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18 February 2008 GETTING ON WITH BUSINESS Surprisingly, it's only the sixth time that the party leading Australia's Federal Government has changed in the past 60 years, so the opening of the 42nd Parliament was always going to be a big deal. The opening was, of course, dominated by the Apology to Australia's indigenous peoples (see below), but it was later in the week that the Coalition had the opportunity to show its mettle. Opposition is never easy, although it's much more active than PM Rudd and Deputy PM Gillard are trying to convince the media it should be. Labor appears to be taking the novel view that the Opposition's only job is to defer to the Government. We take the view that it is our job to hold the Government to account and to get the best possible outcome for Australia. It was good to see media reports characterising the Opposition's performance as "unexpectedly confident". In the House of Representatives, Coalition members strongly debated the "brave new world" of Friday sittings. Like many of the Rudd Labor Government initiatives, this looks great until you delve into it. PM Rudd is proposing that there be no question time on Fridays, that Ministers won't need to attend and that a quorum will not be needed. Lucky backbenchers will have the opportunity to speak about issues of importance to their constituents to a scattering of other backbenchers. There is legal doubt about whether proceedings will be covered by parliamentary privilege so contentious issues may not be raised. And for good measure, Friday sittings will mean that MHRs from regional areas won’t be able to fly out of Canberra until Saturday morning. Some who will have less than a day before they need to begin the return trip are questioning whether they should return to their electorates at all on these weekends. So much for "family friendly" Government. In the Senate, the Coalition had the opportunity to use its numbers to refer Deputy PM Gillard's Workplace Relations Amendment (Transition to Forward with Fairness) Bill to the Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Committee. The Committee inquiry will be completed in time to report back on April 28, not Easter as Ms Gillard wanted. I'm a member of this Committee and looking forward to our inquiry - how the Labor changes will work in practice is far from clear. The Coalition has also ensured the establishment of three Senate Select Committees - to inquire into State Government financial management, housing affordability, and the pricing and supply arrangements in the Australian and world fertiliser markets. THE APOLOGY There were extraordinary scenes at Parliament House when the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and alternative Prime Minister, Brendan Nelson, apologised on behalf of the Parliament to the indigenous peoples of Australia on February 13. These were covered very extensively - in some regards - by the media so I won't go over them again. I did, however, feel somewhat uncomfortable that amidst the euphoria, some of it manufactured by the Labor Party, there was no tolerance of dissenting views - or for any 'other' view at all. I noted, in a speech to the Senate, that offering even the mildest criticism of the Apology process was to be seen as 'curmudgeonly' and 'mean-spirited'. Nevertheless, I was. My major concern was that the 'full story' about almost any aspect of the Apology was not told - starting with confusion about whether the apology was to all Aborigines or only to people forcibly removed from families. At the welcome ceremony - initially recommended by a Coalition-dominated committee in 2001 - MPs and others were told repeatedly of Mr Jim (King Billy) Clements, an elder of the Wiradjuri people, who was told to "clear off" by police when he tried to attend the 1927 opening of Parliament House in Canberra. Yes, that happened, but following remonstrations from the crowd and a prominent clergyman, Mr Clements stood on the steps of Parliament House for the opening and was among the VIPs presented to the Duke and Duchess of Kent. Dr Nelson was criticised at length for daring to mention the level of disadvantage and dysfunction in many modern indigenous communities. A Greens senator spoke at length about an unsuccessful Aboriginal candidate but made no mention of the late Senator Neville Bonner, a Queensland Liberal and the first indigenous senator, or of former Democrat senator, Aden Ridgway. So much for bipartisanship. ACCOUNTABLE? ACCESSIBLE? The Rudd Labor Government has axed the Local Liaison Officer (LLO) program set up for MPs to make inquiries on behalf of constituents with Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support agencies. The LLO program was set up by the Howard-Costello Government as a bipartisan initiative to give all MHRs and Senators a local point of contact in the Department of Human Services. The program enabled politicians to deal with constituent problems and queries quickly, and generally without the need to write to a Minister. In 2006-07, the program had more than 11,000 referrals. 99.6% were responded to within two working days. In contrast, written responses from Ministers' offices can take weeks, even months. The LLO program was relatively inexpensive, costing about $17 million per year. I've used the LLO program a lot since my election and found it very helpful. Some of the types of issues included: a woman able to finish her university studies instead of having to quit and get a job; a family desperate for assistance because of costs associated with the equine flu; a family entitled to more disability benefits than they received. My office has been advised that, in future, we need to use the "normal" 1800 inquiry line. But all the constituents who bring their problems to my office have "been there, done that". The Rudd Labor Government has failed to appreciate that most of the families do not have sufficient resources to wait months for payment. I'd urge anyone affected to email the Minister for Human Services, Senator Joe Ludwig senator.ludwig@aph.gov.au with your concerns. SENATE COMMITTEES Committee inquiries are a vital part of the Senate's business. I'm delighted to have been successful in becoming a member of:
I'm also a member of the following Coalition Policy Committees:
If you'd like to make a suggestion about policy or to make a submission to any Committee, please contact me. UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is the first Human Rights Convention of the 21st century, and reaffirms that all people with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms. It clarifies and qualifies how all categories of rights apply to persons with disabilities and identifies areas where adaptations have to be made for persons with disabilities to effectively exercise their rights and areas where their rights have been violated, and where protection of rights must be reinforced. The Convention was negotiated during eight sessions of an Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly from 2002 to 2006, making it the fastest negotiated human rights treaty. Australia was one of the first signatories to the convention on March 30, 2007, joining 81 other member states and the European Community. This was the highest number of signatories for any human rights convention on an opening day. Since that first day another 42 countries have signed the Convention, with 16 ratifying it. The Convention must have 20 ratifications for it to enter into force and I will be supporting the ratification when it comes before Parliament. To find out more, go to www.un.org/disabilities. TOP SPIN Kevin Rudd and Wayne Swan are obviously committed to the idea that if you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth. The Government's objective is to blacken the Coalition's record as an economic manager so they have a scapegoat to blame if anything goes wrong. Unfortunately - and scandalously - Treasurer Swan's constant efforts to talk up inflation are worsening the situation. However, the truth about inflation under the Howard-Costello Government is very different as the following graphs show.
Of course, inflationary pressure would be far worse today except for two fundamental achievements of the Coalition government - paying back the previous Labor government's $96 billion debt and maintaining sensible wages growth at a time of historically low unemployment. Interest payments on Labor's debt or a union-led wages breakout would have contributed greatly to inflation.
BRISBANE WOMEN'S CLUB - HAPPY 100 The Brisbane Women's Club celebrates it's centenary on Wednesday. The club was founded in 1908 by Margaret Ann Ogg (1865-1953) – an extraordinary woman and ardent feminist. She was instrumental in co-founding the Women's Electoral League in 1903 and was a pioneer of women's rights. In 1905 her tireless efforts helped to obtain the right to vote for Queensland women, 13 years before women in England gained the right to vote. In 1908 she saw the need for a club for Brisbane women and so the Women's Progressive Club was born. In May 1912 the name changed to the Brisbane Women's Club. A number of activities have been planned to entertain and educate members and friends and support a number of charities. Amongst the events, a tribute will be paid to the founder of the Club, Margaret Ogg. To find out more, go to www.bwc.org.au. ORGAN DONOR AWARENESS WEEK Australia has almost 2000 people on the waiting list for transplants and we need to help these people get quick medical attention. It’s often not just about experiencing a better quality of life, it’s genuinely about life and death.
Many people believe that by ticking the box on
their driver’s licence, they have registered as donors, but you need to
register with the
Organ Donor Register, through the Medicare website or
office. My option would be for all adults to be automatically registered as potential donors when they enrol to vote. Anyone who did not want to participate could opt out of the scheme. I encourage all Australians to think seriously about this issue, and once they have decided make sure they tell their family and friends about their wishes. Organ Donor Awareness Week runs for the whole of this week. FEEDBACK The latest Queensland Line - my printed newsletter - has just been mailed and I welcome your comments on this and Queensland onLine at feedback@sueboyce.com.au . I'm delighted that I've had a number of comments about both of these publications. To change your details, please fill out the form at www.sueboyce.com.au/The_Queensland_Line.html or email update@sueboyce.com.au. "I don't have the personal involvement you have in Down syndrome but the use of these women in Iraq disgusted me. My reading indicates the bombs were remotely detonated which indicates the perpetrators well knew precisely what they were doing. We can only hope it means they are finding difficulty in recruiting volunteers which could mean this could be the pattern in future." N.T. "We find receiving "The Qld Line" is very helpful ... The next election is winnable by the Coalition. You play an indispensable role in ensuring that becomes a reality." John C. "How very like a conservative...and a Queenslander, to denigrate an attempt to use the best of Australian brains to help us out of the mess we, the country, are in ... I can almost hear you cry “Bring back Bjelke-Petersen”. V.N. "I have just received from you a copy of "The Queensland Line" which I think is a great publication and would like to receive any further issues as they come to hand." K and E "Good on ya Sue. Come to Vic and fix up our debacle !!!!!" B.H.
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