Month: April 2019

A string of congestion busting projects across Perth have been given the green-light by the Morrison Government under the $4 billion Urban Congestion Fund.
The Urban Congestion Fund eliminates local hotspots and alleviates traffic headaches across the country.
A number of projects will receive a total of about $40 million and include:

• Widening works on the Mitchell Freeway from Hodges Drive to Hepburn Avenue, and from Reid Highway to Erindale Road;
• Upgrading Gnangara Road to a dual carriageway standard between Henley Brook Avenue and Egerton Drive in Aveley;
• Intersection upgrades at Henley Brook Avenue, Robert Street and Egerton Drive in Aveley

Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population Alan Tudge said the projects would get the people of Perth home sooner and safer.
“We want people to be doing what’s important to them, rather than sitting in traffic,” Mr Tudge said.
“The Liberal Nationals Government have boosted investment in congestion-busting urban projects.”
“These projects also solidify our Government’s firm commitment to ensuring Western Australia gets its fair share of infrastructure funding now and into the future.”
Federal Member for Pearce Christian Porter said the former State Liberal Government committed to widen the Freeway at two critical locations, but when WA Labor came to government in 2017 they scrapped the projects.
“These widening projects would have been finished by now if it wasn’t for WA Labor scrapping the funding,” Mr Porter said.
“I am very pleased the Federal Liberal Government is providing the funds to widen the Mitchell Freeway at two incredibly congested bottlenecks, getting people home to their families faster and safer.”
Federal Member for Moore Ian Goodenough said the investment in the Mitchell Freeway will bust congestion for the people of Moore.
“We want to improve life for all West Australians and these congestion busting projects will do just that.”
The projects build on an additional $1.6 billion of our Liberal Nationals Government’s investment into critical road and rail infrastructure across Perth and regional Western Australia in the recent budget.
More than $13.5 billion has been invested by the Liberal National Government in West Australian road and rail infrastructure since coming into Government in September 2013, including $4.8 billion over the past two Budgets.
Funding for key WA infrastructure projects in the recent Budget also includes:
Level Crossing Removals

• Oats Street/Welshpool Road/Mint Street Level Crossing Removal (Federal Government investment: $207.5 million)

Roads

• Albany Ring Road (Federal Government investment: $140 million)
• Fremantle Traffic Bridge (Swan River Crossing) (Federal Government investment: $115 million)
• Tonkin Highway projects (Stage 3 extension; Great Eastern Highway to Collier Road; Kelvin Road, Hale Road and Welshpool Road East intersection upgrades) (Federal Government investment: $348.5 million of additional funding bringing our overall commitment to those three projects to $929 million)
• Bunbury Outer Ring Road—Stages 2 and 3 (Federal Government investment: $122 million of additional funding taking our overall commitment to $682 million)

Roads of Strategic Importance Initiative

• Western Australian section of the Newman to Katherine Corridor (Federal Government investment: $70 million)
• Western Australian section of the Alice Springs to Halls Creek Corridor (Federal Government investment: $75 million)
• Karratha to Tom Price Corridor (Federal Government investment: $248 million)
• Wheatbelt Secondary Freight Network (Federal Government investment: $70 million)
• Western Australian section of the Port Augusta to Perth (Federal Government investment: $50 million)
• Pinjarra Heavy Haulage Deviation—Stage 1 (Federal Government investment: $22 million)

Urban congestion fund

• Thomas Road and Nicholson Road in Oakford (Federal Government investment: $10 million)
• Transforming Freeways—widening and introduction of Intelligent Transport System (ITS) (Kwinana and Mitchell Freeways) (Federal Government investment: $50 million)
• Lloyd Street Extension (Federal Government investment: $20 million)
• Abernethy Road Upgrade (Federal Government investment: $13.25 million)
• Lakelands Station (Federal Government investment: $10 million)
• Shorehaven Boulevard / Marmion Avenue Intersection Upgrade (Federal Government investment: $2.5 million)
• More Parking Bays at Mandurah Station (Federal Government investment: $16 million)

Major Project Business Case Fund

• Future Road and Rail Connections for Perth (Federal Government investment: $25 million)—to investigate future road and rail links to support the growth of the transport network in Perth
• Westport project (Federal Government investment: $10 million)—development of business cases and corridor preservation to support the Westport: Port and Environs Strategy, which is currently being developed by the WA Government.

Bill Shorten has been caught again with funding black holes in his supposed health promises.
He’s offering the states a new health agreement claiming it will increase funding to 50-50.
But he’s gone and spent the money.
It’s another health hoax from Labor and this time it’s the states who are being conned.
Shorten announced the $2.8 billion in last year’s Budget in Reply speech.
He’s now spending the money with no connection to a new funding agreement.
So where will the supposed new state money come from? Daniel Andrews is wasting taxpayers money lobbying for more funding, only to be conned by Bill Shorten.
This revelation comes on top of the funding black hole in Labor’s phoney “free” cancer promise which ignores the 421 Medicare items that relate to cancer. Indeed these are just the exclusively and predominantly cancer related items with many more general items that are not included but which can be used in the course of a cancer treatment.
Examples of the 421 items which are attached include:
 

• Item 15,338 – Prostate, radioactive seed implantation of, radiation oncology component, using transrectal ultrasound guidance, for localised prostatic malignancy at clinical stages t1 (clinically inapparent tumour not palpable or visible by imaging) or t2 (tumour confined within prostate), with a gleason score of less than or equal to 7 and a prostate specific antigen (psa) of less than or equal to 10ng/ml at the time of diagnosis. The procedure must be performed at an approved site in association with a urologist. Schedule Fee $935.60.
• Item 15,524 – Radiation Dosimetry by a CT interfacing planning computer for megavoltage or teletherapy radiotherapy to 3 or more areas, or by mantle fields or inverted Y fields or tangential fields or irregularly shaped fields using multiple blocks, or offaxis fields, or several joined fields. Schedule Fee $637.35.

 
Based on the range of cancer items matched to the Australian Medical Association’s table of recommended fees there would be a cost of $6.8 billion over four years.
However Chris Bowen has been caught out saying it will be for a single ‘new Medicare item’ (Bowen, Radio National 15 April 2019), while Catherine King says it’s for a number of ‘new Medicare items’ and concedes ‘we’ve got some work to do’ (King, doorstop 15 April 2019).
This is policy on the run and a cruel hoax on cancer patients.
And the proposal of funding for elective surgery for the states is a re-hash of a previous failed Labor Government program which was abandoned.
Labor has not been honest with patients, it’s not being honest with the states and it’s not being honest with the Australian people.
Bill Shorten’s track record in health is to stop listing medicines because of financial mismanagement.
The Morrison Government has increased hospital funding by $6.3 billion in the budget, is delivering record bulk billing and investing in breakthrough research and medicines to protect and save lives.
If you can’t manage the economy you can’t manage health.

Bill Shorten faces a critical test of his leadership as the Federal Court today penalised the militant CFMMEU and its officials, including CFMMEU Queensland boss and Labor Party National Executive member, Michael Ravbar.
The militant CFMMEU and two of its officials have been penalised a total of $58,500 for coercing a crane company in an attempt to have them sign on to a CFMMEU-friendly enterprise agreement in Brisbane in 2012. The Court found the CFMMEU is:
“an identified recidivist and it has, by its conduct, demonstrated a continuing defiance of the law.”
CFMMEU boss Michael Ravbar has himself been penalised $5,000 for giving the order to take the illegal action that led to today’s Federal Court decision.
The CFMMEU’s conduct cost workers their jobs or significant hours. It was undertaken despite the fact that workers had voted for a different enterprise agreement that gave them better value-for-money redundancy and insurance arrangements.
Bill Shorten has previously said of Mr Ravbar:
“if there is illegality established, well Labor has zero tolerance or place for that within the ranks of the Labor Party”
Despite this, Mr Shorten continues to support Mr Ravbar, who is a voting member of Labor’s National Executive.
Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, the Hon Kelly O’Dwyer, said Bill Shorten should do the right thing and sack Mr Ravbar from his National Executive position and sever ties once and for all with the militant CFMMEU, including by no longer accepting their donations.
“Bill Shorten has given a lawbreaking union boss a seat at the Labor Party’s most powerful table giving him a say about the party’s policy platform and decision-making,” Minister O’Dwyer said.
“This is a test of Bill Shorten’s character – he must demonstrate leadership and remove Michael Ravbar from his National Executive and sever ties with the CFMMEU, including refusing any more CFMMEU donations.”
“The decision today provides all the evidence you need to know about how bullying, intimidation and harassment would return to Australia’s construction sites under Labor, who have promised to scrap the building and construction watchdog the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).”
“This is a textbook example of how Bill Shorten will let lawbreakers become the lawmakers.”
The CFMMEU has been penalised over $16 million for unlawful conduct in cases brought by the ABCC and its predecessors. There are currently 80 CFMMEU representatives before the courts. Since Bill Shorten became leader, the CFMMEU has donated over $4.2 million to the Labor Party.
In the last 10 days alone the Courts have now handed down $2 million worth of penalties against the CFMMEU and its officials for conduct including:

• Unlawfully shutting down building sites;
• Abusing, threatening and harassing public servants;
• Intimidating female police officers;
• Instigating coordinated strikes across multiple building sites;
• Disrupting expensive construction work; and
• Coercing workers into paying union fees before they’re allowed to commence work.

“The CFMMEU see themselves as above the law. If Bill Shorten does not act, it will be clear he is happy to keep them there,” Minister O’Dwyer concluded.

The Morrison Government is investing $15 million over the next three years in Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS).
This funding will support ANROWS to produce, disseminate and promote new research into domestic and family violence and sexual assault.
ANROWS was established in 2013 as an initiative of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010‑2022.
Minister for Families and Social Services Paul Fletcher said ANROWS plays an important role in ensuring that domestic and family violence services and policy makers have access to high quality research.
“Our Government’s first priority is to keep Australians safe. An integral part of achieving this is building a strong body of evidence-based research on domestic, family, and sexual violence, in order to determine what works in addressing the scourge of domestic violence in the community,” said Mr Fletcher.
“This funding will also enable ANROWS to undertake targeted research on specific groups experiencing violence, such as women with disability, women from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.”
Under the Fourth Action Plan of the National Plan, ANROWS will receive $5.64 million to undertake a range of research and evaluation projects.
An additional $4.3 million will support ANROWS to carry out the 2021 round of the National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey (NCAS), and undertake further research into the 2017 NCAS findings.
In addition, the Commonwealth will provide ANROWS with $1.7 million in core funding per annum, for the next three years, bringing the total Commonwealth investment in ANROWS to $15 million.
The Morrison Government recently announced the largest ever Commonwealth investment of $328 million investment in the Fourth Action Plan, which includes a total of $9.2 million in research funding, including the $5.64 million for ANROWS.
The remaining funding will support key agencies such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to undertake ongoing work to address data gaps and produce high quality reports on family, domestic and sexual violence. It will also support evaluations of the National Plan and National Plan partner, Our Watch.
Minister Fletcher also announced a commitment of $480,000 for the Penrith Women’s Health Centre if the Morrison Government is re-elected.
“This funding commitment will improve the safety and resilience of women and children in Penrith and surrounds experiencing or at risk of family and domestic violence, through allocation of additional caseworkers and physical resources,” said Mr Fletcher.
Federal Liberal Candidate for Lindsay, Melissa McIntosh welcomed today’s announcement and highlighted the importance of this commitment for Penrith.
“The statistics on this issue are shocking – one in six women have experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or former partner since the age of 15. This figure increases to nearly one in four women when violence by boyfriends, girlfriends and dates is included,” Ms McIntosh said.
“Whether it’s at home, in the workplace, in our communities or online, all women and children deserve to be safe.”
“This additional support for the Penrith Women’s Health Centre will improve resilience for vulnerable women and children experiencing or at risk of family and domestic violence – who require assistance from community support services.

The Morrison Government is helping usher in a new era in care for South West people living with dementia, with $1.45 million for a new care centre at Donnybrook’s Tuia Lodge.
The Lodge will also receive annual recurrent funding of $737,000 to operate an extra 11 aged care places, as part of the biggest residential aged care expansion program in Australian history, worth $967 million, including $60 million for capital works.
“Our Government is passionate about ensuring all Australians have access to quality aged care services, regardless of where they live,” said Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Ken Wyatt AM.
“The funding will allow the Lodge to establish a state of the art, 10-bed wing for residents living with dementia.
“This will offer the best quality care, including contrasting colours, specialised lighting, appropriate electronic beds and aids as well as a nursing station, dining and lounge area within the secure area and a special garden area.”
“This will be a valuable asset for the Donnybrook community and the entire South West,” said Member for Forrest Nola Marino.
“An area currently utilised as a library and small kitchen area for residents will be refurbished to include a single palliative care bedroom with adjoining kitchenette and lounge area.
“This will be available for the resident and their family for private interaction and will also have a dedicated private garden for their use.”
The expansion of Donnybrook’s Tuia Lodge will also be supported by a $300,000 contribution from the Shire of Donnybrook-Bailingup.
With the rising number of people with dementia, 34.6 per cent of the new residential aged care places allocated across Australia are for dementia-specific care.