Minister delays urgently-needed Family Day Care places in the ACT
Senator for the ACT, Kate Lundy has criticised the Minister for Family Services, Judi
Moylan, for delaying funding for new family day care places in the ACT.
"Family Day Care organisations have approached me about the delay in funding new
places," Senator Lundy said today.
"I understand funding for the places was allocated in last year’s budget and
a planning committee met in June this year to determine the high-need areas for child care
in the ACT. Gungahlin, in particular, was recognised as being in urgent need of more
family day care places. The decision of the planning committee was sent to the Minister,
Judi Moylan, for approval two months ago but as of yesterday, the Minister has still not
dealt with the matter.
"The delay is doubled because this is just an initial brief to the Minister. After
approving the high-need areas, the brief needs to be returned to the Department and then a
request for funding has to be forwarded back to the Minister for further approval.
"At this rate, the funding to family day care organisations will be delayed a
further six months and parents will be lucky to see any new places before June next year.
"Family Day Care providers are either waiting for the funding to employ new carers
or going ahead and subsidising the service themselves. The process for funding approval is
lengthy but this extra delay is causing great difficulties for care providers to plan
ahead. Phone calls to the Minister’s office have gone unanswered.
"Two months is long enough for a Minister to sit on a brief, especially when it is
not the end of the process. One could be very cynical and wonder whether the delay is
intentional to save the Government money but surely the Minister wouldn’t do
that," Senator Lundy said.
For further information please call Senator Lundy or Kym Connolly on 277 3334
Howard forced to move on National Museum
Senator Kate Lundy today welcomed the news that Prime Minister Howard will tonight make
an announcement on the future of the National Museum of Australia but reserved her final
judgement until the project details were public.
"I welcome reports that John Howard will announce construction of the National
Museum and deliver on his very unambiguous election commitment, although I am disappointed
that it has taken seven months of lobbying to get it," Senator Lundy said.
"A united campaign by Labor, the community and business has pushed the Howard
Government into making a positive commitment to Canberra through the National Museum. John
Howard's statement for the ACT has come from intense pressure from Labor.
"I look forward to hear the Prime Minister's statement on both Canberra and the
Museum. There has been no indication as whether there will be private sector involvement
into the Museum and the extent of this involvement. This will need to be scrutinised.
"I am also disappointed about the choice of Acton Peninsula as the museum site as
I have always believed that Yarramundi is the best site. The choice of Acton conveniently
gets Kate Carnell and the ACT Government off the hook in relation to the Kingston land
swap.
"I call on the Prime Minister to release the Inquiry's report and make the
Committee's deliberations public and open to scrutiny. While being pleased that money will
be committed to the project, we still need to be vigilant about the character and quality
of the Museum.
"I expect this evening's statement by the Prime Minister will also attempt to
address some of the issues raised in the petition that I am circulating in Canberra, such
as regional business development and the need for a vision for Canberra's role as the
nation's Capital. But like Kate Carnell's strategy for the ACT released on Monday, I
expect his statement will lack innovation and heartfelt commitment and will pander to the
big end of corporate Canberra at the expense of small businesses," Senator Lundy
concluded.
For further comment call Senator Kate Lundy or Kym Connolly on 277 3334
$122,000 of Christmas Spirit from the Canberra Tradie's Clubs
The true community spirit of the Canberra Licensed Clubs will make this
Christmas much brighter for eleven local charities.
On behalf of the Canberra and Woden Trademens' Union Clubs, Senator Kate
Lundy will be distributing $122,000 to Canberra charities at a morning tea on Thursday 12
December at Parliament House.
Media are encouraged to attend.
10.30 am Thursday 12 December 1996 Main Committee Room Parliament House
Parliamentary passes will be required for entry to the Main Committee
room. If you need a pass tomorrow please call Senator Lundy's office on 277 3334 to make
prior arrangements.
For further comment call Senator Kate Lundy or Kym Connolly on 277 3334
Howard's holding up the Train.
Senator Kate Lundy has today accused the Prime Minister of holding up the
Sydney-Canberra high speed rail project.
"Advice that we have received indicates that the Prime Minister is ignoring
approaches from NSW Government to advance the project to the next stage - the calling of
competitive Expressions of Interest.
"I understand that the NSW and ACT Governments are seeking the participation of
the Federal Government in a jointly funded Commonwealth, ACT and NSW task force to
progress this next stage. Formal approaches have been made to the Prime Minister but as
yet the response has been silence.
"The Prime Ministerial hold-up is blatantly obstructionist" Senator Lundy
said.
"The fast train link has the potential to transform the Canberra and Australian
Capital Region economy and is one of the few bright spots on our regional horizon. The
Prime Minister has an obligation to take action immediately.
"The ball is in the Prime Minister's court. Once again we see him languishing in
indecision and denying regional Australia the opportunity to even explore future growth
opportunities.
"The viability of the fast train project needs to be explored immediately and I
call upon the Prime Minister to respond immediately and support the State and Territory
Government proposal," Senator Lundy concluded.
For further comment call Senator Kate Lundy or Kym Connolly on 277 3334
Howard's hold-up plans foiled
Please refer to previous statement dated this day.
In question time today in Federal Parliament, the Prime Minister responded to pressure
to commit to the next stage of the fast train link between Canberra and Sydney.
"The next stage involves a Commonwealth, ACT and NSW Government jointly funded
task force calling for competitive Expressions of Interest that will give all the private
sector fast train contenders the opportunity to prove their viability. Senator Lundy said
today.
"The NSW and ACT Governments have finally received a positive response from the
Prime Minister to allow this stage to proceed. The Canberra/Sydney fast train link has the
potential to transform the regional economy in both tourism, commuter travel and light
manufactures export potential.
"Unfortunately the Prime Minister's statement on Canberra offered nothing new.
Other than the announcement on the rail project, the Prime Minister's response to the
"Dorothy Dix-er" question only rehashed previous announcements relating to the
National Museum and International Airport studies in a weak attempt to portray some
activity in the face of the economic devastation his Government's policies have caused in
the Australian Capital Region" the Senator concluded.
For further comment call Senator Kate Lundy or Kym Connolly on 277 3334
Come and see what the Coalition wants to destroy...
Wattle Child Care Centre in Wattle St Lyneham is a small community based centre
offering long day care for 28 children between the ages of 6 weeks and 5 years.
Wattle Child Care presently receives an operational subsidy which the Howard Government
intends to abolish. It is a fully community centre being managed by a committee of parents
and staff.
Starting off four years ago in a refurbished house, Wattle has gone from strength to
strength thanks to parents and dedicated staff.
Despite lack of substantial funding, the parents and staff of Wattle have managed to
raise through fundraising events, enough money to fit the Centre with evaporative air
conditioning.
To mark this event and to continue the never ending cycle of fundraising to improve the
centre's environment, Wattle will be holding an Art Show at the Centre on Friday 29
November from 5.30 to 7pm.
Senator Kate Lundy will officially flick on the air-conditioning at 5.30pm and open the
art show.
The artworks are the creation of the children at Wattle Child Care and are beautifully
framed and for sale on the night.
Wattle Child Care is located at 38 Wattle St Lyneham.
For further comment call Senator Kate Lundy or Kym Connolly on 230 0411 or Sue
Jennings, Wattle Child Care Director on 248 7647
EPAC Report -the end of Child Care as we know it.
Kate Lundy, Senator for the ACT has deplored the EPAC report into child care as the end
of quality child care in Australia and predicted a return to low- quality, inaccessible
care in the future.
The EPAC report Future Child Care Provisions in Australia has been with the Federal
Government for several weeks and was only released to the public last night.
"The release of this report is a black day for child care in Australia and our
children will be the greatest losers," Senator Lundy said today.
"Parent choice will be diminished rather than enhanced. Parent-run community
centres will be squeezed out of the industry. The Government will introduce an inferior
home-based system where quality and safety simply can not be monitored. Existing
family-day care organisations will be ignored while private, market-driven centres will
come and go according to viability.
"This type of system will not provide the long term security that is essential to
children’s needs. Nor does it recognise that families have different needs and
expectations. Simplicity does not increase choice, diversity does.
>"I have been intensely involved with developments in child care over the past
six months and what has continually disappointed me has been the focus on financial
savings to the Government rather than the needs of children.
"The children should always be the primary concern of policy makers. This report
simply repeats government policy and direction. It could have been written in the
Minister’s office. The Government has already cut child care by $211 million in their
budget and this report simply gives them more savings.
"The Government’s policy does not recognise that child care is a work-related
expense. Financial assistance to parents will be cut further. Many will have to make the
difficult decision whether to even continue to work. Others will be forced to seek cheaper
care where the quality will be questionable. As Governments we should be more concerned
about the care of children under five," Senator Lundy said.
For further information please call Senator Lundy or Kym Connolly on 230 0411.
Liberal's Budget the worst ever for the ACT
Senator for the ACT, Kate Lundy has described the Liberal's first Federal Budget as the
worst that the ACT has ever experienced.
"There is very little good news for the ACT in last night's budget," Senator
Lundy said. "Could Costello have given us worse?"
"Where is the vision for the ACT that the Federal Government promised to Kate
Carnell and the Canberra Business Council earlier this year? We all feel cheated."
"$26 million has been cut from Capital Works programs in the ACT, namely the
cancellation of three construction projects, the new Federal Police Headquarters, and new
homes for the Department of Environment, Sport and Territories and the National Film and
Sound Archives.
"Each of these Labor projects had been a boost for the local construction industry
and would have provided extra jobs in the private sector when the public sector was having
it guts ripped out.
"Public health in the ACT has suffered a enormous blow with the Liberals slashing
funding to hospitals nationally by $1 billion. Kate Carnell had great difficulties meeting
her health budget this past year, further cuts in federal grants must be giving her a few
heart murmurs.
"The National Museum is still in doubt with the Government refusing to allocate
money to actually construct the museum. Yet again we are getting another 'full reaching'
inquiry into siting possibilities but with no projected budget, how will the Inquiry know
what to plan for?
"With cuts in running costs, programs and services, thousands of jobs will be lost
in the public service. For every three lost, one job will also go in the private sector
and the s services that previously supported families will no longer be there. The chill
of Canberra's winter is set to stay for the next three years.
21 August 1996
Child Care will be crippled over the next three years
The Liberal's 1996 Federal Budget has foreseen the dismantling of child care in
Australia as we know it.
Senator for the ACT, Kate Lundy, has described the Howard Government as deceitful for
hiding details of changes to the child care system.
"Only intense questioning in the estimates process will unearth the true impact of
the government's changes to this country's child care system," Senator Lundy said.
"Operational subsidies have been cut to community-based child care centres. John
Howard says this is to create equal competition between private and community centres. The
only impact of this step is to create higher fees for those families who use community
centres.
"There are numerous community centres in the ACT who depend on these grants to
operate. Community centres are often the only child care available in regional and low
income areas. These centres will have no option but to raise their fees or close their
doors.
"Income tests for child care assistance will be tightened for families with more
than one child. This will see existing financial assistance decrease and families having
to find money to fill the gap.
"The fee ceiling for both Child Care Assistance and Child Care Rebate have been
frozen for two years. This means that more and more families will find themselves
ineligible for assistance as ceilings remain frozen regardless of inflation or CPI.
"Eligibility for Child Care Rebate has been further restricted with those families
who do not receive any other child care assistance or family payments, being further
disadvantaged.
"Child Care assistance will also be limited to 50 hours per week per child. This
leaves families with shift work or varied hours with less assistance.
"A hidden change in the budget is one that the child care sector has been fearing
for some time.
"From January 1998, those families who will still be receiving some financial
assistance will have the option of receiving that payment directly rather than it being
paid to providers as at present.
"Direct payment of family child care assistance to centres and family day care
organisations gave providers a guaranteed income to plan and budget in confidence. It
meant that lower fees could be offered to all families and special assistance available
for disadvantaged children. That flexibility and financial confidence will be gone putting
the viability of private and community centres and family day care, in question.
"John Howard's proud boast that family day care had been protected has been
clearly exposed as a lie. All sectors of this country's child care system have suffered a
serious blow. The question whether they can withstand the hit and whether families will be
able to afford formal care in the future, is yet to be seen. I fear the worst.
21 August 1996
Liberals have little to offer ACT Small Business
Senator Lundy was today critical of the Federal Government's commitment to small
business saying it was a shame that Liberal Government's policies for small business
wasn't stronger on substance and lighter on rhetoric.
"Geoff Prosser, Minister for Small Business, is addressing a seminar in Canberra
today designed to increase the skills of small business operators. I'll be interested to
read the Minister's comments because it is an up-hill battle to be a thriving and
expanding small business operator in the ACT with this Government's policies.
"According to Prosser, small business will be the 'engine room of economic growth'
under the Liberal Government. But what economic growth? They have just stripped $4 billion
out of budget spending which will slow economic growth by 1/2 a percentage point over the
next financial year.
"The Government's 'package' for small business consists entirely of the Workplace
Relations Bill. But the small business operators who appeared before the senate committee
investigating the bill told senators that industrial relations was the least of their
concerns.
"The present award system provides a level playing field for all businesses. No
matter how small the business is, they can be confident that all similar businesses are
required to pay their employees the same. There is no unfair advantage. Competition then
becomes contingent on marketing and performance.
"The Government's industrial relations changes just increases the red-tape and
bureaucratical procedures for small businesses. Not only will employers have to draw up a
contract for each employee and monitor the wages paid by their competitors, they will have
to offer each of their employees a selection of five different superannuation funds to
choose from. We could see each employee choose a different fund and the small business
operator having to manage payments to several different funds. It is ridiculous.
"I shall be interested to see whether the Minister for Small Business, Geoff
Prosser can offer small businesses in the ACT more than he has offered publicly in the
House. With one job at risk for every three public sector jobs cut, we need vision and
leadership for the ACT, not hollow words from the Liberal Government.
12 September 1996
Why the ACT loses in a Telstra sell-off
The sale of Telstra could lead to higher telephone charges, loss of local jobs in both
Telstra and the local telecommunications industry and the down-grading of new technology
into areas such as Gungahlin.
Senator Kate Lundy, a member of the senate committee that examined the Telstra
Privatisation Bill, today warned of the negative results that a sale of Telstra could mean
for residents of the ACT. The committee report Telstra - to sell or not to sell? was
tabled in the Senate yesterday afternoon.
"Regional Australia will be worst hit by the privatisation of Telstra,"
Senator Lundy said.
"It is a little known fact that the ACT residents benefit from telecommunications
cross subsidies. The senate committee found that cross subsidies could not be guaranteed
under a privatised Telstra and that cost rises would be inevitable.
"We also found that there was no protection under the legislation on what even
constituted a 'local call'. We could easily see a call within Belconnen considered local,
but a call from Belconnen to Tuggeranong charged as STD. Or anything outside territory
boundaries charged as STD which would see a call to Queanbeyan charged at long distance
rates. There were inadequate consumer protections from this in the Government's Telstra
Bill.
"Even before the sale has been passed by the senate, Telstra has already made
plans to shed almost 25,000 staff over the next two years in a clear attempt to make the
company more attractive for potential buyers. However it was like drawing teeth to get
Telstra management to admit their staffing plans. Telstra went out of its way to hide
these figures.
"One can be sure that regional offices will go first. One more job lost in the ACT
region is one too many under this Government," Senator Lundy said.
"Regional areas, and the ACT included, will miss out on the provision of new and
high quality technologies. A privatised Telstra will be a private monopoly in regional
Australia,denying services that are not profitable.
"This is already evident from Telstra's ever changing plans in Gungahlin. Under a
publicly owned Telstra, Gungahlin residents were going to get access to cutting-edge
technology even though the profits for Telstra were at least ten years out. With the sale
in mind, Telstra has down graded the technology going into Gungahlin.
"The ACT has a vibrant and developing telecommunications industry and one of the
reasons for this was the Gungahlin project. The Telstra Inquiry found that research and
development would become a low priority for a privatised Telstra.
"Neither the Government, Telstra or the Department of Finance, the big three
advocates of selling-off Telstra, could provide the senate committee with any substantial
empirical evidence to back the claim that a privatised Telstra would benefit either the
Australian economy or Australian consumers.
"The only justification they could provide was based on case studies such as the
Trinidad and Tobago Methanol Company, a textile company in Tunisia and privatisation in
Haiti.
"We found that the only way to ensure that Australians retained access to quality
services at competitive prices; social benefits flowing from Telstra's revenues to
government; opportunities for employment and local manufacturing; and an interest in
developing telecommunications technologies and industry innovation;
was to keep Telstra fully publicly owned with the power for the Minister to direct the
corporation.
"It is the only way to ensure all Australians have equal access to new technology
at reasonable prices and at an equal standard," the Senator said.
Reith's Secret Plans for the Public Service
Minister for Industrial Relations, Peter Reith's secret plans for the Public Service
have been exposed today in Question Time.
In a question to Senator Richard Alston, Minister representing the Minister for
Industrial Relations in the Senate, ACT Senator Kate Lundy revealed that the Government is
formulating further plans for the public service that will result in serious changes to
employee conditions.
It was revealed that leaked minutes show that Minister Reith had briefed the Treasury,
Finance and Public Administration Government Backbench Committee on the Government's
future plans for the Commonwealth Public Service.
The Government's plans include:
· the need to encourage more private sector practice in the public sector
· a wide ranging review of leave and allowance payments, and
· the need for more direct relationships between public servants and management
"Translated this means individual contracts and the slashing of public servant
awards," Senator Lundy said.
"If public servants thought they had survived the worst from this government, they
now must think again. Minutes leaked from the Government committee clearly show that the
Government is planning further attacks on public service workers.
"The Government intends to draw back the hard-earned conditions in the public
service to the barest minimum experienced in the private sector.
"What is sad is that the Democrats, by agreeing to pass the Workplace Relations
Bill, is essentially serving up the public service to the Government on a platter. When
public servants have been sacked, discriminated against and their conditions slashed, the
Democrats can feel fully responsible," Senator Lundy said.
19 September 1996
Secure Canberra's Future Petition Launched
A petition to secure Canberra's future as the national capital and home to over 300,000
people was launched in the Senate last night by Labor's ACT Senator, Kate Lundy.
The petition (attached) is another attempt to pressure the Howard Government to remedy
the damage their policies are having on the ACT.
"It is clearly evident that the election of the Howard Government was a
devastating blow for the future of Canberra. It didn't have to be that way. But the
Liberals seem to have a total disregard for Canberra as the capital and Canberra as a home
to over 300,000 people", Senator Lundy said.
"The Prime Minister refuses to move to his official residence. He is only a
part-time Prime Minister in Canberra. Our local economy has been savaged by the attacks on
Canberra's largest employment sector, the Public Service. People aren't spending,
businesses are closing down, families are moving on and the Prime Minister is responsible.
"One can see Canberra quickly becoming a ghost town - a mickey mouse national
capital - starved of funds and innovative policies.
"I have spoken to Government Ministers, written letters and lobbied through the
media, but as yet John Howard has given no indication that he has listened. Our next step
as a community must be to show John Howard the depth of feeling in Canberra about his
policies.
"We are proud to live in the Australian capital but this is also our home.
Canberra needs a future both as a capital city and as a community. The Liberals have to
recognise this and take action through stating their commitment to the capital and backing
initiatives that will assist Canberra through this difficult period.
"If the only way we can achieve this is by getting thousands of signatures on a
petition, then let's get going. We can show John Howard the depth of our social and
financial pain.
"I will distribute the petition to shopping centres, businesses and community
groups. I encourage people to call me for a copy. We have to get this petition to every
Canberran. Take it into your workplaces and into your neighbourhoods. Completed petitions
can then be returned to me and I will present them to the Senate", Senator Lundy
said. Petition to Secure Canberra's Future
