TOBACCO INDUSTRY DONATIONS

The debate on this motion on political donations from tobacco companies is nothing more than a diversion from the main game in Australia at the moment: the carbon tax and asylum seekers. The government has found itself in a downward spiral of polling across the nation, and this is a poor attempt to try to…

BUDGET APPROPRIATION BILLS – 2011

I rise to speak on the three budget appropriation bills that are being debated concurrently. They include Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2011-2012, which is the primary budget bill to appropriate funds from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the ordinary annual services of government and related purposes. The total appropriation of this bill is $72.85 billion.…

BOONAH SHOW

I rise to inform the House of the recent 111th year celebrations at the Boonah show. Boonah is a community in my electorate of about 2,800 people situated roughly an hour and a half south-west of Brisbane. The community is in a predominantly rural precinct and has no ties to the resources sector. Before I…

REVIEW OF RESERVE BANK ANNUAL REPORT

It is my privilege here tonight to speak on the review of the Reserve Bank Annual Report 2010, the second report, which was tabled in 2011. The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics from time to time questions the Reserve Bank by calling governors as witnesses to further expand on monetary policy and how…

MP questions flood enquiry

A federal member of parliament has questioned the motives and direction of the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry.   Federal Member for Wright Scott Buchholz, whose electorate covers the Lockyer Valley region that has dominated the inquiry recently, said he hopes Premier Anna Bligh is being honest when she claims public servants and emergency services…

MP turns to Facebook for budget feedback

Federal Member for Wright Scott Buchholz has turned to social network site “Facebook” to interact directly with his constituents following this week’s federal budget.   He has created a Facebook Page discussion forum and wants people in his electorate to tell him how the budget affects them. He has posed three questions:   1) How…

Japan Earthquake

Nine thousand deaths is a figure which is unfathomable for us as a community here in Australia, with the possibility of 20,000 deaths to come. As a member, I find it hard to correlate that amount of devastation and destruction. In my experience in the seat of Wright on 10 January we experienced a wall…