Local Government News

Ian Causley
Canberra Connection

Grants for communities and businesses

I regularly get calls to my office from community groups and businesses inquiring about government grants.

The Federal Government offers various types of grants to community organisations and business groups for a variety of different purposes.

Recently, the ever-popular Volunteer Small Equipment Grants were offered and the usual high number of applications were received. Volunteer Small Equipment Grants are intended to help community groups purchase small equipment items to make life easier or more productive for the group.

Other grants are offered periodically and interested persons or groups can see for themselves what is available by going to the Grantslink website at: www.grantslink.gov.au.

The Parliamentary Library also publishes a guide to community grants which brings together sources of Federal, State and non-government funding: www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/sp/spgrants.htm  

ANZAC Day fast approaching

This ANZAC Day, as always, we will remember those Australians who served this country proudly and bravely during times of war and conflict.

They did this so that we may live in freedom and continue to enjoy this wonderful country of ours.

As always my wife June and I will be attending ANZAC Day services and proudly paying our respects to these special Australians.

I am proud to say that the Coalition Government is continuing to support those who served our nation in times of conflict, particularly in the area of health.

The Federal Government has extended the Gold Card to provide comprehensive free health coverage to all Australian veterans and mariners aged over 70 with qualifying service from World War II.

Thank you to all who served us and continue to serve us.

Understanding responsibility for health

Labor has been hitting the Northern Rivers hard recently, falsely accusing the Federal Government of scrapping the Commonwealth Dental Health Programme.

This accusation is ridiculous and could not be further from the truth because there never was a permanent Commonwealth Dental Health Programme.

During the 1993 federal election campaign - when Paul Keating was desperately trying to get the Labor Party re-elected under his Prime Ministership - he offered state governments a prescribed amount of dental money for a prescribed number of procedures over a set period.

This money was a top-up of funds over and above other funding and was given for the purpose of reducing dental waiting lists. When Labor was defeated in 1996, the Coalition honoured this financial commitment and carried it through until its completion.

The Federal Government continues to fund state governments for health - including dental - but the states are responsible for running the health system. Labor needs to stop playing politics and point the finger at those who are responsible for running the health system - the state Labor governments.

Office contacts

Address: PO Box 1119, Lismore, NSW, 2480
Phone: 6621 9909
Fax: 6621 9959
Email: ian.causley.mp@aph.gov.au