Senator Catryna Bilyk eBulletin #63
Monday, 23 December 2019
Volunteering at the Kingborough Helping Hands Sharing Tree in Kingston |
As the end of the year approaches I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy Festive Season. Unfortunately this is the time of the year we usually see an increase in tragedies such as drownings and motor vehicle crashes. While celebrating, please pay attention to your safety and the safety of those around you—especially when driving or spending time in and around pools and waterways.
The final week or two leading up to Christmas is known to Parliamentarians as the ‘school assembly’ season. I have enjoyed attending many school assemblies to hand out awards and to witness students take the next significant step in their lives.
Christmas is a time to relax. It is a time to celebrate, to enjoy good food and the company of friends and family. It is a time to give and receive gifts.
I encourage everyone to spare a thought for people who are struggling at Christmas, such as those who are socially isolated, or without stable employment or housing. There are a variety of great charities helping people who have fallen on hard times and their demand always increases around Christmas. If you can spare some money, unwanted household goods, or time then please make a donation to, or volunteer for a charity.
Personally I focus my efforts on supporting Kingborough Helping Hands, of which I am Patron, but I am happy to see any charity supported in their efforts to help people experiencing poverty, homelessness or other hardships over Christmas.
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Final weeks in Parliament dominated by twisted Government priorities
I am sure many Australians would agree that record low wage growth and the rising cost of essential living expenses like housing, electricity, child care fees and private health insurance should be a major focus for the Morrison Government. Many Australians would also be concerned about the ever-increasing number of people struggling to secure housing and employment, or to get enough hours of work to pay the bills. Another major concern for Australians is the devastation caused by this year’s bushfires and the Government’s failure to increase firefighting resources or to take serious action on tackling climate change.
It is a sign of how out of touch the Liberals are when these concerns are cast aside for their own ideological agenda. Instead of addressing these concerns the last two sitting weeks of Parliament were dominated by debate on bills to deny medical treatment to sick people and to attack and undermine trade unions.
I congratulate the many hard-working unions, their members and activists on their work helping to defeat the so-called ‘ensuring integrity’ bill in the Senate. Crossbench senators were no doubt persuaded by the arguments of workers who visited Parliament or rang their offices to explain that the bill would undermine their rights to collective action and representation. Shamefully, Scott Morrison reintroduced the bill and rammed through the House of Representatives without any debate. We expect this bill to return to the Senate in February. Australians who value democracy and freedom of association, and having effective organisations that can defend their rights at work, will need to gear up for another fight.
Unfortunately, the bill to repeal the Medevac laws was passed, meaning asylum seekers and refugees in regional processing centres will have to battle through the courts again to get the urgent medical treatment they need. Senator Jacqui Lambie refuses to let the Australian public know what secret deal she made with the Government to pass the bill while the Government continues to deny the deal even exists.
It is the strangest episode of Deal or No Deal I have ever seen!
Liberal spin cannot cover the Government’s economic failure
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has delivered the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) and with it the Morrison Government’s Christmas present to all Australians: a floundering economy and more self‑congratulatory spin. Despite Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg insisting that the fundamentals of the economy are strong, Australian households feeling the pinch are not sharing their optimism.
Economic growth has slowed to a meagre 1.7%. Wages growth, consumption growth and business investment are all down, unemployment is up, cumulative surpluses over the forward estimates have been cut in half, and under the Liberals net debt has more than doubled to $392 billion. While the Government is projecting a reduced surplus of $5 billion this financial year it is propped up by a $4.6 billion underspend on the NDIS—a cruel blow for people with disability, their families and carers.
Behind these numbers is a lot of human misery. Household living standards are going backwards as incomes fail to keep pace with the rising cost of living. Australians are experiencing the pain of the Liberals’ economic mismanagement yet Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg continue to pretend that everything is fine.
Labor continues to call on the Morrison Government to put forward a plan to fix the economy—to boost wages, jobs and productivity and to support struggling families and households.
A Day on the Beach stall
I will once again be having a stall at the Australia Day event, A Day on the Beach, on 26 January.
I am proud to be Patron and gold sponsor of this fantastic community event which each year attracts around 10,000 people to Kingston Beach for a day of family fun, food and various sporting and cultural activities.
If you are attending A Day on the Beach next year then drop by my stall if there are any issues you want to discuss or even just to say hello.
I will have a stall at next year’s A Day on the Beach, held Sunday 26 January at Kingston Beach.
In brief
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Save Palliative Care Tasmania – sign the petition
Palliative Care Tasmania’s funding agreement expires at the end of June 2020 and neither the Tasmanian nor Australian Government have committed to continue funding the organisation.
The $500,000 per year that Palliative Care Tasmania currently receives is not only helping thousands of Tasmanians access quality end of life care but it is also helping save millions of dollars in acute care.
Help me to save Palliative Care Tasmania by signing my petition online.
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Aged Care—Act Now
Australia’s aged care system is in crisis. The Aged Care Royal Commission has identified three actions that the Morrison Government needs to take urgently to fix the system:
- Ensure older Australians are getting the care at home when they need it most.
- End the over-reliance of chemical restraints in aged care.
- Stop the unacceptable number of young people entering residential aged care.
While the Morrison Government has made announcements in response to the Commission’s interim report, these do not go far enough. Sign Labor’s petition to add your voice to the campaign to fix Australia’s broken aged care system.
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Stay cyber-safe this Christmas
The Office of the eSafety Commissioner is reminding Australians in the lead-up to Christmas to be smart and secure when choosing tech gifts for children and young people.
Many smart toys and devices can be connected to the internet including drones, smart phones, wireless headsets, gaming consoles and robotic toys.
The eSafety Commisioner’s website has some handy tips for keeping yourself and your children cyber-safe when purchasing tech gifts.
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