Leader’sTHE

REPORTOffice of the Leader of the Opposition, Parliament House, Harvest Terrace Perth WA 6000

Phone: 9222 7351 • Email: leader@loop.wa.gov.au • Web: www.walaborleader.org.au

Mark McGowan with members and friends of the Port Hedland branch during a recent trip to the Pilbara (From left to right: Stan Martin, Judy Enright, Richard Whitwell, Mark McGowan, Linda Doogiebee, Doris Eaton and Penny Taylor.)

Welcome to the Leader’s ReportI T HAS been a busy month for the

State Parliamentary Labor team.

We welcomed two new members to the Shadow Cabinet - Peter Tinley MLA, who is responsible for the portfolios of Planning, Housing, and Local Jobs and Bill Johnston MLA whose portfolios include State Development and Energy.

Members have been using the non-sitting weeks to get on the campaign trail in their electorates and across the State.

I recently hosted a breakfast with Sue Ellery, Ken Travers and Peter Tinley with the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce. It was well attended with many important local issues discussed.

Last week Roger Cook, Jon Ford, John Hyde, Tom Stephens and I visited Karratha and Port Hedland. We met with with local governments, business groups, mining companies, hospitals, branch and union members, police and not-for-profit organisations.

With such a big mining influence in the Pilbara there are specialised issues which need to be addressed such as cost of living, accommodation and fly in, fly out workers.

Last Friday Sue Ellery, Ken Travers and Helen Bullock headed to Carnarvon where they met with the local shire, community groups, not-for-profit organisations, Indigenous communities and hosted an afternoon tea for the Carnarvon community.

Today Labor Caucus members will be heading to Eaton for our annual State Parliamentary Labor Conference where we will discuss the year ahead as well as meet with local groups.

I am always keen to hear your feedback so please do not hesitate to send through any comments or ideas to leader@loop.wa.gov.au or call my office on 9222 7351.

Thanks for your support and I wish you all the best for the week ahead.

Mark McGowan MLALEADER OF THE OPPOSITION

Wednesday 15 February 2012

WA Labor Policy PaperJanuary 2012

WA Labor’s Education ‘Cost of Living’ Payment

WA Labor’s back to school cost of living policy

Shake up needed for Western Power

WA Labor in the community

WA LABOR will help families with teenage children cover

the costs of their education or training with annual payments of up to $400 for those in training and $200 for those in Year 11 or 12.

Families have been hit hard by the Barnett Government’s cost of living increases and need help to ensure their children received the best education possible.

Costs associated with education put pressure on family budgets and with the added load of price increases in electricity, water and other government charges, the burden can be overwhelming.

WA Labor’s plan to assist parents of teenage children will go some

way towards offsetting its neglect.

Labor’s plan would deliver a payment of $200 to parents of Year 11 and 12 students in WA secondary schools and $400 to parents of 16 year-old and 17 year-old trainees and apprentices, with the training payment delivered in $200 payments per semester.

If elected in 2013, WA Labor will allocate $63.5million over four years to fund the Education ‘Cost of Living’ Payment.

This allocation will provide an education payment for an estimated 53,000 young Western Australians in the first two years of the scheme and more than 73,000 in each of the final two years. More...

WESTERN Power’s board must appoint an external candidate to replace outgoing

managing director Doug Aberle.

The utility needs a radical shake up to make it focussed on delivering better services to Western Australian families and businesses.

Western Power’s board should examine its own performance, after the damning findings of the Legislative Council Public Administration Committee report into wooden power pole failures.

It is an insult to Western Australians, who have been slugged with power price increases of 57 per cent and forced to put up with substandard power infrastructure, that Western Power spent $1.3million on travel in 2010-2011 alone. One executive went to a course in France for a month at a cost of $56,000.

Western Power has been completely unaccountable and unfocussed for years. It has adopted all the excesses of the private sector but accepted none of the discipline and responsibility for its performance.

It needs an attentive Minister and a chairman who is not distracted by other business interests. More...

At Atlas Iron in Port Hedland

With supporters in Karratha