	Mailing List	Issue 1119 - Published 12/05/2005

Local Government News

Justine Elliot
National News

Aged Care Summit a great success

I want to take this opportunity to thank the local community for getting behind my local Aged Care Summit. The day was a great success and well attended by local aged care providers, seniors groups and individuals from across Richmond. I will formally present the Summit's findings to Federal Parliament in May. The message to the Federal Government from the Summit was that investment in aged care is needed now. Around a quarter of the people living in Richmond are over 65. In less than 40 years time, a quarter of Australia's population will be aged over 65. So, the Federal Government has a unique opportunity to glimpse into the future and fix the problems in aged care. After nine years of neglect by the Howard Government, it will take a large injection of funding and some innovative ideas to fix the problems. Unfortunately, the Federal Government is so tired and out of touch that it does not have the vision to get the job done. For example, just 35 vital home care packages allowing local seniors to stay in their homes were allocated from Grafton to the Queensland border - it's simply not good enough. The Aged Care Summit was the first step and I'll be working hard to make sure that local seniors get a better deal from the Federal Government.

Youth unemployment

Our local youth unemployment rate has risen sharply to 28.3 per cent. Clearly, the Federal Government is not investing enough in providing education and training for local young people. This country is suffering a skills crisis because of the Howard Government's attack on universities and also its cuts to training programs. Labor is proposing a $2000 Trade Completion Bonus for Richmond traditional apprentices. A Trade Completion Bonus is something the Howard Government can do immediately to help businesses in Richmond get the skilled workers they need. More traditional apprentices in Richmond should be completing their training. Around Australia a staggering 40 per cent of people who commence a New Apprenticeship do not finish. This could mean that in Richmond of the 420 people who commence an apprenticeship in the trades each year, around 170 are dropping out. Under the Beazley proposal, traditional apprentices in the trades in Richmond would receive a $1000 payment half way through their training and a further $1000 payment at the completion of their apprenticeship. This Trade Completion Bonus aims to lift completion rates in Richmond from around 60 per cent to 80 per cent, delivering more trained apprentices for Richmond workplaces.

Office contacts

Phone: 1300 720 675
Fax: (07) 5523 4379
Email: Justine.Elliot.mp@aph.gov.au
Mail: PO Box 6996, South Tweed Heads, 2486.

Ian Causley
Canberra Connection

National Volunteer Week

I often stop and think about the wonderful work Australia's volunteers do. We are fortunate enough to have many, many caring people in this country who are prepared to give their time freely and often, to help make their community better, happier and safer.

This week is National Volunteer Week, which runs until Sunday, May 15. It is a key national event aimed at raising the profile of volunteering in Australia.

The event not only aims to recognise and thank volunteers for their ongoing and selfless work but also to encourage more people to take part in volunteering.

Volunteering can take many different forms. There are plenty of different things volunteers can and do undertake to help their community. Of course, everyone knows about the terrific work our volunteer firemen and women and SES volunteers do in our community, but there are other ways to help as well.

There are Australians who volunteer to help and work with our senior citizens through home and aged-care visits; volunteers working with kids at-risk; people working to improve the health of our environment; and many other areas where volunteers are helping to make their communities and nation a better place.

Most volunteers will tell you they get a great deal of satisfaction out of volunteering. It's a bit like the satisfaction we get when we give a gift to someone we care about. So I would urge anyone thinking about volunteering for something in the community to give it a go.

New safeguards for telecommunications

The Australian Government has welcomed the registration of the new consumer contracts industry code of practice by the Australian Communications Authority (ACA).

The consumer contracts code will complement a range of provisions already in place that deal with contractual fairness in telecommunications. It will also provides an important safeguard against complicated and unfair contracts.

The registration of this code is an important achievement. It followed an intensive process of talks and co-operation between industry and consumer representatives.

The code is amongst the first of its kind internationally in setting out rules about the fairness, length and complexity of telecommunication contracts. The failure of telecommunication companies to comply with the code could see them incur heavy penalties.

I can assure you that the Australian Government will continue to monitor industry developments and respond where necessary to ensure that industry outcomes are in the best interest of you, the consumer.

Small business initiatives

There are currently around 1.2 million small businesses in Australia, some bigger than others. But they all benefit from initiatives designed to make running a business easier and less time consuming.

The Federal Government recently launched the Office of Employment Advocate's Small Business Initiative. This new initiative delivers on a key election commitment of the Coalition Government to provide an extra $12 million to assist small business to take up Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs).

AWAs are the fastest-growing form of agreement in Australia. Well over half a million AWAs have been entered into since they were first introduced in 1997.

The Office of Employment Advocate's Small Business Initiative has already delivered a range of new services designed to help small business employers with AWAs, including the small business AWA helpline; the small business AWA website; and an AWA template for small business.