Andrew Leigh

Plenty of young Canberrans want to be a part of the mining boom but aren't sure how to go about getting a job there. If you're interested in working in the mining industry, email Andrew.Leigh.MP {at} aph.gov.au or call 6247 4396 to let me know. With enough people interested, I'll host information sessions on working in the mining industry.

MEDIA RELEASE

Andrew Leigh MP

Member for Fraser



WHO WANTS TO WORK IN THE MINING INDUSTRY?



Andrew Leigh, Federal Member for Fraser, today asked Canberrans to let him know if they want to work in the mining industry.

According to the 2011 Census, only 94 people who usually live in Canberra are employed in the mining industry.

“I’ve had some young Canberrans tell me they’d like to work in the mining industry to try and save some money to buy a house and start a family.

“As Canberra is located so far away from the mines, it’s difficult to get information about how to apply for jobs in the industry,” said Dr Leigh.

Dr Leigh invites people looking for a job in the mining industry to email Andrew.Leigh.MP {at} aph.gov.au or call 6247 4396 and register their interest.

“There are so many jobs available in the mining industry for people of all different skills, such as construction, hospitality and engineering.

“The right role for a local representative is to help people live their dreams. That’s why I support campaigns to attract people to visit or move to Canberra.

“In the same spirit, it’s why I’m keen to help Canberrans who want to break into the mining industry. I’ll be letting the mining companies know about local interest in jobs.

If there is sufficient interest from the local community in mining jobs, Dr Leigh intends to host information sessions.

“I encourage everyone who wants to know more about working in the mining industry to call or email to register their interest so that we can encourage recruiters to come and see the talent available right here in Canberra,” he said.

I moved a private member's motion in parliament today to recognise the importance of Eureka in the Australian national story.

Eureka, 26 November 2012

DR LEIGH: To move—That this House:

(1) recognises that:

(a) the Battle of Eureka:

(i) was a key moment in Australian democracy;

(ii) called for basic democratic rights, including broadening the franchise and removing the property qualification to stand for the Legislative Council;

(iii) inspired subsequent movements in Australian history, including female suffrage and the Australian Republican Movement; and

(iv) demanded changes to make mining taxation more equitable, with the revenue to be spent on improvements to local infrastructure; and

(b) the importance of the Battle of Eureka is to be commemorated by the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka in Ballarat, partly funded by the Australian Government in recognition of its national significance; and

(2) encourages all Australians to remember and respect the Battle of Eureka by:

(a) visiting the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka to learn about the history of the Battle of Eureka and its effect on modern democracy; and

(b) flying the Eureka Flag on 3 December each year in its memory.

Three hours after midnight on the Sabbath morning of Sunday, 3 December 1854, a winter and spring of discontent erupted in a short and dirty skirmish atop the gold-led diggings known as Eureka on the western outskirts of the Victorian town of Ballarat. The colonial authorities had sent troops from two British regiments, supported by the Victoria police—296 men, all told, against a tottering stockade defended by some 150 miners of the Ballarat Reform League. The miners protected a hand-sewn flag bearing a design of the Southern Cross, beneath which they had each sworn an oath ‘to stand truly by each other, to fight to defend our rights and liberties’. The bloody scrum described as the battle for Eureka lasted for fewer than 15 minutes. Six men of the colonial forces and 22 miners were killed. One hundred and fourteen of their Reform League comrades were imprisoned in the Ballarat lock-up and the flag was torn down. In the following months, 13 miners charged by the state with high treason were unanimously acquitted by citizen juries. All bar one of the political demands of the Ballarat Reform League were granted within 12 months. The first bill for the universal enfranchisement of men in the Australian colonies was passed by the Victorian Legislative Council in 1857.

Today I have pleasure in welcoming to the House John Moloney and Richard O'Brien from the ACT branch of Eureka's Children. Eureka's Children fosters the memory of Eureka and the principle of Australian democracy. I thank Mr Maloney for his recent reminder that the battle for Eureka is now an indelible part of the Australian narrative. It ignited the struggle for Australian female suffrage and continues to inspire the Australian Republican movement. The accusing memories of Pemulwuy and Yagan bear witness that this was not the first time in Australia colonial history that a rebellion had been led in defence of a people. The smug orchestrators of the Rum Rebellion proceeded and succeeded in their coup d'etat, while the dead convicts at Castle Hill can attest to the first revolt of white men against the wickedness of colonial authorities.

The Eureka protesters were mostly not Australian citizens as we understand the concept. Only two of them can be said to have been Australian-born. Black and white Americans, Jamaicans, Italians, Swedes, Scots, Jews, Dutch, French and Germans participated in the Eureka protest, with Asian Australians being the only conspicuous absence. But, like the convicts at Castle Hill, the overwhelming majority of miners at Eureka were Irish. They were led by Irishman Peter Lalor and were easily motivated by Irish distrust of English overlords. Yet, out of the gun smoke and mist, the story that emerges does make the battle for Eureka unique in Australian history, a story that cannot be found in any paragraph before or since, a story that was and is an outstanding flare in our democratic consciousness. Until that summer dawn in 1854, no Australian political movement had claimed or defended the democratic freedoms that we today, in this House, understand as the self-evident bedrock of our society.

A month before the battle, 10,000 miners had assembled on Bakery Hill and voted into existence the Ballarat Reform League. The league immediately passed a resolution and with it vaulted across an Australian political Rubicon. The resolution declared, 'It is the inalienable right of every citizen to have a voice in making the laws he is called upon to obey, that taxation without representation is tyranny'—the first explicit demand of Australia's unfranchised for the rights of political recognition and the responsibilities of political representation. The founding resolution was swiftly developed into a charter calling for full and fair political representation based on universal male suffrage, an end to the property qualification for members of the Victorian Legislative Council, so vigorously defended by the conservative forces, salaried members of parliament, voting by secret ballot, and a shorter parliamentary term. In Australia's short history that charter is unique, the original affirmation of the democratic expectations of an Australian citizen. I acknowledge the work of Taimus Werner-Gibbings, who has assisted me with this speech, the advocacy of Peter FitzSimons in his excellent book on Eureka, and my co-authors David Madden, Macgregor Duncan and Peter Tynan, with whom I co-authored a book called Imagining Australia, which featured the Eureka flag on the cover.

Deputy Speaker, I hope this debate will be bipartisan. Robert Menzies said that Eureka was 'an earnest attempt at democratic government'. He repeatedly wove Eureka into his speeches and we should all be proud of the Eureka story.

I spoke in parliament today about outgoing Productivity Commission chairman Gary Banks.

Gary Banks, 26 November 2012

Canberra economist Gary Banks AO is stepping down after 14 years of service to the Productivity Commission. He was the Productivity Commission's inaugural chairman and he was the executive commissioner of its predecessor, the Industry Commission.

The Productivity Commission and its predecessor bodies have done important work for major Labor reforms, whether that was tariff reform in the 1970s or competition reform in the 1990s. During Mr Banks’ term as chairman, the Productivity Commission has brought down important work on aged care policy, the National Disability Insurance Scheme and on carbon pricing. The Productivity Commission has also done critically important work on school reform and on reporting Indigenous disadvantage.

Of course, the Productivity Commission has clashed with governments. Under the Howard government the commission pointed to widespread claims of inefficiency and waste in health care. They criticised the lack of a uniform national approach in forestry, fisheries and waste disposal. They spoke about the inefficiency of stamp duty and the need for a carbon price. And it has to be said that the Productivity Commission has on occasion said things with which this government has disagreed. That is in the tradition of frank and fearless advice, a tradition that Gary Banks upholds well. I wish him the best in his new work heading up the Australia and New Zealand School of Government.

I recently attended the Australia-China forum in Beijing and was a part of a breakfast panel discussing various political issues. We covered off the Asian Century White Paper and optimism in Australian politics during the session. The audio from the panel is available below.

More Canberra public service job cuts promised by Tony Abbott this week. Mr Abbott said in a speech yesterday "Do we really need 20,000 more public servants in Canberra today than we had at the end of the Howard era? We don’t…".

JOINT MEDIA STATEMENT

Andrew Leigh MP

Member for Fraser

Gai Brodtmann MP

Member for Canberra

23 November 2012

Abbott confirms plans to get rid of 20,000 jobs from the ACT

Tony Abbott has confirmed that a Federal Coalition government will get rid of 20,000 jobs in the ACT – potentially throwing our economy back into the same type of downturn we suffered when John Howard slashed the public sector in 1996.

On 8 May 2012, Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey told the 7.30 program that the Liberal policy is to cut the federal public service in Canberra by 20,000. We know the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency as well as the Department of Health and Ageing are in the Liberals’ sights for job cuts, but the Liberals refuse to say which other departments and agencies are on their hit list.

Now Tony Abbott has confirmed the Liberals’ scythe will be brought again to Canberra, saying there is no need for 20,000 public servants.

This is the same scorched earth policy of Campbell Newman in Queensland, where unemployment has risen dramatically as government services are wound back.

When the Coalition last came to office, they slashed over 15,000 jobs in Canberra.  Small business paid the price, with a huge jump in bankruptcies. Families saw a massive drop in house prices.

Canberra’s public servants and the businesses that rely on a growing ACT economy deserve to know whether their jobs and their community are under threat.

We call on Tony Abbott to give exact details of which departments and agencies will suffer job losses under an Abbott Government.

I'll be holding two of my regular mobile offices tomorrow, Saturday 24 November:

• 10-11am: Gungahlin (on Hibberson St, outside Big W)


• 11.15am-12.15pm: Dickson (outside Woolworths)

These are a good chance to raise policy issues, chat about matters affecting you and your family, or just to say g'day.

The Gillard Government continues to invest in clean energy communities. A new grant program for local government is now open to help local communities reduce their energy use.

Andrew Leigh MP
Member for Fraser

Gai Brodtmann MP
Member for Canberra

NEW ENERGY EFFICIENCY GRANT TO HELP LOCAL GOVERNMENT LOWER ENERGY COSTS

Andrew Leigh MP, Federal Member for Fraser, and Gai Brodtmann MP, Federal Member for Canberra, today welcomed the opening of the Gillard Labor Government’s Local Government Energy Efficiency Program, which will help local government to cut costs in community facilities.

The $24 million Local Government Energy Efficiency Program provides support to local governments across Australia to install low pollution, clean energy solar and heat pump hot water systems to drive smarter energy use.

“These grants not only help the ACT Government to save money but also to cut pollution by improving energy efficiency,” said Dr Leigh.

“It’s a great example of the price on carbon pollution doing exactly what it was intended to do – investing money in communities to save money and cut pollution,” said Dr Leigh.

Gai Brodtmann encouraged the ACT Government to apply for a grant.

“Saving on energy costs leaves more money to re-invest in community projects and this grant will strengthen the Canberra economy,” said Ms Brodtmann.

“The Federal government is committed to working with the ACT Government to promote better energy efficiency because it saves money, cuts pollution and improves our living standards at home and in the community,” said Ms Brodtmann.

The guidelines and application forms for LGEEP are now available. To find out more about the package of energy efficiency programs visit: www.climatechange.gov.au

Today on AM Agenda, Keiran Gilbert spoke with Kelly O'Dwyer and me about the complexities of asylum seeker policy

http://www.youtube.com/embed/xfC2hW0knOw

One of the significant achievements of the Gillard Government has been the pay increase awarded to workers in the community sector. The Fair Work Act allowed workers in the sector to bargain for equal pay. The Gillard Government is committed to pay its share of the cost of wage increases, setting up a Special Account to fund the increases. SACS workers will receive pay rises between 23 and 45 per cent in nine instalments starting from December 2012.

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

Andrew Leigh MP

Member for Fraser

Gai Brodtmann MP

Member for Canberra

22 November 2012

Government delivering historic pay rises to community workers

The Australian Government has taken the next step in meeting its commitment to deliver historic equal pay rises to eligible social and community sector workers.

Member for Canberra, Gai Brodtmann, and Member for Fraser, Andrew Leigh, today announced the Australian Government’s offers as part of its $2.8 billion share of the increases have begun going out to social and community services organisations in the ACT.

“Throughout November, around 4,400 social and community services organisations across Australia, including 100 in the ACT, will receive letters detailing the Australian Government’s offer towards the pay increases for their workers,” Ms Brodtmann said.

“Workers in the SACS sector have challenging jobs, helping some of the most vulnerable in our community.

“Around 120,000 of these 150,000 workers are women and for too long their work has been undervalued simply because they are women,” said Ms Brodtmann.

Under the terms of the FWA order, SACS workers are receiving pay rises in nine instalments totalling between 23 and 45 per cent from December this year to 2020.

“This historic pay rise also underlines the Government’s aim to increase financial literacy, particularly for women and particularly when it comes to superannuation,” said Ms Brodtmann.

The pay increase is as a direct result of the landmark Fair Work Australia decision on equal pay.

“Many of us are aware of the great work they do right here in Canberra to help women and children in refuges, in support centres for people with disability, in leading teams of counsellors and in managing family support services and emergency relief,” said Dr Leigh.

“Our community is strengthened by the work performed by those in the social and community services sector and I’m delighted to see recognition for this hard work,” said Dr Leigh.

The Government established through legislation in October the Social and Community Services Pay Equity Special Account, locking in its $2.8 billion contribution over the next eight years.

The Government’s $2.8 billion contribution is fully funded and accounted for in the Budget.

The latest information on the implementation process is available through the dedicated website: www.fahcsia.gov.au/node/10776