New website helps locals volunteer

In a push to get more people volunteering for community groups and events in Durack, Federal Member for Durack Melissa Price has linked up with the DoSomething! charity to launch a website that makes it easier for people to volunteer. By typing in their suburb or postcode at www.dosomethingnearyou.com.au/Melissa-price people will be able to find community groups and events that they can lend a hand to in their local community.

Ms Price said volunteers can then sign up for their local SES or local volunteer fire service, help out at their local charity op shop, volunteer for their local Meals on Wheels, join their local Rotary or Lions Club or help out with a myriad of other community programs.

“People can also find out how to get involved in events such as Clean Up Australia, Daffodil Day, National Tree Day, the Red Shield Appeal and much more,” Ms Price said.

“By giving back and volunteering we can make our communities stronger and nicer places to live. I am excited to be working with DoSomething! to help our local community in this way.

“As a Director of the Cancer Council I have seen firsthand the valuable contribution that volunteers make to our community and the sense of wellbeing experienced by the individual volunteer.

“If your community organisation or not-for-profit event is not yet listed on the DoSomethingNearYou.com.au site, you can help the Durack community grow by registering your listing on the site at no cost.”

How does Australia’s employee award system affect you?

With a review of Australia’s employee award system underway by the Fair Work Commission (FWC), your regional representatives want to hear directly from you to assess whether penalty rates are still relevant.

Member for Durack Melissa Price and Member for O’Connor Rick Wilson are calling for all business owners, industry representatives and interested community members to submit their views.

Ms Price said many shops in Western Australia, particularly in regional areas, remain closed on Sunday’s despite extended trading hours being introduced in August last year.

“The purpose of this regional enquiry by Rick and I, is to determine how the employees’ award system affects small business owners and young workers in particular, and to seek any suggestions for change to improve the current system,” Ms Price said.

“Although it is understandable that low paid workers would welcome the payment of penalty rates on weekends and public holidays, if these higher rates make businesses unviable to open on those days, no one earns any money.”

According to research and advocacy group the Brotherhood of St Laurence, the rate of youth unemployment has been on the rise over the past two years, with regions in the Durack and O’Connor Electorates having the highest rates in the State, with 8.5% in the North-West, 10% in the North-East and 11% in the Wheatbelt.

“It is important that Australia is able to find a balance between ensuring small businesses remain viable and are able to service the public, and providing a fair rate for employees who work outside ‘normal’ hours,” Ms Price said.

Member for O’Connor Rick Wilson said this was a long-standing issue for young people and small business owners in country areas.

“There is growing evidence that penalty rates are leading to small businesses not opening on weekends,” Mr Wilson said.

“This is particularly evident in areas of the electorate dependent on tourism.

“The lack of weekend work makes it difficult for young people, especially those in gap years, who are struggling to find opportunities to earn enough to satisfy Youth Allowance requirements.”

All submissions are welcome. Please send your submission to Ms Price’s Geraldton Electorate Office, 2B/209 Foreshore Drive, Geraldton WA 6530. 

Durack drought assistance now available

From Monday, farmers doing it tough in and around Durack can apply for government assistance as part of a new $320 million comprehensive drought support package. Federal Member for Durack Melissa Price welcomed Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce’s announcement today that greater support will be made available for farm businesses, families and communities across Australia.

“Farming is a very significant part of our community and it plays a critical role in our regional communities and local economy,” Ms Price said.

Minister Joyce said the assistance package is designed to help those experiencing hardship right now, and to help them recover when the current drought ends.

“We understand farm businesses and farm families across Australia are suffering financially and emotionally because of the prolonged drought.

“As a result, the Australian Government will extend concessional loans to eligible drought affected farm businesses; provide funds for water infrastructure and pest eradication; as well as funds for counselling support services for farmers.”

As part of the package:

• More generous criteria for accessing income support will be made available to farmers from 3 March 2014 instead of 1 July 2014.
• Drought Concessional Loans totalling $280 million will be allocated to give eligible farm businesses the resources to recover from the effects of drought.
• $10 million in assistance will be available for pest management in drought affected areas.
• $10.7 million will help increase access to social and mental health services in communities affected by this drought.

“I encourage farmers in and around Durack who believe they may be eligible, to talk to a rural financial counsellor to check their availability,” Ms Price said.

“The final details regarding the administration of the drought assistance package will still need to be finalised by the State Government.”

In the meantime, to learn more about eligibility criteria, phone the Drought and Farmer Assistance Hotline on 13 23 16.

For more information on the drought support package or other assistance available, visit http://www.daff.gov.au/agriculture-food/drought/assistance/drought-support-farmers-fact-sheet 

New senate election for WA

West Australian’s will have to vote again this year after the High Court has officially voided last year’s senate election.

The Australian Electoral Commission rallied to have September’s election void as nearly 1,400 ballots were lost during a recount. 

Now 1.5 million WA voters will have to head back to the ballot boxes to vote for six senators.

The date for the election has not yet been released by the Government. 

Funding boost for Home and Community Care

Older people and those with a disability in Western Australia will benefit from a $19.3million increase in funding, including $9.4million for new or expanded Home and Community Care (HACC) services in the State.

Geraldton MLA Ian Blayney said the additional funding will be used to target priority areas such as the $175,000 that will go to the Midwest and Gascoyne Health Region for capital purchases to support the delivery of existing services in the Mid-West region.

Announcing the extra funding for 2013-14 today, Health Minister Kim Hames said community-based support services were a key component in supporting people across the continuum of care, providing choice and care closer to home.

“Western Australia’s total HACC program funding for 2013-14 will rise by 7.8 per cent to $266.4million - $104.7million of which is provided by the State Government,” Dr Hames said.

“Without HACC services such as nursing, social support, respite care, domestic assistance, and transport services, many people would not be able to continue living independently in the community.”

The Minister said the additional funds would support more people to maintain their independence and connection with their community.

“In Western Australia we are targeting funding to expand existing services and establish new services in identified priority areas of need,” he said.

“The non-government sector plays a pivotal role in developing and providing quality services to meet the needs of older people and people with disabilities, plus services for Aboriginal people, people with dementia and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.”

Government release shark catch data and say the methods are working well

The State Government has released details of the first three weeks of its new drum line initiative, part of a $23million shark hazard mitigation program.

The South-West contractor (who commenced January 25) has caught 23 sharks in total, disposing of 13 tiger sharks over three metres in length, and successfully releasing six smaller sharks.

Since February 1, Department of Fisheries crews operating at the five metropolitan beach sites have caught 43 sharks.  Four tiger sharks have been disposed of, 34 have been released.  Some 28 of these sharks have been tagged with ID tags to assist with research and shark tracking.

In total, 49 sharks were under three metres in length, nine were dead and 40 were released alive. These figures are current as at 6pm, Sunday, February 16.

Fisheries Minister Ken Baston said today the early results showed the methods used by the crews were working well.

“We have caught and destroyed a number of large sharks within one kilometre of selected beaches, at a time of year when our beaches are crowded.  This catch data proves there are a large number of big sharks near these beaches,” Mr Baston said.

Both the South-West contractor and the Fisheries crews have been able to successfully release the vast majority (82 per cent) of any sharks under three metres, with no by-catch of other marine species.

“We believe the hook and bait systems we are using are successfully targeting larger sharks and not other fish species, and I commend the crews who have been diligent in releasing as many caught sharks as possible,” the Minister said.

The Fisheries vessel used in metropolitan waters has been modified with a specially constructed ramp and sea water circulation system to ensure sharks smaller than three metres survived.

“The crews try to support the shark while it is being measured, tag it where possible and release the shark out at sea if time allows,” Mr Baston said.

Mayor’s bitter disappointment at Abbott ‘pulling the rug’ on City NBN

Senator for Western Australia, Louise Pratt, has come out in support of City of Greater Geraldton Mayor, Ian Carpenter’s submission to the Senate National Broadband Network Select Committee last week, on the City’s bitter disappointment to possible cuts to the National Broadband Network (NBN). It was back in 2010 the [then] Broadband, Communications and Digital Economy Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, announced Geraldton as one of 19 regional sites in Australia to benefit from the rollout of extended broadband connections to about 3000 properties, after the City had lobbied hard to leverage off the NBN required to support the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project.

Mr Carpenter said he is bitterly disappointed that since the Federal election the Coalition Government may “pull the rug” from the Geraldton community dividing it into “haves” and “have nots” with its decision to pull out of fibre to the premises (FTTP) connections.

“Geraldton people deserve more than that,” he said, “the City was very proactive in its planning on the back of the promised NBN rollout. As the Regional Capital of the Mid West the City adopted a Digital Strategy to ensure it was at the forefront of this wonderful technology opportunity but it is predicated on the reticulation of a ubiquitous fibre to the premises (FTTP) model. Failure to deliver this model will ruin our competitive advantage,” Mr Carpenter said.

“Now, as Senator Pratt says, we may be left with a ‘digital divide’ between residents that have benefitted from the FTTP rollout and those who would have a fibre to the node (FTTN) connected under the Abbott Government’s NBN plan.”

He said the “have nots” will be left with a seriously degraded copper network and a second-rate technology as a result of the decision.

“Also based on the back of the promised NBN rollout, the City of Greater Geraldton was one of only 33 cities in the world to receive an IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grant in 2012.

“Six IBM executives spent three weeks in Geraldton and produced a report that outlined an approach to take full advantage of the NBN, putting Geraldton on the digital world map,” said Mr Carpenter.

“They advocated creating the foundation for a digital Geraldton; smart digital and services hubs and developing innovative opportunities with the NBN, among other things, which the City embraced. If we do not get the promised network, our plans will be compromised.

“The high speed network was switched on at the Geraldton Digital Hub in July last year (2013) and the initial release from NBN Co was to provide access to 600 homes and businesses, with NBN availability to reach several thousand premises by the end of July 2013 and completion of the rollout at the end of this year.

“The Geraldton Digital Hub has helped many small enterprises and community members with free online training to take advantage of the high speed network.

“I am concerned much of our hard work may be wasted,” Mr Carpenter said.

$200 counselling voucher for newlyweds

The Federal Government will give all newlyweds a $200 marriage counselling voucher as of July 1. The initiative is part of the Government's $20 million trial to strengthen relationships and avoid family breakdowns.

The Federal Government believes it will strengthen relationships, create more happiness and stability in the home and create a better environment for children.

The main focus is for couples who are married or intending to marry but people who are in a committed relationship including same-sex couples will also be eligible.

The trial will be evaluated after a year.

Blayney labels WALGA “out of touch with local communities”

Geraldton MLA Ian Blayney has labelled WALGA president Mayor Troy Pickard as out of touch with community expectations following comments this week suggesting Councils are being blamed for inefficiencies and delays that are in fact caused by external requirements placed on them beyond their control. Mr Blayney said the comments in a WALGA release ‘Councils call to reduce red tape burden’ and published in part in this week’s Midwest Times (Dec 19) were short-sighted and failed to acknowledge the accountability that “such meetings enforce the discipline of fronting the electors and presenting an annual report”.

Mayor Pickard cited Annual Electors Meeting requirements as one example of an external requirement no longer required in the contemporary environment.

“The comments are referring to the requirement of Local Government to have an Annual Electors Meeting, which you refer to as an example of ‘convoluted and outmoded government process’,” Mr Blayney said.

“I think such comments indicate that as an organisation you are completely out of touch with the community. Such meetings enforce the discipline of fronting the electors and presenting an annual report.

“If it’s good enough for publicly –listed companies to have to do this, it’s good enough for Councils to do it as well.”