In the News
Thursday, 29 March 2012
The Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke MP has called on Julia Gillard and Kate Ellis to rule out a means test or further cuts to the Child Care Rebate in this year’s budget.
“Labor has had child care in its sights in recent budgets. The broken promises on child care have already impacted parents and I fear they will again attack the Child Care Rebate in this year’s Budget, possibly with a means test”, said Alex Hawke.
“Families are paying for Labor’s record of debt and deficits. I fear they will again attack child care in this year’s Budget.
“Labor’s record on child care is abysmal. They broke their promise to build 260 child care and early childhood education centres on school sites and community land. Instead they only built 38.
“Last year, they cut the Child Care Rebate from $8,179 to $7,500 and then froze indexation of the rebate. This means that parents receiving the maximum amount of the Child Care Rebate would be liable for around $300 in additional child care costs per year for each child in care.
“Kate Ellis has to rule out even more cuts, including means testing, in this year’s budget.
“The Coalition believes child care must be more accessible and affordable, Alex Hawke said.
“There are up to 70,000 Australian women, including hundreds in Mitchell who cannot access employment simply because they cannot find suitable child care. This is a lost opportunity for women, families and our local economy.
“I am pleased that Tony Abbott this week committed a future Coalition Government to undertaking a Productivity Commission review into child care. Improving access and affordability in child care, is very much part of our positive plan to improve workforce participation and to strengthen the economy.
“In particular, we have to make the system more accessible for shift workers, workers in regional and remote areas and parents who do not have the support of an extended family.
“The Productivity Commission review would consider the current impediments to a family friendly child care system, including how parents can better access existing services including long day care, occasional care, in-home care, family care and budget based care.
“Families are under great pressure from cost of living pressures and the Coalition is determined to make child care more responsive to parent needs and more affordable for household budgets” concluded Alex Hawke.
Tuesday, 21 March 2012
Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke MP said the Gillard Government’s mining tax, to commence on 1 July with the carbon tax, will do great damage to the Australian economy and he remained committed to repealing the tax.
“The carbon tax and the mining tax are the evil twins of the Australian economy – they will make Australian exports less competitive, cost jobs and harm the budget”, said Alex Hawke.
“You don’t create jobs by lifting taxes and you don’t strengthen an economy by making its most successful sector weaker.
“The Coalition opposes the mining tax because it makes mining investment in every other country more attractive – our international competitors will be popping the champagne corks over this new tax.
“Australian mining companies now pay a trifecta of taxation – company tax, state government royalties and the mining tax.
Alex Hawke said the mining tax also worsened the position of the Federal Budget.
“Labor’s mining tax has created a budget black hole of about $4 billion and growing.
“There is a very clear difference between the Coalition and Labor on taxation.
“Labor wants a carbon tax and mining tax. The Coalition will repeal the carbon tax and mining tax because we believe in hope, reward and opportunity,” concluded Alex Hawke.
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
Local Federal Member for Mitchell Alex Hawke, State Member David Elliott and Hills Shire Mayor Greg Burnett will work together using all legal means to prevent further shootings at the site of the Baulkham Hills tattoo parlour.
Mr Hawke said he would today be writing to Federal Ministers to ensure compliance with all Federal legislation and will call on the Minister for Home Affairs Jason Clare to reinstate the damaging budget cuts that have allowed illegal weapons to flow through our borders and onto our streets.
"The fact that there have been multiple shootings in two months at this venue says to me that we, as a community, need to take action against what is happening at this site." Mr Hawke said.
Mr Hawke expressed his ongoing concern regarding Federal Labor’s drastic cutbacks to the Customs cargo screening program. Prominent media reports have attributed Sydney's recent spate of shootings to firearms being illegally smuggled into Sydney due to Labor’s cutbacks to Customs and the Australian Federal Police in recent Commonwealth budgets. This means that, often, guns and ammunition used in criminal activity have slipped through our borders undetected.
Baulkham Hills MP David Elliott said he was embarrassed to admit that he has now seen more shootings in his leafy electorate in less than two months than he witnessed in five months Peacekeeping in Bougainville twelve years ago.
"This latest shooting has endangered my community and it's time to take up to the fight to these criminals.
"I have today written to the Premier seeking his advice as to what multi jurisdictional approaches can be made, I have also written to the Treasurer, the Police Minister and the Minister for Finance and Services seeking advice on powers which may be invoked to ensure the legal and safe operation of this business.
"The people of The Hills expect nothing less of us".
Mr Elliott said he was also concerned about the double standards that applied to licensed premises when violence occurred within their venues.
"I think it is completely unreasonable to demand the closure of licensed premises when patrons, who are under the influence of alcohol, get into a brawl, yet no action is taken when a shop is the target of gunfire on two separate occasions."
Hills Shire Mayor Greg Burnett has also expressed his horror at this morning's events, demanding a better approach from all tiers of government to protect public safety.
"I will be asking the General Manager to brief Councillors on what options we have available to improve public safety at Baulkham Hills."
"The well being of our citizens is paramount and I will remain open minded to all recommendations." Mayor Burnett said.
Mr Elliott said he will be seeking the installation of CCTV in the Baulkham Hills Business District as a short term solution.
“The earthquake hit at a magnitude of 9,
one of the highest ever recorded earthquakes in world
history.
There were over 580 aftershocks at level 5 or greater,
which triggered a tsunami of an unimaginable scale and
led to the nuclear incident off Fukushima.
The disaster, known as 3/11, represented an
unprecedented challenge for Japan and its
people, Mr Hawke said.
“I recently had the opportunity to lead a delegation of
Australian MP’s and young political leaders to Japan
where we visited the Miyagi Prefecture
and Fukushima Prefecture exactly one year later.
We saw horrific scenes of devastation in
every town that we visited. The vast nature of this
terrible disaster was beyond comprehension.
“We visited the empty space that was once
the coastal town of Minamisanriku.
Standing in front of the skeletal remains of the
disaster centre was a profoundly moving experience.
The only structure left in this entire plain was the
twisted metal of the disaster structure
which was made of reinforced steel.
On level 3, you could still see the machine
that was used to warn the entire town
that a tsunami was coming.
We heard the story of a young 25-year-old Japanese girl,
who made the announcement to warn her
fellow citizens that a tsunami was coming.
She was swept away an hour later—that
certainly moved all of us on the delegation, said Alex Hawke.
“The Japanese people are overwhelmingly grateful to
Australia for the support and the deep
and profound assistance we have provided them.
There have been so many individual and business donations
by Australians, all of which were deeply appreciated by Japan.
“From my own visit and the visit of this delegation,
I can say that out of the terrible tragedies of 11 March 2011,
the people of Miyagi and Fukushima, and of Japan, are
working hard to rebuild and planning for a better future, said Alex Hawke.
“One year on from the triple 11 disasters,
our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan,
those who lost their lives and the families who lost loved ones”, concluded Alex Hawke.
Thursday, 15 March 2012
The Deputy Chair of the Parliament’s Cyber Safety Committee, Alex Hawke MP has this week used a speech to Parliament to urge corporations to embrace greater social responsibility in relation to children in Australia or face tougher regulation.
“In the face of increasing prevalence of cyber bullying it is vital social networking corporations take more responsibility, especially in relation to children on line”, Mr Hawke said.
Major sites for social networking, including Facebook, Myspace and Bebo, have stated age restrictions, in most cases 13 years old as a condition of use for their site. However it is a well-known fact that there are tens of thousands of children all across Australia and around the world today using social-networking sites who are under 13.
“Given the increase in reports of cyber bullying, the question of a corporation’s social responsibility in relation to children using their sites is emerging firmly into the spotlight of public and parliamentary scrutiny.”
“All too often it is apparent that the major social networkers are squibbing any responsibility for our children online. Parliamentary committees have even heard the farcical suggestions that there are no children under 13 on their sites or that children are liars or they simply should not be there.”
“The facts are children are in this social media space and the lack of meaningful response from social networking corporations to date has been extremely disappointing.”
“If the big social networkers are unwilling to demonstrate that they can effectively self regulate, it will fall to the Parliament to look at ways we can ensure there are effective measures taken to better protect kids and deal with online bullying more effectively.”
“I urge corporate social responsibility in the internet sector in relation to social networking to ensure that our children are protected before Government is forced to act,” concluded Alex Hawke.