Welcome, I am pleased to provide a summary of current events in Canberra which you may find of interest and update you on what we’ve been up to this month. Please feel free to click on the link for my website and my feedback if you’d like to send me any comments.

 

All the best and thanks for your support,

 

I have been working very hard along with my fellow National Party Senators to get the message out to the Australian people fighting against Labor’s proposed Emissions Trading Scheme. The ETS is a massive tax which will have no significant effect in reducing Australia’s Carbon Emissions while at the same time will result in economic devastation for hard working Australians. If Labor gets its way introducing this ridiculous tax we can say goodbye to our beef and sheep industry; say goodbye to our manufacturing industry. Hard working Australian businessmen and women, who are already doing it tough, will be forced to shut up shop and walk away, unable to cope with increasing costs brought about by the burden of Labor’s excessive new tax. We are doing everything we can to try and stop this but we can’t do it alone and we need your help. If you get a chance, go online, hit the blog sites, write letters to your local papers and call talkback radio. It’s now at the 59^th minute of the 11^th hour and we all need to pull together as a team if we are to save our nation from economic destruction.

 

Recently I was asked what should be done to tackle the increasing number of boat arrivals in Australian waters. This is a matter of great concern and as we know has had tragic consequences for a number of those involved. Rather than focussing on Indonesia Mr Rudd should be seeking a diplomatic solution by engaging with the Sri Lankan Government. Instead of dispatching a senior diplomat to Colombo, Mr Rudd should go there himself and attempt to personally seek an assurance from the Sri Lankan Government to negotiate the safe repatriation of these people to their homeland. This would be a far more effective alternative than the extension of the Christmas Island detention centre.

 

One of the most pressing issues for people living in rural and regional Australia is the lack of adequate telecommunications services. My office is inundated by callers complaining about the lack of services for people living in the bush. The Telstra issue is due to come before the Senate soon and although I believe it should be separated, it’s how it’s done that is the real issue. Any restructure should ensure that Telstra is obliged to commit itself to the provision of reasonable access to telecommunications services on an equitable basis for all Australians including those of us who live and work in rural and regional Australia.

 

Last week National Party Senator John Williams and I flew to Hillston in Central Western NSW where we met 10 year old cancer survivor Cambell McMaster. We participated in a fundraising night held by the Hillston Branch of the National Party to raise money for an early cancer diagnosis PET scanning machine for the Sydney Children’s Hospital. More than $8000 was raised on the night. Young Cambell is an inspiration to all and both John and I were privileged to have been invited to contribute to such a worthy cause.