In the News
With the Prime Minister Mr Rudd bracing us all for a “tough year” ahead, I took confidence in reading that Australia ranked third in a worldwide poll believing that 2009 would be a better year than 2008. Whilst we are no doubt in testing economic times, like many Australian’s I am looking forward to a busy and rewarding year ahead.
This year the Government needs to take note of some important priorities:
In particular the Government must place its highest priority on protecting the job prospects of Australians and in particular Young Australians.
Mr Rudd must keep his election promise that Labor would not bring back compulsory student unionism . This was made just twelve short months ago and now, in government, they appear set to reintroduce compulsory fees for students repackaged as a “compulsory amenities fee”.
Alex Hawke in AM Agenda
{flv img="/images/stories/videos/AM_agenda.jpg" width="300" height="245"}AM_Agenda{/flv}
Malcolm Turnbull Visits the Hills
{youtube}3_4PnAqzVak{/youtube}
Alex Hawke's Speech to Parliament
{flv img="/images/stories/videos/speech_090908.jpg" width="299" height="240"}speech_090908{/flv}
The issue of First Home Saver Accounts is a matter of vital importance to my electorate of Mitchell. It is a fact that one of the main contributors to unaffordable housing in Australia is state and local government taxes and charges. Also, as new-found conservatives on the benches opposite will note—understanding conservative economics as they do, with all their new-found interest in such topics—you cannot escape supply and demand inequities in the market. One of the biggest shortfalls of the legislation before the House today is that it does nothing to address supply problems.