electorate of Braddon is home to some of Australia's best producers. In 1960, Blue Hills Honey, located in the far north-west town of Mawbanna, out in the hills behind...
encoded: It's no secret that my electorate of Braddon is home to some of Australia's best producers. In 1960, Blue Hills Honey, located in the far north-west town of Mawbanna, out in the hills behind Smithton, was the first Australian company to export honey to Japan. In 2004 they were the first Australian producer to introduce the industry-initiated B-QUAL quality program based on hazard analysis and critical control point principles. And in 2018 they've been recognised as the Tasmanian Export Awards winner, and are now a national finalist in the 56th Australian Export Awards, in the category of regional exporter. This successful family business of three generations is competing on the global stage and sending its products to more than seven countries. It increased its honey exports by 45 per cent in 2017-18, despite its production being hit by bushfires in January 2016. Blue Hills Honey is all about innovation. Their Japanese sales increased by 700 per cent after developing products such as honey-flavoured mouth spray, pet care products and single-use sachets. It's my great pleasure to congratulate Nicola and Robbie Charles and their staff for these fantastic achievements. But the Australian honey industry must be protected. The honey 'launderers', who are tainting the integrity and reputation of our honey industry by exposing consumers to blended honey, are infiltrating our markets, frustrating customers and producers alike. I call on the government to act on the ACCC's call for Australia to develop an agreed approach to honey testing, and I call on this government to act now.
date: 2018-11-29T13:32:00+00:00

Treasury Laws Amendment (Making Sure Every State and Territory Gets Their Fair Share of GST) Bill 2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: This is an extremely important topic for my state of Tasmania. I would like to reiterate some of the comments of the member for Griffith in saying that this side of the House, Labor, have been...
encoded: This is an extremely important topic for my state of Tasmania. I would like to reiterate some of the comments of the member for Griffith in saying that this side of the House, Labor, have been very united in our position on GST distribution for all states. While working through some very challenging state-by-state situations, we've come together in a most unified way. I have to say that the history of this debate has been very long and very tortuous for states like mine, Tasmania. We have a government whose position—even when the Liberal Party were in opposition—has changed so rapidly, and now to something based on what Labor has been proposing. We've been consulting with states, consulting with each other and making our position very, very clear for the people of Australia. But when we've put forward policy positions on this, ways forward to deal with some of these challenges, we've met with considerable opposition from the Liberal Party, whether in opposition or in government. That has not given anyone in this country confidence in the Liberals' ability to put forward a proper solution for the GST and the way it's dealt with by each state. That's been an absolute shame, because on this side we've been very consistent. As to the other side, none of the states, like Tasmania, have any confidence that they wouldn't be worse off under this government. Labor worked constructively with Western Australia in particular, in recognition of their position and the challenges they have been facing. But, equally importantly, Labor worked constructively to ensure that my state, Tasmania, would not be worse off. I can't say that that's been the case for the coalition. It's been a GST merry-go-round where on any given day the policy of the coalition has changed: changing the distribution to a per capita arrangement, increasing the GST, establishing a Productivity Commission inquiry, opposing but then supporting a floor price, and opposing legislation to ensure no states are worse …
date: 2018-10-23T18:42:00+00:00

Payday Loans | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
type: item
description: We've all been there; we've all been there.
encoded: We've all been there; we've all been there.
date: 2018-10-23T15:50:00+00:00

Irrigated Agriculture | Private Members' Business | House debates
type: item
description: I welcome this motion put by the member for Murray, because irrigation projects do make a considerable difference in regional Australia and, of course, in my state of Tasmania. Deputy Speaker...
encoded: I welcome this motion put by the member for Murray, because irrigation projects do make a considerable difference in regional Australia and, of course, in my state of Tasmania. Deputy Speaker McVeigh, as you and I were on the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources, we saw a lot of irrigation making a huge difference in regional Australia. It improves production, if it's used efficiently and effectively. It's something I think we'll all be able to take back to our respective states and state governments that report on water efficiency. In my state of Tasmania, we have had significant investment in irrigation. The Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment in a recent submission to a legislative council inquiry into Tasmanian irrigation stated: Notwithstanding that less than 10 per cent of the state's agricultural land is irrigated, it produces 55 per cent of the gross value of Tasmania's agricultural production. Irrigated land is estimated to produce more than 10 times the value per hectare compared with improved agricultural land that was not irrigated. In my electorate, irrigation supports the dairy industry and a large number of crops, including potatoes, carrots, beans, peas, berries, poppies and pyrethrum. Sadly, Mr Deputy Speaker, we didn't get to go to Tasmania to see some of this magnificent irrigation at work. It is important to note that every single irrigation project that is currently operational in Tasmania is a Labor project delivered by Labor or planned by Labor. It was Labor under the leadership of Jim Bacon who launched Tasmania's water development plan in August 2001. It's not that well-known, but beyond the west coast of Tasmania there is a large rain shadow and, even as we speak, some parts of the east coast of Tasmania are drought declared. Labor's first project was to build the Meander Dam in the northern Midlands. In 2008, Labor established the Tasmanian Irrigation Pty Ltd. Tasmania Irrigation develo…
date: 2018-10-22T17:22:00+00:00

Symonds, Mr Christopher | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: Lake Michigan in the US is a far cry from the humble Inglis River in my electorate on Tassie's north-west coast, but that's exactly where Wynyard local Chris Symonds made his mark recently,...
encoded: Lake Michigan in the US is a far cry from the humble Inglis River in my electorate on Tassie's north-west coast, but that's exactly where Wynyard local Chris Symonds made his mark recently, competing in the 2018 Para World Sailing Championships, where he took out the men's single-handed Hansa 303 dinghy class race convincingly and brought home gold and the world champion title. Chris is no stranger to success and has picked up numerous titles over the years in both para events and open competitions, which include predominantly able-bodied competitors. Chris suffers from Kennedy's disease, a rare and progressive genetic condition which affects mobility and speech—but he doesn't let that hold him back. Once he hits the water, he has proved himself to be a threat to whomever he is racing against. Chris personifies true north-west coast grit and spirit. He is not able to walk 10 metres unaided and has limited strength in all areas of his body due to the effects of Kennedy's disease. But the correct equipment and support network around him mean that he is able to achieve outstanding results. I congratulate Chris and his team on this wonderful result for local sailing and I commend the Wynyard Yacht Club, Chris's home club, for their continued work in making the sport inclusive to people of all abilities. I had a wonderful time last year when I went out with Chris on the water in his special Hansa boat. It is certainly something that I could not compete in.
date: 2018-10-22T16:07:00+00:00

Tasmania: Health Care | Adjournment | House debates
type: item
description: Tasmania's health system is in crisis. We have elective surgery waiting lists blowing out day after day. People are waiting in pain in our emergency departments. The Royal Hobart Hospital has...
encoded: Tasmania's health system is in crisis. We have elective surgery waiting lists blowing out day after day. People are waiting in pain in our emergency departments. The Royal Hobart Hospital has triggered the highest level of internal emergency alert it can, level 3, which means a severe effect on flow activity, yet the Tasmanian state government and this Liberal coalition government are doing absolutely nothing to stem the flow of hurt and pain that the system is causing Tasmanians. And it keeps going on. From 1 November this government will be turning on the discrimination tap and denying older Australians Medicare rebates for GP-ordered knee MRIs. It is a measure that was introduced by the Prime Minister in his last budget as Treasurer. People living in regional areas, like my electorate of Braddon, will be forced either to wait in pain for an MRI until the next available appointment with a visiting specialist or travel long distances at their own cost to get an appointment. These people now face the expense of not one but two expensive specialist visits, one to get the referral for an MRI and the other to have the results reviewed. That is instead of having a GP order and review the scan. This costs Medicare many hundreds of dollars and costs the patient around $100 out of pocket for each specialist visit. While other medical specialists will be able to order knee MRIs, the Prime Minister's Medicare freeze has driven the average fee to see a specialist up to $85, and much more in many cases. The fee for an MRI sits at around $400 to $500. How is it fair that a 49-year-old can get a rebate but a 50-year-old can't? How is it fair that this ageist, discriminatory rationing system will affect around 80,000 Australians a year aged over 50? In my electorate I represent an ageing population, many of whom, like millions of Australians, do everything they can to keep fit as they get older. It is completely contradictory that we're constantly encouraging older Australians to…
date: 2018-10-22T19:45:00+00:00

Shipping Registration Amendment Bill 2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Shipping Registration Amendment Bill 2018. It's a topic that I have spoken on a number of times in in place. As an island nation, our coastal shipping...
encoded: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Shipping Registration Amendment Bill 2018. It's a topic that I have spoken on a number of times in in place. As an island nation, our coastal shipping fleet is a vital part of our nation's infrastructure. For an island state like Tasmania, my home state, it is even more critical. Over 99 per cent of Tasmania's freight volumes are moved by sea. The timely and efficiently movement of passengers and goods between Tasmania and the mainland not only means hundreds of local jobs but also supports key Tasmanian industries in the tourism, agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, mining and manufacturing sectors. Over 12.5 million tonnes of freight is moved through Tasmania's publicly owned ports, and forecasts indicate these volumes will increase. An additional $2.4 million of freight has moved through Port Latta, which is in my electorate. Eighty per cent of Tasmania's sea freight is for interstate trade. With only 17 per cent international exports, a small amount is direct overseas freight. The ports of Burnie and Devonport are Tasmania's two major freight ports and are based in my electorate. These ports are well serviced by three Australian owned and crewed shipping companies: Toll Shipping, which operates our of Burnie; SeaRoad and TT-Line, which both operate out of my hometown of Devonport. All three companies are investing in the Bass Strait route. Toll Shipping has announced that its two new Bass Strait freighters are expected to start operating on 1 March next year. The vessels will operate between Burnie and Melbourne and are purpose-built at a cost of $170 million. The project also includes $141 million to upgrade terminals, wharfs and berthing facilities at both ports. SeaRoad launched its $110 million Searoad Mersey II vessel in 2016. That lifted the operation's capacity by 62 per cent. TT-Line are also in the process of replacing its two Spirit of Tasmania ships with larger vessels to cater for increased passengers, vehicle…
date: 2018-10-22T16:19:00+00:00