In the News
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke MP, will travel to Canberra tomorrow to meet with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, as part of her 10 day visit to Australia.
Mr Hawke, who has been a long-standing supporter of a constitutional monarchy, says that this is certainly a moment to remember.
“The Queen and the importance of her office to our Westminster-style of parliamentary democracy both have my utmost support,” Mr Hawke said.
“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second has reigned for 59 years and is widely regarded as one of the most successful monarchs and Heads of State in history. She deserves our respect and thanks, a message I hope to convey in person on behalf of the people of Mitchell.
“It is a privilege and an honour to meet such an esteemed Head of State. I have made three oaths to the Queen in my life, once as an army officer, once when I became a Member of Parliament and once as a Justice of the Peace.
Alex Hawke was a strong advocate for the ‘NO’ campaign during the 1999 referendum on the question of becoming a republic, and has been a long-time supporter of the monarch as Australia’s Head of State.
Mr Hawke believes that recent polling on this issue, including a Roy Morgan poll issued last week showing support for the monarchy at its highest since 1991, is a testament to how important that ‘NO’ campaign was.
“A recent poll shows that over 55 percent of Australians are in favour of keeping the monarchy, with just 34 percent supporting a republic,” Mr Hawke said. “Levels of support are just as strong with Australians aged 14-17, which shows that Australians of all ages support the Queen and all that she stands for.”
“Australia is referred to as ‘the lucky country’ by many around the world, but it is more than just luck. Our stable and successful model of government, whatever its weaknesses, has always been an source of envy for other governments around the world. Our ability to uphold traditions and stable government through the constitutional monarchy plays a major part in the way we are viewed by other nations,” Alex Hawke concluded.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke MP, has congratulated Hills Mayor Cr Greg Burnett on putting forward options to give democracy back to the Hills community through a popularly elected mayor.
Mayor Burnett announced that a report will be prepared exploring the way mayors are elected in the area with a popularly elected mayor, where members of the community vote for the mayor, expected to be one of the options explored.
“The Liberal Party in the Hills council made a commitment to look at moving to a popularly elected mayor and it is great to see this important commitment being delivered. A popularly elected mayor will allow local residents and rate payers to choose the mayor directly for a four year term instead of a constant change every year,” Alex Hawke said.
“This is an important democratic step and I am looking forward to seeing how it develops”
Alex Hawke MP has spoken out very clearly in support of a popularly elected mayor in the past. Just last week Mr Hawke called for the Hills Shire Council to take a referendum to the 2012 elections on this issue and has even urged the state government to look at metropolitan council amalgamations as a priority.
“I have always supported a popularly elected mayor and Cr Greg Burnett and the Liberal council team has my full support in the pursuit of this process, Alex Hawke concluded.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
“Today, Labor members of parliament had the opportunity to restore faith with the people of their electorates,” Alex Hawke MP said.
“Labor members of parliament had the opportunity to stand up for the people of their electorates, honour their word, and stop the carbon tax that the Prime Minister promised we wouldn’t have.”
“Labor members of parliament have betrayed the people of their electorates today by voting for the carbon tax,” Alex Hawke MP said.
“They have voted for this job-destroying carbon tax and abandoned jobs and industries in their electorates.
“This fundamental betrayal is going to impact on peoples’ cost of living and it is going to make their jobs less secure,” Alex Hawke MP said.
“On the government's own figures, 3 million Australian households will be worse off under the carbon tax. On the Government's own figures, dual income families will be worse off once they have the income of a school teacher and a shop assistant; or that of a policeman and a part-time nurse. Where are these families expected to find the money to pay for Julia Gillard’s carbon tax?”
“When the Prime Minister said five days before the last election “there will be no carbon tax under the government I lead” she was giving a commitment on behalf of every Labor member of parliament,” Alex Hawke MP said.
“If Labor members of parliament were serious about keeping faith with their electorates they would have opposed the carbon tax.”
“The Coalition’s commitment to the Australian people is that we will continue to do everything in our power to fight this toxic tax,” Alex Hawke MP said.
“If we are going to take the cost of living pressures off Australian families and if we are going to give Australian manufacturing industry a fighting chance, then we must fight the carbon tax.”
“The Coalition will oppose Labor’s toxic carbon tax in opposition and we will rescind it in government,” Alex Hawke MP concluded.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
The Labor Government’s mishandling of asylum seekers is wasting billions of tax payer dollars. This is money that could be used in the Hills area.
Last Tuesday the 102nd boat arrived since Julia Gillard became Prime Minister. That is a total of nearly 6,000 new arrivals since June last year. Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke has said that enough is enough and is calling on the Prime Minister to be accountable for the waste her indecisiveness is causing.
“Julia Gillard has back flipped on this issue more times than an Olympic Gymnast,” Alex Hawke said. “She was against offshore processing and then changed her mind, she supported Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) and then changed her mind, she told voters that there would be no expansion to onshore detention centres which of course has been another broken promise.”
“Prime Minister Gillard also said she would never go to a country that has not signed the United Nations Convention on Refugees and now she supports off shore processing in a country that has not signed the convention, Malaysia, over one that has, Nauru.
“It is clear to everyone that Labor is completely unable to govern but this situation is being made so much worse by how much money they are wasting in the process.
“Labor’s incompetence has caused a budget blow out of more than $3 billion combined with chaos and riots in our detention centres, where there is at least one critical incident occurring every six hours. A program that cost less than $100 million just over three years ago under the Howard Government, now costs more than $1 billion under the Labor Government.
“This is typical Labor behaviour, get something that is working, make some changes so it no longer works and waste hundreds of millions of tax payer dollars in the process.
“Every time Labor’s incompetence and mismanagement wastes a dollar that is a dollar that cannot be spent on things needed in communities all around Australia. For example, here in the Hills, That wasted money could be used to improve infrastructure such as Showground Rd.
“Labor needs to understand that the money they waste is not their money; it belongs to the hard working Australian tax payers,” Alex Hawke concluded.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Labor’s decision to ignore small businesses in this week’s jobs forum shows this government’s disregard for the hard working small business owners who are the backbone of the Hills economy.
Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke MP, said that this lack of foresight showed just how out of touch Labor is with every day Australians.
“The fact that small businesses are not mentioned in the Gillard Government’s program and briefing papers is disgraceful,” Alex Hawke said. “Small businesses make an enormous contribution to our local economy and provide fantastic employment opportunities to people of all ages.
“It is hardly surprising that Labor, who has overseen the loss of 300,000 small business jobs since the change of government, would completely ignore small business.
“Small businesses account for almost half of all private sector jobs yet they are ignored by this government. Trade unions account for just 15% of the private sector workforce yet they have a very large presence at the forum. This is just the same old Labor looking after their own mates instead of listening to what the Australian public is telling them.
“Small businesses were ignored in the tax forum and they are now being ignored in the jobs forum. What I want to know is why this government chooses to ignore our local cafés, our local butchers, our local retailers, our local bakers, our local hairdressers and all the other great small businesses that are so valued to our local community here in the Hills?”
The Tax Forum and the Jobs Forum that took place in Canberra this week have been regarded by many as more waste from the Labor Government. Alex Hawke feels this is warranted as both forums ignored issues that are important to residents.
“There is one tax that everybody is worried about at the moment, the Carbon Tax, yet we have a tax forum where Labor does not allow anybody to mention the Carbon Tax. We then have a jobs forum where Labor completely ignores the employer of nearly half of all private sector workers, small business. People have a right to ask why this government is wasting their taxes on these forums if they won’t even discuss issues that are important to them.”
Whilst Labor continues to ignore the public and waste taxpayer dollars the Coalition stands for real action to support small businesses.
“We are aware that small business is the driver of Australia’s economy providing jobs for millions of Australians. We will always fight to keep the costs down for small businesses and to protect them from union bullying.
“We will always back small business to grow our economy and create jobs,” Alex Hawke concluded.