Sid Sidebottom MP For a Fair Go in Braddon

Issue 7 December 2010

Sid Sidebottom MP - Federal Member for Braddon 1300 135 547 (Toll free) ; sid.sidebottom.MP@aph.gov.au ; www.sidsidebottom.com

In the recent election, the Gillard Government committed $16.5m towards a consolidated Regional Cancer Centre at the NW Regional Hospital. This was in addition to an earlier com-mitment of over $5m towards cancer services by the Federal Labor Government along with a substantial contribution by the Tasmanian Labor Government. This combined funding will see a major centre constructed and a raft of cancer services pro-gressively provided within our region.

In addition, a clinical expert panel has been appointed by the Tasmanian Government, chaired by NSW radiation oncologist Prof. Michael Barton and includ-ing NW Coast identity Mr. Royce Fairbrother. The panel will re-port to the Tasmanian Minister for Health on the “essential clini-cal and business requirements

to be met for the provision of safe and sustainable radiothera-py services, by June 2011”.

Local businessman Mr Dale Elphingstone has generously do-nated major scholarship funding to train future medical radiation specialists.

To support families from the West Coast, King Island, and Cir-cular Head, work is underway on the Federal Labor Government funded $3m residential housing complex on the site of the NW Regional Hospital to help accom-modate outlying patients and their families who need to travel and stay over.

Congratulations to every-one involved in planning and progressing these important developments.

We all look forward to seeing more comprehensive cancer ser-vices and treatment extended in our region.

Sid has been elected as the deputy chairman of the Standing Committee on Regional Australia.

The new committee is chaired by Independent Tony Windsor and will advise Minister Simon Crean and the Government on regional issues.

Sid says it is an honour to be elected as deputy chairman on what he believes will be an important committee in the new-look Federal Parliament.

Importantly the first order of business for the committee will be an inquiry into the social and

economic impact of the Murray Darling Basin Authority guide.

He says that as someone from an important part of regional Australia, he believes he can play a productive role on this com-mittee.

Sid has also been returned as a member of the Speakers’ Panel, and will also be on the House of Representatives Standing Com-mittee on Procedures.

He is also a member for the Caucus committees on education and skills, sustainable Australia and economics.

Commercial digital television should be available in Circular Head in the first half of 2011.

Sid has been pursuing the availability of digital TV with the State’s commercial broadcasters for some time, and was recently given an update with some promising news.

Southern Cross is close to completing planning for the installation of a new 100 metre tower at Willis Hill expecting to begin building in March when favourable weather should allow the project to proceed.

The tower is important to help deliver the signal for all Southern Cross, WIN and TDT digital channels.

Sid has been out and about in the re-gion in recent months opening a raft of school improvement projects complet-ed as part of the Building the Education Revolution Program.

From Queenstown through to Latrobe, schools have been throwing open the doors to new learning areas, auditori-ums and other new facilities.

Sid says it has been a real eye-open-er to see just what many schools had achieved as part of the program.

“In our region alone 63 schools have benefited from $96 million in projects, and it is wonderful to get around and hear what has been done, and to see

the benefits first hand,” says Sid.Spreyton Primary principal Toni Doug-

las says the improvements provide high quality educational facilities for sport, health and wellbeing, performing arts, sustainable school environment and community involvement. The school built two new classrooms, refurbished toilets and a new state of the art Indoor Sports/Performing Arts Centre.

“These facilities will continue to pro-mote excellence in program provision and student outcomes and to transform our Spreyton Primary School as a focal point in the community,” Ms Douglas said.

Planning for new Cancer Centre starts

Sid on new RegionalAustralia committee

Digital soon for C.H.

School projects getsome classy results

Sid cuts a celebration cake with students to open Mountain Heights School at Queenstown’s new early learning centre.

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Strahan Primary a super active school

Becoming happier and healthier is a high priority for students, staff and par-ents at Strahan Primary.

The school recently proved that de-spite being small in numbers, they can do big things, being named the Active After Schools Communities Super Site for North-West Tasmania.

This award recognises their excel-lence in delivering fun, safe and inclu-sive sports activities to children and as the North-West Coast winner Strahan is now in the running for the 2010 Tasma-nian Super Site Award.

More than half of the school’s 70 stu-

dents participate in weekly sessions learning new games, eating healthy foods and having fun.

Sid recently joined with AASC regional coordinator David Munns and West Coast Mayor Darryl Gerrity to present the award and learn more about what the students get up to in the program.

The Australian Government recently announced a $43.5 million extension to the program for 2011.

Sid says he has seen first hand the great value of the program in school communities across the region and will continue to support it into the future.

Sid has been getting to know more about Tasmania’s important mining industry in recent months.

With the West Coast now a vital part of the Braddon electorate, Sid has been invited by the Tasmanian Minerals Council and key mines in the region to visit and inspect their operations.

In September he toured MMG’s Rosebery mine along with members

of the Minerals Council, looking at the zinc, copper, lead and gold operation.

Then in November it was off to the Bendigo Mining’s Henty mine near Queenstown for a look at the gold mining venture.

Sid says the visits are helping him to appreciate the challenges faced by mining companies and their em-ployees, along with the communities which support the operations.

Sid was recently re-elected to repre-sent the electorate of Braddon for an-other three years. He spoke at the Declaration of the Poll. Here is just a small excerpt from the speech.

“Indeed, with the focus of this Parlia-ment and Govern-ment on regional communities and their needs, the op-portunity exists for further investments in community and physical infrastruc-ture and improved health, social and educational servic-es, programs and fund-ing in our region.

Our region – now hap-pily including the West Coast, its people and resources- is a signifi-cant wealth generator

in Tasmania. Like the remainder of regional Australia, we too seek a fair go and an equitable distribution of funding and services when com-pared to our metropoli-tan cousins.

The emphasis by the new Govern-ment on rolling out funding and services to region-al areas like ours , including the Na-tional Broadband Network, will mean that we be-come progressive-ly more attractive as centres of busi-ness generation and places to live and raise a fam-ily. Indeed, better liveability and the huge potential derived from the

roll out of the NBN increase our pros-pects of becom-

ing a major attractor for people to move to our region from more populous centres to set up business, to raise a family, to retire, and/or to change life styles.”

Golden intro to mining

Connecting with enterprise

Find the full speech at www.sidsidebottom.com

Fair go for regions

Sid and Active After-School Communities regional coordinator David Munns pres-ent Strahan Primary students Corey Stephen (second left) and Tom Rockliff with the Super Site Award.

Sid gets a feel for the gold mining operations at Bendigo Mining’s Henty Gold Mine during a recent visit with Michael Holman and Kasey Mathewson.

AEC Divisional Returning officer Andy Brockbank congratulates Sid at the Declaration of the Poll.

Enterprise Connect is an Australian Gov-ernment initiative in the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research which offers comprehensive advice and support to eligible Australian small and medium-sized enterprises to help them transform and reach their full potential. The program’s core service offering is a free comprehensive Business Review, fol-lowed by the opportunity to access up to $20,000 dollar for dollar funding to assist implementing the recommendations of the review.

In Tasmania, Enterprise Connect’s office is located in Burnie, with three Business Advisers servicing the state. Enterprise Connect currently has 98 Tasmanian SMEs engaged in the program, predominantly from the manufacturing sectors inclu-sive of Engineering, textile clothing and footwear, food processing and general manufacturing. Tasmanian Enterprise Con-nect clients rank highly nationally in regard to the number of companies going on to access the funding support to implement business improvement. To date $1,372,543

has been spent on a variety of projects, with $661,000 of that funding being con-tributed by Enterprise Connect.

Projects range from the implementation of lean manufacturing, marketing and strategic planning, enterprise resource planning, financial strategy, succession planning and management and leadership development etc.

Additionally, Enterprise Connect delivers a number of targeted support programs to address specific business and regional de-velopment needs. Northwest and Northern Tasmania is one of 10 regions nationally to be part of Enterprise Connect’s Innovative Regions Sector. Sarah Jones is Tasmania’s Regional Facilitator for that centre, and can be contacted on sarah.jones@innova-tion.gov.au

For general inquiries about Enterprise Connect, please contact the Burnie office on 03 6433 8001, or Enterprise Connect State Director for Tasmania, Keith Calvert on keith.calvert@innovation.gov.au or visit the Enterprise Connect website at www.enterpriseconnect.gov.au

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Bringing Parliament to life

Sid Sidebottom MP For a Fair Go in Braddon

The Bottom Line

Parliament came alive for stu-dents around the region when Parliament Alive visited in Oc-tober.

The Parliamentary Education Office brought its travelling pro-gram to Smithton, Burnie and Ulverstone, and Sid was more than happy to play his part.

Sid joined the sessions to ex-plain his role as the Federal

Member of the House of Repre-sentatives, and was able to give some more personal insight to the role.

Hundreds of students, from both primary and high schools, were full of questions about how Parliament works and learned more about what goes on behind the scenes of govern-ment.

The first stage of the King Island Food and Recreation Trail will open up the island experience to visitors and locals alike.

Sid launched the Trail as part of a busy time on the Island recently.

The first stage involves the development of nine trails across the island, which will be used by visitors and the locals alike.

King Island has so much to offer people and this will help to deliver it in a creative and very local way. It has long been re-nowned for its fine foods, but this project will take it one step further and link that to the fantastic local scenery and rich history of the island.

The project, which received $185,000 in Federal funding, also allows the delivery

of tourism skills, hospitality and customer service training for hospitality, tourism and retail operators on the island in support of the recreation and food trails venture.

It will also help to improve the health and lifestyle of the people of King Island.

And just as important it has supported 10 jobs during construction and another five ongoing jobs.

Sid also had a chance while on the Is-land to inspect the new digital television service, looking over new equipment in-stalled with $360,000 in Federal funding.

He praised the work of Peter White and others involved in the digital project, which had made a major improvement to television on the Island.

Marist Regional College will soon play host to students from across the region to learn a vari-ety of cooking and catering skills at a new Trades Training Centre.

The Cradle Coast Trade Training Centre will now receive $1.47 million from the Federal Govern-ment to establish the centre on its Burnie cam-pus.

Students from a number of schools along the Coast will have access to the facility to learn im-portant skills such as baking, cooking and pastry cooking, which will help address shortages.

The school will use the funds to refurbish an existing building to include a commercial kitchen and bakery, with a cool room and dry store.

It will also be supported by a café/restaurant

and bar with a reception area and office.The Marist centre will be the fourth trades

training centre for the region, with St Brendan Shaw College opening its centre earlier this year, and work underway on two centres in Smithton at both the Circular Head Christian School and the Smithton High School.

The future of the forest industries has been a hot topic in Canberra re-cently and Sid has been on the front foot in the House of Representatives, speaking on a number of occasions.

In October he supported a Private Members Motion from Lyons La-bor MP Dick Adams, and also spoke about the current negotiations dur-ing an adjournment debate.

Here is an extract of key parts of one of those speeches -

“For many years forestry has been a battleground and political football in my state, particularly around elec-tion time—something I know only too well by bitter experience. But finally, hopefully, we are seeing both sides of the argument working towards a lasting agreement. That may not be soon enough for some in the industry, unfortunately.

On a number of occasions, I have sat with people from the industry - decent, hardworking people -who are being pushed to the edge by the financial pressures they are under. I have visited them out in the bush and in their workshops and seen them at work. They are good people who do valuable work. These people have

built what they thought would be a business which contributed to the many communities which depend on forestry. They employ many people; some of them are family and many of them are just like family, such is the nature of these small businesses in close-knit communities. Now, because of a whole variety of factors, many well beyond their own control, they are facing financial ruin. I truly do not know how some of these people are able to sleep at night with the burden of their financial troubles.

The forest industries are an impor-tant, significant part of my region and of Tasmania as a whole and we must do everything we can to ensure their future is a positive one. The best thing to do to achieve this is to provide for-mally agreed certitude beyond the whim of political parties and with the agreement of the Tasmanian com-munity.

On a final note, it is crucial that the agreement, as it reaches its final stag-es, must support value adding, and in my region this means guaranteeing resource security for Britton Timbers and Ta Ann, both users of native hard-woods.”

Seeking positive future for forest industries

Find out more at www.peo.gov.au

Cooking up new trades training centre

New K.I. trail a very tasty island experience

Sid talks to Montello Primary students about life in Parliament as part of one Parliament Alive session.

Sid looks over the brochure for the new King Island Food and Recreation Trails with John Hiscock from Kelp Industries, Sally Marsden and Mayor Charles Arnold, while on the island recently to launch the Federally funded project.

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PO Box 908 Burnie TAS 7320( 1300 135 547 (Toll free) ~ 6431 1333 ; sid.sidebottom.MP@aph.gov.au ; www.sidsidebottom.com

This material has been produced by Sid Sidebottom using his printing and communications entitlement

SID SIDEBOTTOM MPFederal Member for Braddon

Sid’s byte2010 has been a challenging year

for our region.Sadly, a number of our iconic man-

ufacturing and processing enter-prises have closed their doors and too many workers and their families have been negatively affected along with dozens of businesses directly and indirectly associated with them. It is to be hoped that the region’s greatly diversified economy and businesses will be able to absorb many of these workers.

The Federal Labor and Tasmanian Labor Governments’ $20m NW In-novation and Industry Fund was es-tablished to try and support some 35 local businesses to grow employ-ment opportunities and many of these projects are now coming on line to help tackle our growing un-employment challenge.

Statewide and nationally, Labor is in minority government with all its challenges and opportunities. Why? Because that is what the electorates have decided and it is up to the vari-ous parties and elected representa-tives to make minority government work.

Federally, one of the most signifi-cant results has been the emphasis on regional matters and I am pleased this is the case.

For my part I have been elected as Deputy Chair of Regional Austra-lia – the standing committee of the House of Representatives reporting directly to Minister Simon Crean and tasked with investigating and report-ing on strategic regional issues and government. Much of what happens and affects our very own region is di-rectly applicable to this task and will provide a realistic reference point for our deliberations.

I was honored to be returned re-cently as your representative in the Federal Parliament and, along with my hard working team, look forward to serving and assisting you wher-ever possible.

My team and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The new Circular Head Hall of Fame will provide a great opportunity to rec-ognise some of the community’s lead-ers and achievers.

Sid officially opened the Hall of Fame recently, after it was built with $825,000 in funding from the Federal Labor Gov-ernment’s Better Regions program.

The Circular Head community is well recognised as one that produces some fantastic sports people and community achievers.

In fact it was this region which pro-duced the only Tasmanian born Prime Minister, Joseph Lyons, along with a

number of national representatives on the sporting field.

This new building, as part of the Cir-cular Head Community and Recreation Centre, will give the opportunity to hon-our their achievements.

Gerald Kay and his committee have been very persistent in working toward this, with strong support from the Circu-lar Head Council.

Together with the designers GHD and builders Carter and Franks and many other contractors they have delivered a centre which will be the envy of many communities around the country.

A new pathway along the coastline at Burnie will hopefully one day be part of a major coastal experience.

Sid was pleased to join with State La-bor MPs Bryan Green and Brenton Best to open the coastal pathway, waterfront boardwalk and Oakleigh Park overpass in October, part of a Family Walk and Fun Day organised by the Burnie City Council.

The Oakleigh Park overpass is very im-portant and will solve a long-standing clash between pedestrians and trains in an important part of the Burnie com-munity.

The ew overpass has also become part of the new coastal pathway, which now stretches from the Emu River to Cooee.

Sid says he hopes one day to see a link with other pathways along the coastline, including Somerset and Turn-ers Beach, to provide a wonderful new tourism experience and great health, recreation and transport asset for the people of the Coast.

The Federal Labor Government had contributed more than $2.6 million to the three projects, and had provided jobs and training for 25 people.

Hall of fame opened

Sid marks the official opening of the Circular Head Community and Recreation Centre Hall of Fame with Mayor Daryl Quiliam and chairman Gerald Kay.

Ingrid Smethurst and Ian Sansom of the RESULTS Burnie Group met with Sid re-cently to congratulate the Government on its recent increase in funding for the Glob-al Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and malaria.

The Foreign Affairs Minister, Kevin Rudd, recently announced a $75 million increase in Australia’s support to the Fund. The increase takes the total contribution to $210 million over the three year period 2011-2013.

Ms Smethurst, a fourth year medical student, said that that the Global Fund was highly effective in the prevention and management of AIDS, TB and malaria and that since its inception in 2002, had pre-vented 5.7 million deaths worldwide.

She believes the increase will help to deliver increases in the provision of anti-retroviral therapy, tuberculosis treatment, long lasting insecticidal nets to prevent malaria, and treatment of women for mother-to-child transmission of HIV, par-ticularly in poor countries.

RESULTS is keen to see all aid donor countries fund their fair share of the glob-al amount of $20 billion that is required to fully fund the work of the Global Fund.

RESULTS is an advocacy group working to create the political will to eradicate poverty. Volunteers in the Burnie Group meet monthly to take action on poverty issues. More information can be found at the website: www.results.org.au

GlobalRESULTSlikely

Praise for CentrelinkNew pathway a start toward coastal network

Sid paid tribute to the work of local Cen-trelink offices in Parliament recently.

The 40-odd staff provide assistance to 43,739 customers through the Devonport and Burnie offices, dealing with 140-plus payments and services.

Sid told the Parliament he had many examples of positive outcomes from Centrelink partnering with other service providers in the North-West, including jobs expos and joint projects to help in a variety of ways.

He says it was always important to rec-ognise the work of public servants, not just in Centrelink, but other agencies, for the work they do is staggering. They han-dle $84.2 billion worth of payments, 313 customer service centres, seven million customers, $32.7 million worth of phone calls and 114 million letters.

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