Local Government News

Don Page
State Matters

Alstonville Bypass

Last month I welcomed the decision of the Carr Government to match the NSW Coalition's commitment of $24m to enable construction of the Alstonville bypass.

As many residents of Alstonville and surrounding areas would be aware I have been fighting for the Alstonville bypass, together with other community representatives for over five years.

The Minister for Planning has approved the proposed Alstonville bypass subject to conditions set out in Schedule 1 of the Minister for Planning's approval.

Construction of the Alstonville bypass should commence late this year and is expected to be completed by the end of 2006.

Information relating to the proposed Alstonville bypass is available for public inspection until 21 May 2003 at the Ballina and Lismore Motor Registries, Alstonville Library and the Ballina Shire Council.

At present long delays are occurring for motorists, especially in the morning. Local residents want their amenity back and 15,000 vehicles a day out of the centre of town.

Anzac Day

As Anzac Day has just passed I would like to recognise the great contribution our servicemen and women have made whether they served in the air, on land or at sea – and I say "Thank You".

I also encourage the continuation of attendance by young people at Anzac Day Services around our region and trust it will continue to be our National Day of Commemoration long into the future.

Australia is a wonderful country I would like to pay tribute to all those who risked their lives, many sustained lifelong injuries and many have died.

Reporting Criminal Activity On-Line

Members of the public are able to report crimes to Crime Stoppers via the Internet. Using the latest technology all information supplied by members of the Public is guaranteed the highest level of security.

Each visitor to the web site is issued a unique Crime Stoppers Internet Crime Information Report (ICIR) identification number so they can provide additional information and/or claim any reward. This can be either via the Internet again or over the phone to the Crime Stoppers Unit.

When visiting the site visitors are guided through a series of pages collecting information about the type of crime being reported; persons of interest/offender description details; location/address details; vehicle detail; and crime activity details.

Should you wish to report a crime please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit the web site at https://secure.nsw.gov.au

PO Box 1018, Ballina 2478; Ph: 66867522, Fax: 66867470; Email: apage@parliament.nsw.gov.au; Website: www.donpage.com.au

Thomas George
Canberra Connection

Parliament resumes

After a lengthy recess from Parliament I returned this week to Macquarie Street, which is the commencement of the 53rd Parliament following the recent Election, held in March. 22 new members will be welcomed and sworn in.

I am certainly looking forward to continuing to bring the needs and achievements of the Lismore Electorate to the attention of the Parliament.

Easter Break

I trust everyone enjoyed the school holidays, which incorporated the Easter break as well as Anzac Day celebrations. I pay tribute to everyone as drivers during the recent break as it is becoming more evident that people are becoming more responsible and taking heed of the driver safety messages. This is evident by the decrease in the number of accidents during the holiday break.

Tax cuts for business

In the lead up to the 2003 State Budget the NSW Labor Government must make a real commitment to reducing the financial imposts and red tape faced by small businesses.

Apparently it is reported that Mr Campbell, the new Small Business Minister, advised that he could not promise that there would be no tax increases. As small businesses in NSW employ almost 50% of all workers in the State and continued growth in the sector was vital for the NSW economy. NSW remains the highest taxing state in Australia and the State Labor Government has made little progress in addressing issues of concern to small business like reforming unfair dismissal laws, reducing regulatory burdens and lowering worker's compensation premiums.

As a former businessman, I am very much aware and will continue to highlight the discrepancies of the unlevel playing field that local business have to compete against in being so close to the border.

Home Warranty Insurance

Over recent months I have again spoken with many small builders in the electorate who have told me that they are either unable to get insurance or have to put their family home in ‘hock' so they can keep working.

Many builders who had been working for decades and who enjoyed an excellent record for workmanship were unable to get insurance. n 1997 the NSW Labor Government privatised Home Warranty Insurance. The building industry and particularly small builders are too important to our economy for this problem to not be reformed or addressed. As a Coalition we will continue to seek a suitable solution to this matter.

Watkins Visit

The new Minister for Police, The Hon John Watkins, recently made a visit to the Lismore Electorate. This provided me with the opportunity to highlight to him the needs for the electorate, in particular a new station in Lismore.

Mr Watkins gave indications that he would investigate this further, therefore I will continue to pursue this with him.

Centenary Medals

Congratulations to the many worthy recipients who have recently been awarded Centenary Medals. There were numerous awardees from our area. Each of these people have been recognised for their outstanding and tireless service to the community.

School visits

I am always pleased to welcome students and school visits to Parliament House, when possible. Arrangements can be made by contacting my office with relevant particulars of anticipated date, number of students and representatives involved.

Environmental Trust

The NSW Environment Trust applications open on May 3 for the following programs –

• Environmental Restoration & Rehabilitation ($5,000-10,000)

• "Protecting our Places" Program ($2,000-20,000)

• Eco Schools Grants Program ($1,500)

• Environmental Research (up to $250,000)

• Environmental Education ($5,000-100,000)

Forms and further information can be obtained from my office or the Trust's website – www.epa.nsw.gov.au/envtrust.

Please do not hesitate to contact my office regarding any matters on (ph) 6621 3624, (f) 6622 140, by writing to PO Box 52 Lismore, e-mail; thomas.george@parliament.nsw.gov.au or www.thomasgeorge.com.au