Last University Games?
Howard's attack will damage grass-roots and elite sport
With the 2005 Australian University Games coming to a close in Brisbane today
it begs an important question: will this be the last?
The Howard Government's attack on student services will decimate sporting
clubs on university campuses.
The viability of the Australian University Games along with the Southern,
Eastern and Northern University Games will be placed seriously under threat.
Over 15,000 competitors this year alone have competed in University Games
competition and taking this opportunity away will reduce sport and recreation
participation rates across the country.
There are also long term ramifications for Australia's elite sporting
performance and these should also not be underestimated.
Former Vice President of the International Olympic Committee, Kevan Gosper
has publicly recognised that there is no doubt that VSU will cost us gold
medals.
30-35 members (or 8 percent) of the Australian Olympic Team in Beijing 2008
would have come from university sporting programs.
As many as a third of the Australian Olympic team in Athens had been
university students at some time.
The Prime Minister is out of touch – his ideological campaign is taking
opportunities away from young Australian's who are the future of our elite
sportsmen and women.
The Government needs to vote with Labor's amendment to ensure that facilities
and services on campus can be maintained.
Contact: Taryn Langdon 0417 148 059 or 02 6277 3334
16 ACT families left with no where to go
Joint Release
Senator Kate Lundy and Annette Ellis, Member for Canberra
Annette Ellis MP, Member for Canberra, and ACT
Senator Kate Lundy today expressed their sadness and anger over the imminent
closure of Burrangiri’s Saturday Dementia Day Care program.
Thanks to the Howard Government’s approach to
respite care funding in the ACT, the Saturday Dementia Day Care program at
Burrangiri will close its doors this Saturday after 10 years of service to
Canberra families.
“This is a tragedy for the people in Canberra
who desperately need this service.” Annette Ellis MP said. "This program
provides support to 16 families each and every Saturday – this closure has left
them no where to go."
“I have previously called on the Minister for
Ageing to meet with the families who will be adversely affected by the
Government’s tendering process. To date she has not accepted my challenge and I
don’t imagine she will.”
Senator Lundy said that “the Howard Government’s
tendering process is being driven by a love affair with competitive tendering,
outsourcing and market-based ideology. No thought has been given to continuity
of care, support for families or retention of experienced workers in Canberra.”
During the last election campaign the Howard
Government hid its plans to cut respite care services, this leaves Canberra
families wondering what services will be cut next.
Contact: Taryn Langdon 0417 148 059 or 02 6277 3334
Where's the Missing $67 million
Barnaby?
The Howard Government have re-badged an existing
$67 million from the HiBIS (Higher Bandwidth Incentive Scheme) funding to make
up the $1.1 billion their so-called 'Connect Australia' Fund.
Senator Joyce was duped into believing that the
$1.1 Fund was all new money, over and above existing commitments.
This is not the case. Senator Coonan's
statement to the Senate upon the tabling of the bills confirms that $67 million
from previously committed but yet-to-be-appropriated funds from the HiBIS forms
part of the $219,218 million that constitutes the amount in the Appropriations
Bill that was one of the five bills in the Telstra sale package.
Given that Labor Senators were prevented by the
Howard Government from exercising our right to ask questions in the Senate
debate to flush out this deceptive re-badging of existing funds, it was not
possible to get a statement on the record by the Minister on this issue.
The Howard Government, particuarly the National
Party, must come clean on this deception and admit that the claimed $1.1 billion
Connect Australia Fund is really a $1.033 billion dollar fund.
Howard Government arrogance and extreme tactics
in the Senate to prevent scrutiny has cost Australians $67 million in
telecommunications funding.
The bills have only been passed for one day and
already the Howard Government have been caught out.
Contact: Taryn Langdon 0417 148 059 or 02 6277 3334
