Dated: 28 March 2006
Bulletin Issue: 2006-11
| e-Bulletin 28 March 2006
| Australian Democrats e-Bulletin 28 March 2006
==================================
These e-bulletins can be accessed online at http://www.democrats.org.au/bulletins
==================================
- CONTENTS IN THIS EDITION -
1. Australian Democrats National Conference 19 to 21 May 2006
2. What's happening in the Senate Chamber this week
3. Democrats back ACOSS call for budget spending on services
4. Harmony Day statement
5. Petrol to rise while Government fails to plan
6. Permanent visas needed for West Papuans
7. ABC Board must be appointed on merit
8. Ombudsman Report Reinforces Need for Migration Act Overhaul
9. Democrats welcome preschool funding
10. Democrats Urge Howard to Raise UK Pensions Rip-off with Blair
11. Fuse now burning on industrial relations
12. Smartcard may not be so clever
13. Democrat concerns about Family Law bill
14. There is still much to do
=============================
|
1. AUSTRALIAN DEMOCRATS NATIONAL CONFERENCE 19 TO 21 MAY 2006
"Investing in the future, Investing in the Democrats" is the theme for this year's National Conference being held in Melbourne at the Nine Darling Street conference centre in South Yarra.
There will be a great line-up of guest speakers on Saturday, which is open to the public, and some very interesting topics for discussion on both days.
Breakfast will be available at this lovely venue each morning and will be a great opportunity to catch up with old and new friends. Saturday night dinner at the Rydges Carlton in Swanston Street also promises to be a not-to-be-missed evening.
Find out more about the Conference and register now by following this link:
http://www.democrats.org.au/campaigns/national_conference/
============
2. WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE SENATE CHAMBER THIS WEEK
Follow this link the Senate Teams' report on this week's sitting of the Senate.
http://www.democrats.org.au/bulletins/index.htm?bulletin_id=144&display=1
============
3. DEMOCRATS BACK ACOSS CALL FOR BUDGET SPENDING ON SERVICES
Democrats' Deputy Leader Andrew Bartlett has backed the Budget proposals released by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), calling for spending on essential services.
"While there has been a lot of focus on the possibility of big income tax cuts in the upcoming Budget, it is easy to forget that most Australians would better benefit from extra money going into improving the quality and affordability of key public services such as health, education, housing, childcare and other infrastructure", Senator Bartlett said.
http://www.democrats.org.au/news/index.htm?press_id=5050&display=1
============
4. HARMONY DAY STATEMENT
Democrats' Deputy Leader Andrew Bartlett renewed calls for the Government to show leadership and actively promote multiculturalism.
"Harmony Day is a time to promote our diversity and to celebrate our unity. It is also a reminder that we still have much to do," Senator Bartlett said.
"According to a recent Roy Morgan survey into Australian's attitudes towards Islam, the majority of Australians had little to no knowledge of Islam, and there was a correlation between this and the perception that Muslims are a threat."
"The Government must show leadership by addressing these issues and putting them at the forefront of the political agenda, instead of allowing and in some cases contributing to a scaremongering campaign against Islam and Muslims."
http://www.democrats.org.au/news/index.htm?press_id=5051&display=1
============
5. PETROL TO RISE WHILE GOVERNMENT FAILS TO PLAN
"The CSIRO's warning that the nation faces dwindling domestic petrol supplies in 2012 should be a wake-up call to a Government that has so comprehensively neglected alternative transport energy options," Democrats leader Senator Lyn Allison has said.
"The Government is suffering from tunnel vision. Offshore oil exploration has reached its used by date. All the evidence shows that whatever small remaining reserves of oil that might be found will be costly and difficult to extract.
"The idea that cheap abundant oil can still be discovered is a nonsense," Senator Allison said.
http://www.democrats.org.au/news/index.htm?press_id=5049&display=1
============
6. PERMANENT VISAS NEEDED FOR WEST PAPUANS
The Australian Democrats welcomed the Government's decision to award visas to 42 of the 43 West Papuan asylum seekers detained on Christmas Island, but said these visas must be made permanent.
"The arrival of these West Papuan asylum seekers in Australia, including West Papuan activists, was a stark reminder of the ongoing bloodshed in that region," Democrats' Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Senator Natasha Stott Despoja said.
"I am heartened the Australian Government has stood up to Indonesia on this issue, despite the Indonesian Government's claims of harm to the bilateral relationship if Australia was to grant these visas, but Australia must now do more to end the violence in West Papua."
http://www.democrats.org.au/news/index.htm?press_id=5052&display=1
============
7. ABC BOARD MUST BE APPOINTED ON MERIT
The Communication's Ministers decision to remove the staff-elected ABC Board member position should be widely condemned, the Australian Democrats have said.
"Minister Coonan's decision to remove the staff-elected ABC Board member is bad politics, bad public policy, and bad corporate governance," said Senator Murray, Democrats Spokesperson for Accountability.
"Senator Coonan perversely claims that an elected position is less accountable than an appointed one. At present no ABC Board member, apart from the staff member, is elected. They are appointed by the Government of the day against partisan political criteria as an act of patronage."
http://www.democrats.org.au/news/index.htm?press_id=5054&display=1
============
8. OMBUDSMAN REPORT REINFORCES NEED FOR MIGRATION ACT OVERHAUL
Australian Democrats Deputy Leader, Senator Andrew Bartlett, has renewed his calls for an overhaul of the Migration Act, following the release of the latest Ombudsman's report into wrongful detention.
"The simple fact is that there is still no protection within the law to stop these sorts of gross injustices from continuing to happen," Senator Andrew Bartlett said.
"The administrative changes that have been made to the Immigration Department were necessary, but the government cannot continue to avoid the fact that the distorted 'culture' that produced all these injustices is directly linked to failings in the existing law, which provides enormous powers to politicians and public servants, with grossly inadequate measures for independent review and oversight."
http://www.democrats.org.au/news/index.htm?press_id=5060&display=1
============
9. DEMOCRATS WELCOME PRESCHOOL FUNDING
The Democrats have warmly welcomed the announcement by Minister Bishop on preschool funding.
"This is the most positive and important education initiative by this government since it came to office," Senator Allison said.
"The evidence that formal preschool gives children a good start in education and in social confidence is irrefutable and yet the children who most need it have been missing out because of the cost of fees, lack of formal preschool in childcare and the closure of kindergartens in many places."
"The Democrats have been arguing for years that the Federal Government should show some leadership and make preschool a right for all children and we congratulate the new Minister on taking it on."
http://www.democrats.org.au/news/index.htm?press_id=5053&display=1
============
10. DEMOCRATS URGE HOWARD TO RAISE UK PENSIONS RIP-OFF WITH BLAIR
Democrats' Deputy Leader, Andrew Bartlett, has called on Prime Minister John Howard to push his visiting UK counterpart, Tony Blair to fix the problem caused by Britain's refusal to index the value of the pension for their citizens residing in Australia.
"The fact is that Australian taxpayers pay over $100 million a year in income support to over 150 000 former residents of the UK now living here, because the UK government freezes their pensions at the level in place at the time they emigrated," Senator Bartlett said.
"The UK does not freeze pension rates for British people who retire in other parts of Europe, yet they do it with Australia, despite us being a key political ally and our ties through the Commonwealth."
http://www.democrats.org.au/news/index.htm?press_id=5058&display=1
============
11. FUSE NOW BURNING ON INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
With the Work Choices Act and regulations becoming law, the fuse has been lit on the industrial relations bomb that will damage the Australian workplace, economy and society, according to the Australian Democrats. Democrats' Workplace Relations spokesperson, Senator Andrew Murray, has warned Australian workers to be alert and alarmed by the national industrial relations rules that will take effect.
"Your workplace may look the same but its foundations have been radically altered. The Coalition Government has eroded employee protections, choice, flexibility and security and planted a legislative bomb that will finally explode in 2008," Senator Murray said.
"Transitional arrangements and the continuing validity of many existing workplace agreements has provided the Coalition Government with a two-year impact buffer."
http://www.democrats.org.au/news/index.htm?press_id=5055&display=1
============
12. SMARTCARD MAY NOT BE SO CLEVER
Minister Hockey's proposed 'smartcard' must undergo an independent Privacy Impact Assessment to consider the privacy impact for Australians, according to the Australian Democrats.
"At this stage, the 'smartcard' and the proposed national ID card are separate issues, but this card may be the precursor to the greatest privacy threat posed to Australians by this Government," Democrats' Attorney-Generals and Privacy Spokesperson Senator Natasha Stott Despoja said.
"If this proposal is approved by cabinet, Australians have a right to know that their privacy concerns will be addressed, before it goes ahead."
http://www.democrats.org.au/news/index.htm?press_id=5056&display=1
============
13. DEMOCRAT CONCERNS ABOUT FAMILY LAW BILL
"The Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) Bill 2006 could have disastrous consequences for the safety of vulnerable family members, especially women and children, where there is a history of family violence," Democrats' Attorney-Generals Spokesperson Senator Natasha Stott Despoja said.
"The focus of this legislation needs to be on protecting the best interests of children. We need to ensure women and children who have been exposed to violence or abuse in the family setting and continue to be at risk post-separation are not exposed to further violence," Senator Stott Despoja said.
http://www.democrats.org.au/news/index.htm?press_id=5057&display=1
"I rise on behalf of the Australian Democrats as their Attorney-General spokesperson, to address the Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) Bill 2006 and comment on what are significant - extremely significant in some cases - changes to the Family Law Act."
Follow this link to Senator Stott Despoja's speech to the bill in the Senate Chamber:
http://www.democrats.org.au/speeches/index.htm?speech_id=1802&display=1
============
14. THERE IS STILL MUCH TO DO
"Since the South Australian election, there has been much speculation over the future of the Australian Democrats. This comes at a time when Australia needs us more than ever before.
"Perhaps Nick Xenophon's remarkable vote coupled with a reduced vote for the two major parties reminds us that people still vote differently in Upper Houses and they still want a check on executive power. Alas, they did not choose the Democrats to exercise that role on this occasion. Obviously, I am hopeful they will choose us at the next federal election."
Read more of Senator Stott Despoja's article by following this link:
http://www.democrats.org.au/articles/index.htm?article_id=68&display=1
=============================
Send us your feedback. Email ebulletins@democrats.org.au
=============================
http://www.democrats.org.au
=============================
|
|
