Issue 7 December 2010
Sid Sidebottom MP For a Fair Go in Braddon Sid Sidebottom MP - Federal Member for Braddon 1300 135 547 (Toll free) ; sid.sidebottom.MP@aph.gov.au ; www.sidsidebottom.com
School projects get Planning for new Cancer Centre starts some classy results In the recent election, the Gillard Government committed $16.5m towards a consolidated Regional Cancer Centre at the NW Regional Hospital. This was in addition to an earlier commitment of over $5m towards cancer services by the Federal Labor Government along with a substantial contribution by the Tasmanian Labor Government. This combined funding will see a major centre constructed and a raft of cancer services progressively provided within our region. In addition, a clinical expert panel has been appointed by the Tasmanian Government, chaired by NSW radiation oncologist Prof. Michael Barton and including NW Coast identity Mr. Royce Fairbrother. The panel will report to the Tasmanian Minister for Health on the “essential clinical and business requirements
to be met for the provision of safe and sustainable radiotherapy services, by June 2011”. Local businessman Mr Dale Elphingstone has generously donated major scholarship funding to train future medical radiation specialists. To support families from the West Coast, King Island, and Circular Head, work is underway on the Federal Labor Government funded $3m residential housing complex on the site of the NW Regional Hospital to help accommodate outlying patients and their families who need to travel and stay over. Congratulations to everyone involved in planning and progressing these important developments. We all look forward to seeing more comprehensive cancer services and treatment extended in our region.
Sid on new Regional Australia committee Sid has been elected as the deputy chairman of the Standing Committee on Regional Australia. The new committee is chaired by Independent Tony Windsor and will advise Minister Simon Crean and the Government on regional issues. Sid says it is an honour to be elected as deputy chairman on what he believes will be an important committee in the newlook Federal Parliament. Importantly the first order of business for the committee will be an inquiry into the social and
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economic impact of the Murray Darling Basin Authority guide. He says that as someone from an important part of regional Australia, he believes he can play a productive role on this committee. Sid has also been returned as a member of the Speakers’ Panel, and will also be on the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Procedures. He is also a member for the Caucus committees on education and skills, sustainable Australia and economics.
Sid cuts a celebration cake with students to open Mountain Heights School at Queenstown’s new early learning centre.
Sid has been out and about in the region in recent months opening a raft of school improvement projects completed as part of the Building the Education Revolution Program. From Queenstown through to Latrobe, schools have been throwing open the doors to new learning areas, auditoriums and other new facilities. Sid says it has been a real eye-opener to see just what many schools had achieved as part of the program. “In our region alone 63 schools have benefited from $96 million in projects, and it is wonderful to get around and hear what has been done, and to see
the benefits first hand,” says Sid. Spreyton Primary principal Toni Douglas says the improvements provide high quality educational facilities for sport, health and wellbeing, performing arts, sustainable school environment and community involvement. The school built two new classrooms, refurbished toilets and a new state of the art Indoor Sports/Performing Arts Centre. “These facilities will continue to promote excellence in program provision and student outcomes and to transform our Spreyton Primary School as a focal point in the community,” Ms Douglas said.
Digital soon for C.H. Commercial digital television should be available in Circular Head in the first half of 2011. Sid has been pursuing the availability of digital TV with the State’s commercial broadcasters for some time, and was recently given an update with some promising news. Southern Cross is close to completing planning for the installation of a new 100 metre tower at Willis Hill expecting to begin building in March when favourable weather should allow the project to proceed. The tower is important to help deliver the signal for all Southern Cross, WIN and TDT digital channels.
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Strahan Primary a Golden intro to mining super active school
Sid gets a feel for the gold mining operations at Bendigo Mining’s Henty Gold Mine during a recent visit with Michael Holman and Kasey Mathewson.
Sid and Active After-School Communities regional coordinator David Munns present Strahan Primary students Corey Stephen (second left) and Tom Rockliff with the Super Site Award. Becoming happier and healthier is a dents participate in weekly sessions high priority for students, staff and parlearning new games, eating healthy ents at Strahan Primary. foods and having fun. The school recently proved that deSid recently joined with AASC regional spite being small in numbers, they can coordinator David Munns and West do big things, being named the Active Coast Mayor Darryl Gerrity to present After Schools Communities Super Site the award and learn more about what for North-West Tasmania. the students get up to in the program. This award recognises their excelThe Australian Government recently lence in delivering fun, safe and incluannounced a $43.5 million extension to sive sports activities to children and as the program for 2011. the North-West Coast winner Strahan is Sid says he has seen first hand the now in the running for the 2010 Tasmagreat value of the program in school nian Super Site Award. communities across the region and will More than half of the school’s 70 stu- continue to support it into the future.
Connecting with enterprise Enterprise Connect is an Australian Government initiative in the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research which offers comprehensive advice and support to eligible Australian small and medium-sized enterprises to help them transform and reach their full potential. The program’s core service offering is a free comprehensive Business Review, followed by the opportunity to access up to $20,000 dollar for dollar funding to assist implementing the recommendations of the review. In Tasmania, Enterprise Connect’s office is located in Burnie, with three Business Advisers servicing the state. Enterprise Connect currently has 98 Tasmanian SMEs engaged in the program, predominantly from the manufacturing sectors inclusive of Engineering, textile clothing and footwear, food processing and general manufacturing. Tasmanian Enterprise Connect clients rank highly nationally in regard to the number of companies going on to access the funding support to implement business improvement. To date $1,372,543
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has been spent on a variety of projects, with $661,000 of that funding being contributed by Enterprise Connect. Projects range from the implementation of lean manufacturing, marketing and strategic planning, enterprise resource planning, financial strategy, succession planning and management and leadership development etc. Additionally, Enterprise Connect delivers a number of targeted support programs to address specific business and regional development needs. Northwest and Northern Tasmania is one of 10 regions nationally to be part of Enterprise Connect’s Innovative Regions Sector. Sarah Jones is Tasmania’s Regional Facilitator for that centre, and can be contacted on sarah.jones@innovation.gov.au For general inquiries about Enterprise Connect, please contact the Burnie office on 03 6433 8001, or Enterprise Connect State Director for Tasmania, Keith Calvert on keith.calvert@innovation.gov.au or visit the Enterprise Connect website at www. enterpriseconnect.gov.au
Sid has been getting to know more about Tasmania’s important mining industry in recent months. With the West Coast now a vital part of the Braddon electorate, Sid has been invited by the Tasmanian Minerals Council and key mines in the region to visit and inspect their operations. In September he toured MMG’s Rosebery mine along with members
of the Minerals Council, looking at the zinc, copper, lead and gold operation. Then in November it was off to the Bendigo Mining’s Henty mine near Queenstown for a look at the gold mining venture. Sid says the visits are helping him to appreciate the challenges faced by mining companies and their employees, along with the communities which support the operations.
Fair go for regions The emphasis by Sid was recently the new Governre-elected to reprement on rolling sent the electorate out funding and of Braddon for anservices to regionother three years. al areas like ours , He spoke at the including the NaDeclaration of the tional Broadband Poll. Here is just a Network, will small excerpt from mean that we bethe speech. come progressive“Indeed, with the ly more attractive focus of this Parliaas centres of busiment and Governness generation ment on regional and places to live communities and and raise a famtheir needs, the opily. Indeed, better portunity exists for liveability and the further investments huge potential in community and physical infrastruc- AEC Divisional Returning officer Andy derived from the roll out of the NBN ture and improved Brockbank congratulates Sid at the increase our proshealth, social and Declaration of the Poll. pects of becomeducational servicin Tasmania. Like the es, programs and fund- remainder of regional ing a major attractor ing in our region. Australia, we too seek a for people to move to Our region – now hap- fair go and an equitable our region from more pily including the West distribution of funding populous centres to set Coast, its people and and services when com- up business, to raise a resources- is a signifi- pared to our metropoli- family, to retire, and/or to change life styles.” cant wealth generator tan cousins.
Find the full speech at www.sidsidebottom.com 11/11/2010 8:59:21 AM
Sid Sidebottom MP For a Fair Go in Braddon
The Bottom Line
Cooking up new trades training centre Marist Regional College will soon play host to students from across the region to learn a variety of cooking and catering skills at a new Trades Training Centre. The Cradle Coast Trade Training Centre will now receive $1.47 million from the Federal Government to establish the centre on its Burnie campus.
Students from a number of schools along the Coast will have access to the facility to learn important skills such as baking, cooking and pastry cooking, which will help address shortages. The school will use the funds to refurbish an existing building to include a commercial kitchen and bakery, with a cool room and dry store. It will also be supported by a café/restaurant
and bar with a reception area and office. The Marist centre will be the fourth trades training centre for the region, with St Brendan Shaw College opening its centre earlier this year, and work underway on two centres in Smithton at both the Circular Head Christian School and the Smithton High School.
Bringing Parliament to life Seeking positive future
for forest industries
Sid talks to Montello Primary students about life in Parliament as part of one Parliament Alive session.
Parliament came alive for students around the region when Parliament Alive visited in October. The Parliamentary Education Office brought its travelling program to Smithton, Burnie and Ulverstone, and Sid was more than happy to play his part. Sid joined the sessions to explain his role as the Federal
Member of the House of Representatives, and was able to give some more personal insight to the role. Hundreds of students, from both primary and high schools, were full of questions about how Parliament works and learned more about what goes on behind the scenes of government.
Find out more at www.peo.gov.au
The future of the forest industries has been a hot topic in Canberra recently and Sid has been on the front foot in the House of Representatives, speaking on a number of occasions. In October he supported a Private Members Motion from Lyons Labor MP Dick Adams, and also spoke about the current negotiations during an adjournment debate. Here is an extract of key parts of one of those speeches “For many years forestry has been a battleground and political football in my state, particularly around election time—something I know only too well by bitter experience. But finally, hopefully, we are seeing both sides of the argument working towards a lasting agreement. That may not be soon enough for some in the industry, unfortunately. On a number of occasions, I have sat with people from the industry decent, hardworking people -who are being pushed to the edge by the financial pressures they are under. I have visited them out in the bush and in their workshops and seen them at work. They are good people who do valuable work. These people have
built what they thought would be a business which contributed to the many communities which depend on forestry. They employ many people; some of them are family and many of them are just like family, such is the nature of these small businesses in close-knit communities. Now, because of a whole variety of factors, many well beyond their own control, they are facing financial ruin. I truly do not know how some of these people are able to sleep at night with the burden of their financial troubles. The forest industries are an important, significant part of my region and of Tasmania as a whole and we must do everything we can to ensure their future is a positive one. The best thing to do to achieve this is to provide formally agreed certitude beyond the whim of political parties and with the agreement of the Tasmanian community. On a final note, it is crucial that the agreement, as it reaches its final stages, must support value adding, and in my region this means guaranteeing resource security for Britton Timbers and Ta Ann, both users of native hardwoods.”
The first stage of the King Island Food and Recreation Trail will open up the island experience to visitors and locals alike. Sid launched the Trail as part of a busy time on the Island recently. The first stage involves the development of nine trails across the island, which will be used by visitors and the locals alike. King Island has so much to offer people and this will help to deliver it in a creative and very local way. It has long been renowned for its fine foods, but this project will take it one step further and link that to the fantastic local scenery and rich history of the island. The project, which received $185,000 in Federal funding, also allows the delivery
of tourism skills, hospitality and customer service training for hospitality, tourism and retail operators on the island in support of the recreation and food trails venture. It will also help to improve the health and lifestyle of the people of King Island. And just as important it has supported 10 jobs during construction and another five ongoing jobs. Sid also had a chance while on the Island to inspect the new digital television service, looking over new equipment installed with $360,000 in Federal funding. He praised the work of Peter White and others involved in the digital project, which had made a major improvement to television on the Island.
New K.I. trail a very tasty island experience
Sid looks over the brochure for the new King Island Food and Recreation Trails with John Hiscock from Kelp Industries, Sally Marsden and Mayor Charles Arnold, while on the island recently to launch the Federally funded project.
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Sid’s byte Hall of fame opened Global
2010 has been a challenging year for our region. Sadly, a number of our iconic manufacturing and processing enterprises have closed their doors and too many workers and their families have been negatively affected along with dozens of businesses directly and indirectly associated with them. It is to be hoped that the region’s greatly diversified economy and businesses will be able to absorb many of these workers. The Federal Labor and Tasmanian Labor Governments’ $20m NW Innovation and Industry Fund was established to try and support some 35 local businesses to grow employment opportunities and many of these projects are now coming on line to help tackle our growing unemployment challenge. Statewide and nationally, Labor is in minority government with all its challenges and opportunities. Why? Because that is what the electorates have decided and it is up to the various parties and elected representatives to make minority government work. Federally, one of the most significant results has been the emphasis on regional matters and I am pleased this is the case. For my part I have been elected as Deputy Chair of Regional Australia – the standing committee of the House of Representatives reporting directly to Minister Simon Crean and tasked with investigating and reporting on strategic regional issues and government. Much of what happens and affects our very own region is directly applicable to this task and will provide a realistic reference point for our deliberations. I was honored to be returned recently as your representative in the Federal Parliament and, along with my hard working team, look forward to serving and assisting you wherever possible. My team and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
RESULTS likely
Sid marks the official opening of the Circular Head Community and Recreation Centre Hall of Fame with Mayor Daryl Quiliam and chairman Gerald Kay.
The new Circular Head Hall of Fame will provide a great opportunity to recognise some of the community’s leaders and achievers. Sid officially opened the Hall of Fame recently, after it was built with $825,000 in funding from the Federal Labor Government’s Better Regions program. The Circular Head community is well recognised as one that produces some fantastic sports people and community achievers. In fact it was this region which produced the only Tasmanian born Prime Minister, Joseph Lyons, along with a
number of national representatives on the sporting field. This new building, as part of the Circular Head Community and Recreation Centre, will give the opportunity to honour their achievements. Gerald Kay and his committee have been very persistent in working toward this, with strong support from the Circular Head Council. Together with the designers GHD and builders Carter and Franks and many other contractors they have delivered a centre which will be the envy of many communities around the country.
New pathway a start toward coastal network A new pathway along the coastline at Burnie will hopefully one day be part of a major coastal experience. Sid was pleased to join with State Labor MPs Bryan Green and Brenton Best to open the coastal pathway, waterfront boardwalk and Oakleigh Park overpass in October, part of a Family Walk and Fun Day organised by the Burnie City Council. The Oakleigh Park overpass is very important and will solve a long-standing clash between pedestrians and trains in an important part of the Burnie community.
The ew overpass has also become part of the new coastal pathway, which now stretches from the Emu River to Cooee. Sid says he hopes one day to see a link with other pathways along the coastline, including Somerset and Turners Beach, to provide a wonderful new tourism experience and great health, recreation and transport asset for the people of the Coast. The Federal Labor Government had contributed more than $2.6 million to the three projects, and had provided jobs and training for 25 people.
Ingrid Smethurst and Ian Sansom of the RESULTS Burnie Group met with Sid recently to congratulate the Government on its recent increase in funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and malaria. The Foreign Affairs Minister, Kevin Rudd, recently announced a $75 million increase in Australia’s support to the Fund. The increase takes the total contribution to $210 million over the three year period 2011-2013. Ms Smethurst, a fourth year medical student, said that that the Global Fund was highly effective in the prevention and management of AIDS, TB and malaria and that since its inception in 2002, had prevented 5.7 million deaths worldwide. She believes the increase will help to deliver increases in the provision of antiretroviral therapy, tuberculosis treatment, long lasting insecticidal nets to prevent malaria, and treatment of women for mother-to-child transmission of HIV, particularly in poor countries. RESULTS is keen to see all aid donor countries fund their fair share of the global amount of $20 billion that is required to fully fund the work of the Global Fund. RESULTS is an advocacy group working to create the political will to eradicate poverty. Volunteers in the Burnie Group meet monthly to take action on poverty issues. More information can be found at the website: www.results.org.au
Praise for Centrelink Sid paid tribute to the work of local Centrelink offices in Parliament recently. The 40-odd staff provide assistance to 43,739 customers through the Devonport and Burnie offices, dealing with 140-plus payments and services. Sid told the Parliament he had many examples of positive outcomes from Centrelink partnering with other service providers in the North-West, including jobs expos and joint projects to help in a variety of ways. He says it was always important to recognise the work of public servants, not just in Centrelink, but other agencies, for the work they do is staggering. They handle $84.2 billion worth of payments, 313 customer service centres, seven million customers, $32.7 million worth of phone calls and 114 million letters.
SID SIDEBOTTOM MP
Federal Member for Braddon
PO Box 908 Burnie TAS 7320 ( 1300 135 547 (Toll free) ~ 6431 1333 ; sid.sidebottom.MP@aph.gov.au ; www.sidsidebottom.com This material has been produced by Sid Sidebottom using his printing and communications entitlement Dec.2010.indd 4
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