In the News
Thursday, 7 June 2012
Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke MP, said the decision of the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates by 25 basis points is confirmation that the economic storm clouds are gathering.
“While home owners will welcome a cut in interest rates, they also understand the cut is a result of the worsening world economy and a soft domestic economy”, said Alex Hawke.
“For this cut to help household budgets, it must be passed on in full. The banks routinely ignore Wayne Swan and home owners have consistently missed out on receiving the full benefit of past rate cuts.
“In recent months, householders have felt the shock of falling share markets, declining house prices and uncertainty due to the carbon tax.
“This is the worst possible time to introduce the world’s biggest carbon tax.
“The carbon tax is a bad tax based on a lie. It will increase prices, cost jobs and no nothing for the environment.
Alex Hawke said he wanted to assure the people of Mitchell that the Coalition has a plan to strengthen the economy and provide people in Mitchell with the hope, reward and opportunity they need to plan for the future with confidence.
“My message to the people of Mitchell is that there is a better way. The Coalition has a plan to provide effective, stable and competent government and improve the economic circumstances of the people and small businesses of Mitchell.
“We will scrap the carbon tax, cut the waste, reduce the debt and restore Australia’s finances. Scrapping the carbon tax will restore confidence, help families deal with cost of living pressures and help get our economy growing again.
“We will deliver a personal tax cut without a carbon tax, funded by savings in government expenditure.
“We will also cut red tape and reduce the regulatory burden on business and community groups by $1 billion per year.
Alex Hawke said in difficult economic times, the Coalition offered an experienced alternative to the division and dysfunction in the Gillard Government.
“The Coalition has an experienced team who have managed an economy during difficult times. Sixteen members of the Coalition front bench were Ministers in the Howard government.
“The Coalition has run a strong economy before – and we can do it again. And we will start by scrapping the world biggest carbon tax,” concluded Alex Hawke.
Thursday, 7 June 2012
The Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke MP, says the Productivity Commission needs to undertake an urgent review of child care following a year of double digit fee increases hitting families.
New research released on the weekend has revealed that New South Wales parents are now paying on average $68.31 per day per child for child care.
“According to this research, child care costs in New South Wales are up 11.3 per cent in the last year – and when you add on changes to private health insurance and the coming carbon tax, local families are under increasing financial pressure”, said Alex Hawke
“It is clear that when many parents do the sums, after tax and child care costs, there isn’t much financial incentive to return to the workforce. That’s why affordable and accessible child care is not just a family budgeting issue; it’s a nationwide productivity issue.
“According to the ABS, more than 110,000 Australian parents, including many in Mitchell say they cannot access employment as they cannot find suitable and/or affordable child care.
“We need a Productivity Commission Review into child care because accessible, affordable child care is fundamental to families and fundamental to Australia.
Alex Hawke said responsibility for child care fee increases lay squarely at the feet of the government which has broken promises and burdened the child care sector with additional costs.
“Child care centres and parents are saying that the Gillard Government’s new rules for child care centres are driving up fees. As part of the changes, the Government is demanding staff be better trained and perform more duties but won’t accept these carers might want to be better paid as a result.”
Alex Hawke said that in addition to these fee increases, child care is becoming less affordable with the government cutting the Child Care Rebate from $8,179 to $7,500 and halting the indexation of the rebate.
“Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd promised to end the ‘double drop off’ by building 260 child care and early childhood education centres and instead abandoned the plan after only delivering 38.
Alex Hawke said families with working parents were doing it tough because of Labor’s policies.
“Families are paying higher child care fees because of Labor’s child care policies, paying more for private health insurance because of changes to the private health insurance rebate and will be paying more because on the necessities of life because of Labor’s carbon tax.
Wednesday, 24 May 2012
Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke MP, said new figures have confirmed that Mitchell businesses and community organisations are dealing with more red tape than ever before.
Since the start of 2008, 18,089 additional regulations have been created by the Rudd/Gillard Government, including 1,311 new regulations this year.
“When I talk with shop owners, small business operators, and community and volunteer groups, I am continually told that red tape is getting worse”, said Alex Hawke.
“Red tape is growing and it is choking the life out of local businesses and community groups.
“It is already a difficult time for small business, with retail shops struggling, flat sales, low confidence and a carbon tax only weeks away – and the avalanche of red tape is making it worse.
“18,000 new regulations in just over four and a half years equates to 11 new regulations every day.
“Labor promised when they were elected they would introduce ‘one in, one out”, meaning that new regulations would be matched by repealing others. Instead, since 2007, 18,000 regulations have been added and only 86 regulations have been repealed.”
Alex Hawke said the Productivity Commission had estimated that the rewards for Australia to cut red tape could be worth up to $12 billion a year.
“The Coalition has established a Deregulation Taskforce, under the leadership of respected Senator Arthur Sinodinos AO, and it will cut red tape by $1 billion a year.
“Areas of red tape already identified include scrapping the carbon tax, simplifying the administration of compulsory employee superannuation contributions; and moving the administration of the national paid parental leave scheme from small businesses to the government’s Family Assistance Office.
“Local businesses and community groups are invited to contact my office at alex.hawke.mp@aph.gov.au to provide details of red tape that the Coalition’s Deregulation Taskforce should consider cutting,” concluded Alex Hawke.
Friday, 18 May 2012
Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke MP, with special guest, the Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation, Senator Mathias Cormann met with 35 local financial business stakeholders to discuss current and future legislation, including the Future of Financial Advice (FOFA) legislation.
“This meeting was an excellent opportunity for the key financial services business men and women to express their views and concerns directly with the Shadow Assistant Treasurer”, Alex Hawke said.
“The Gillard government has failed to consult and embrace the sector which they are seeking to regulate”.
“The government has been rather active in this area, and not for the better. Their vested interest agenda has targeted small business financial advisors,” Mathias Cormann said.
“The Coalition does not support this anti small business approach, which is an unnecessary increase of the amount of red tape that affects firstly businesses and ultimately consumers.
Senator Cormann also spoke about the Opt in measures in the FOFA legislation and said “The Coalition would remove Opt In; no ifs, no buts, gone”.
“We ought to be taking measures to enhance financial literacy and education, which should be a focus of parliament, not overregulating and overburdening this sector with unnecessarily complex proposals and regulations,” concluded Alex Hawke.
Friday, 18 May 2012
Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke MP, and the Federal Member for Berowra, the Hon Philip Ruddock MP, together with special guest, the Shadow Minister for Education, the Hon Christopher Pyne met with 35 local School Principals from North West Sydney to discuss quality education reform, including the Gonski Review and public and private schools funding.
“The discussion was quite constructive. Each school principal had the opportunity to ‘air their views and concerns’ directly with the Shadow Minister, said Federal Member for Berowra, Hon Philip Ruddock MP.
“The Coalition is committed to quality education reform for every school in Australia. I believe the best policy takes people’s views into account so it is vital we get their feedback on what we can do better, said Alex Hawke.
“After five years of promises and a two year review, the Gillard Government has only allocated $5 million over two years for further research into their school funding changes rather than $5 billion as called for in the Gonski Review, said Christopher Pyne, Shadow Minister for Education.
“Only the Coalition is offering funding certainty for schools beyond 2013, with the current funding levels, plus indexation guaranteed,” concluded Alex Hawke.