25 January 2007 - Media Release

Howard and Humphries sell out Canberra’s hopes for water security

The sneaky stunt of the federal and NSW liberal parties is proof the Howard Government will always play politics with water.

This is a very bad sign given the Howard Government’s intention to announce a water package later today.

Once again the people of the ACT (and Queanbeyan!) will bear the brunt of Howard’s disregard for the Nation’s Capital and the community that lives here.

But Senator Humphries stands condemned for being the only ACT elected representative that has failed to criticise the sneaky deal.

The democratically elected ACT Labor Government has been treated with utter contempt by the Howard Government yet again.

This slimy deal reneges on a long standing agreement, in place since 1988, that would have seen the ACT’s ownership and control of Googong Dam confirmed if it weren’t for the Prime Minister’s intervention.

It appears that the Federal Minister for Territories’ intention to confirm the long term arrangement with the ACT Government as recently as August 2006 has been overturned by the PM’s office in order to give his mate Pru Goward a leg up in her bid to get elected to the NSW Parliament on March 24.

We are disgusted by both the tactics and motivation of the Howard Government and their Liberal party mates in NSW.

The three Federal Labor members will stand by Jon Stanhope and the ACT Government’s effort to secure our region’s water supply and we note their efforts to date to achieve water security for not only Canberra, but to assist in towns like Yass and Goulburn.

We condemn the Howard Government for preventing this occurring and robbing the ACT of a long term solution. Their action is insulting and arrogant towards Canberrans who have worked hard to conserve water and grapple with long term restrictions in place.

Water is important. It ought not be yet another tool to be used by the Howard Government to manipulate votes for the NSW or the next Federal election!

Contact: Rachel Allen - 0418 488 295 (Lundy) Margaret Watt - 0438 271 749  (McMullan)  Ash Musgrove - 0419 020 419 (Ellis)

24 January 2007 - Media Release

Bishop Wrong on Linking Extreme IR Laws to Productivity

Today Julie Bishop, Minister for Education, again attempted to link the Howard Government’s extreme IR laws to productivity.

When will this Government come clean and admit that their unfair IR laws are about getting rid of unions and giving more power to big business, not about productivity.

Under the Howard Government's workplace laws, many Australians have lost the protection of unfair dismissal laws and are being forced onto AWA’s.

I ask the Minister for Education, how does offering employees less job security and eroding workplace rights increase productivity?  

The Howard Government has never presented any evidence that their extreme industrial relations changes will boost productivity because they can’t! There is no evidence!

Australia's productivity was strongest when employers and unions worked together to improve it.

Unlike the Howard Government, Labor has real answers to increasing Australia’s productivity and prosperity.

Yesterday Kevin Rudd released Labor’s new directions paper outlining the central role of education in Australia’s long-term economic future. The paper called for a revolution in education, from early childhood, to schools and TAFE colleges to universities and mature age workers.

Labor’s plan is for Australia to become the best educated country, most skilled economy and best trained workforce in the world.

Labor has real plan to address Australia’s productivity, Julie Bishop’s just has false rhetoric.

Contact: Rachel Allen – 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295

17 January 2007 - Media Release

Telstra makes Bywong a broadband black hole for some residents

The Howard Government’s pathetic lip service to telecommunication services for rural and regional Australians needs to be exposed once again by another example of a broadband blackspot in Bywong.

Telstra has sunk to a new low. They have lead on potential customers with false promises of broadband services and pulled the pin at the last minute.

A Bywong resident was promised Broadband by Telstra in May last year. The resident told that it would be installed if he could provide names of 6 to 8 other people who would subscribe.

The resident provided Telstra with 9 names and was advised in July 2006 that Telstra was awaiting approval for the service to be available in January 2007.

Last week, the resident was advised that Telstra had decided that the service would not be upgraded as it would 'cost too much' to improve the existing infrastructure that was not up to scratch.

This is yet another let down for Bywong residents, already cut off with inadequate mobile phone coverage.

Telstra are a national disgrace and stand condemned for:

1.         Having made these commitments without checking the physical capacity of their network;

2.         For the poor quality of their physical network that prevents not only rural residents like those at Bywong from accessing broadband but many metropolitan consumers as well.

The resident, Mr Bob Knight can be contacted on 6238 1580 for comment

Contact: Taryn Langdon 6277 3334 or 0417 148 059

12 January 2007 - Media Release

Labor committed to Commonwealth dental service

Nicola Roxon and Kate Lundy visited the Civic Dental Clinic to explore further the way that a Commonwealth Dental Scheme could assist the work that they’re doing.

When the Howard Government was elected it closed down the Commonwealth dental scheme pulling several million dollars out of the ACT’s budget for dental care.

Even though the ACT Government has been investing more heavily in this area, they’ve been left to pick up the pieces by the Howard Government having washed their hands of the issue.

In the ACT, the waiting lists for non-urgent care are growing. Labor believes unless the Federal Government actually plays a role in dental care, waiting times will only get worse.

Labor calls on the Howard Government to actually take some responsibility for dental care. Labor believes that the Commonwealth has a role to play, and we are committed to playing a role in the dental area.

“ I get a lot of feedback from the people I represent that there isn’t an effective enough dental service here, and that’s because the Commonwealth pulled out many years ago,” Senator Lundy said.

“We know that with a Commonwealth dental program that those waiting lists would be much shorter; and people would be able to get their dental problems fixed much more quickly. And that’s why Labor is committed to providing those sorts of services to support clinics like the Civic Dental Clinic.”

I’m very pleased to be here with Nicola Roxon to highlight this problem. It’s a problem that’s all over Australia but one that’s very real for many Canberrans, and federal Labor wants to see it fixed.” Senator Lundy concluded.

For more information please contact Sean Kelly (Roxon), (03) 9687 7355 or 0410 541  (Lundy) 02 63773334

9 January 2007 - Media Release

‘Mild addiction’ bad reason for caffeine in kids drinks

Labor is concerned that new research showing that caffeine adds little to the taste and flavour of soft drink means that kids associate the uplifting effect of caffeine with high-calorie soft drink.

“I believe it is in the interest of public health to ensure that caffeine is not added to create even mild addictions by children to any food or drink, but particularly not to sugar-sweetened soft drink.

Australia is in the grip of an obesity epidemic and all possible contributing factors, including food technology, need to be scrutinized to try and halt the trend.

I congratulate Dr Russell Keast, of Deakin University, in Victoria and his team for this research as it raises some important questions and issues relating to public health.

Children, particularly younger children do not have the knowledge or information to be able to make informed choices about the mild addictive effects of caffeine.

While the Howard Government dodges and weaves every time this issue is raised and continues to ignore childhood obesity at the expense of long term public health in Australia, I call on the industry to investigate their practices and take a responsible approach to their products.

I note that some companies have demonstrated responsible behaviour in relation to children’s health, such as the withdrawal of some soft drinks from school canteens, and I encourage them to urgently consider removing caffeine from drinks marketed at children”.

For more information contact Kate Lundy on 0419421553