Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to move:

That the House expresses concern that the Government’s mismanagement of the Defence budget and Defence procurement policy is undermining Australia’s national security.

Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to move:

That the House:

(1)

notes that:

(a)

since the abolition of the Commonwealth Dental Program, waiting lists for dental services have increased dramatically;

(b)

an increasing number of Australians are unable to afford private dental treatment and are waiting years for dental care; and

(c)

poor dental health can contribute to a deterioration in overall health; and

(2)

calls on the Government to:

(a)

acknowledge that the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing inquiry of November 2006, The Blame Game, recommended that the Federal Government should fund dental services;

(b)

reinstate a Commonwealth dental program; and

(c)

end the ‘Blame Game’ and work cooperatively with the States and Territories to ensure that services are delivered.

Alan Cadman (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to move:

That the House condemns the New South Wales Government for presiding over the highest amount of State and local government taxes and charges levied on the cost of a new home and for having the largest shortfall of broad hectare land provision of any State or Territory—putting the dream of home ownership out of the reach of New South Wales families.

Kerry Bartlett (Macquarie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to move:

That the House:

(1)

recognises the pressures of an ageing population;

(2)

acknowledges the enormous contribution made by senior citizens throughout their working lives;

(3)

recognises the need to provide quality care for the frail aged in our community;

(4)

welcomes the progress made in this area in recent years; and

(5)

welcomes the Government’s recently announced package of further measures to help provide community-based and residential care for our frail aged.

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to move:

That the House:

(1)

supports a universal right to early learning for all Australian four-year-olds through the introduction of an entitlement to 15 hours of play-based learning per week, for a minimum of forty weeks per year, delivered by a qualified teacher;

(2)

is committed to providing extra financial assistance to build additional childcare centres on primary school grounds and other community land in partnership with childcare providers;

(3)

calls on the Government to increase the number of fully-funded university places in early childhood education to address the shortage of childcare provision across Australia;

(4)

calls on the Government to introduce a 50 per cent HECS remission for 10,000 early childhood graduates working in areas of need;

(5)

calls on the Government to eliminate TAFE fees for childcare trainees; and

(6)

supports the transfer of responsibility for early childhood education and childcare into the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training with a new Office of Early Childhood Education.

Annette Ellis (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to move:

That the House:

(1)

notes:

(a)

the growing incidence of, and pressures on, grandparents being called on to resume the role of parenting of grandchildren, resulting from family tragedies, family breakdown, or the devastating impacts of drug or alcohol abuse;

(b)

the tremendous role that many community organisations and support services paly in highlighting these issues, seeking funding support for services; and

(c)

the fundamental role grandparents are playing in holding many family units together and their struggle to provide a safe, secure and supportive environment for their grandchildren;

(2)

acknowledges:

(a)

the support currently provided by government departments and agencies;

(b)

the contribution of peak organisations around Australia, including research and reports developed by such bodies as Families Australia (Grandparenting: Present and Future, January 2007) and in the ACT, the Canberra Mothercraft Society Inc (Grandparents Parenting Children because of Alcohol and other Drugs, 2006); and

(c)

that these organisations are doing a great service to families in these circumstances by their calls to achieve substantive improvements in quality of life for grandparents and the children in their care by advocating for legislative recognition of these particular family units and their unique situations;

(3)

recognises, when considering the key issues faced by grandparents raising children:

(a)

the need for relevant, current and accessible information as soon as children arrive as resources developed by community organisations rapidly become out-of-date as such organisations often lack funding for ongoing updates and reprints;

(b)

the potential for significant financial hardship and compromise when they take on parenting of grandchildren, including the often limited financial resources of grandparents and the hardship and challenges they face in making a suitable home and supporting children’s needs;

(c)

the need for access to affordable legal services and support;

(d)

that parenting over the age of 55 has significant health impacts, exacerbated when grandparents are faced with the unexpected physical and emotional toll of caring for children who are often struggling themselves as a result of the circumstances they came from;

(e)

the significant contribution grandparents make to the social capital of their community and our nation, the isolation and, sometimes, the stigma felt by grandparents and grandchildren in these circumstances and the relative scarcity of natural peer support and community linkages available to grandparents caring for children; and

(f)

the need for further research to identify the extent of grandparent families, particularly indigenous grandparent families; and

(7)

calls on the Government to seek further departmental improvements in response to these issues, including consideration of peak body representations in the areas of:

(a)

accessibility of relevant information and advice;

(b)

consideration of financial implications;

(c)

legal complexities and costs;

(d)

health impacts on grandparents and children;

(e)

impact on grandparents and their contribution to society; and

(f)

the need for further research.

Chris Bowen (Prospect, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to move:

That the House:

(1)

notes the decision by the Federal Government to end upfront tax deductions for investors in non-forestry agribusiness Managed Investment Schemes (MIS);

(2)

notes the impact of this announcement on rural investment and job losses;

(3)

condemns the Government for its lack of consultation on the proposed tax treatment of non-forestry agribusiness MIS with the agribusiness industry; and

(4)

notes the Government’s pretence that it is the ‘party of business’ while it flagrantly disregards the need for certainty in relation to investment decisions and the need to provide transitional arrangements when making changes such as this.