November 2018
Thursday, 22 November 2018 09:02
Labor’s College commitment a slap in the face for school community
With State Election Day looming this Saturday, Gippsland East Nationals MP Tim Bull has provided a summary of his commitments to East Gippsland, which is headed by the building of Stage 2 of the Bairnsdale Secondary College, rather than more maintenance money as promised by Labor.
Mr Bull said the Liberal Nationals built Stage 1 and committed to Stage 2 in 2014 and again this year with $15 million on the table.
“For Labor to offer more maintenance money and say it will do a master plan is ridiculous,” he said.
“Stage 1 is done and the plans to build Stage 2 have been there for over four years. This master plan waffle is simply a delaying tactic.”
Mr Bull said the Liberal Nationals would also deliver many other commitments Labor had not agreed to, including:
• $633m for new long haul V/Line carriages with buffet cars;
• $2.2m for the new Bairnsdale Fire Brigade;
• Additional holiday period police for Lakes Entrance;
• $13.4m to finish the Macalister Irrigation District modernisation;
• $3.5m for a new Orbost police station.
• $200,000 for the Paynesville Foreshore Redevelopment Plan;
• $1 billion in additional funding to fix country roads;
• $1.5m Bullock Island development;
• Funds to significantly upgrade Lucknow, Heyfield and Boisdale sporting facilities; and
• $1.5m towards the establishment of the Omeo Mountain Bike Park.
• $2.2m for the new Bairnsdale Fire Brigade;
• Additional holiday period police for Lakes Entrance;
• $13.4m to finish the Macalister Irrigation District modernisation;
• $3.5m for a new Orbost police station.
• $200,000 for the Paynesville Foreshore Redevelopment Plan;
• $1 billion in additional funding to fix country roads;
• $1.5m Bullock Island development;
• Funds to significantly upgrade Lucknow, Heyfield and Boisdale sporting facilities; and
• $1.5m towards the establishment of the Omeo Mountain Bike Park.
“The choice is fairly clear here, we have real commitment to all these projects, not maintenance money and master plans, we will deliver as we did from 2010 to 2014 when in Government,” he said.
Thursday, November 22, 2018
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Wednesday, 21 November 2018 08:31
Liberal Nationals will deliver more Lakes holiday police
More police in tourist areas during peak holiday periods, including Lakes Entrance, will be delivered under a Liberal Nationals Government.
The Nationals Member for Gippsland East Tim Bull said the current guidelines that additional police had to be sourced from inside their own police region, was a ridiculous one for East Gippsland.
“What that means is that additional police for Lakes Entrance basically have to come from Bairnsdale, the problem being that station is also servicing increased tourist numbers, particularly in locations like Paynesville and Eagle Point. It’s robbing Peter to pay Paul,” Mr Bull said.
“It is an issue I have raised in Parliament many times and also met with Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton about earlier this year.
“The Liberal Nationals will work with the Chief Commissioner to cater for the influx of visitors.
“In a location like Lakes Entrance where the population explodes from around 5-6000 to over 25,000, there is a need for additional police over the full holiday period.
“What we have seen in the past few years is extra police on New Year’s Eve, but they leave on January 2 when the crowds start arriving.
“I have always said our police do an amazing job, this is simply about putting more resources in places where the populations explode over summer to provide more appropriate levels of support.”
Mr Bull said that while it was likely too late to re-allocate police for this summer, he was hopeful the policy would be implemented for Easter 2019, pending election success this weekend.
Caption: The Nationals Member for Gippsland East Tim Bull and Shadow Minister for Police Ed O’Donohue have announced a Liberal Nationals Government will deliver more police in tourist areas, including Lakes Entrance, during peak holiday periods.
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
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Monday, 19 November 2018 08:34
Liberal Nationals to invest in better housing for young Victorians with a disability
An elected Liberal Nationals Government will establish a fund to get young Victorians with a disability out of aged care and into accommodation that meets their needs.
The number of young people inappropriately accommodated in residential aged care continues to rise.
A 2015 Senate Inquiry heard harrowing stories of young people’s experiences in aged care.
Existing programs assist people at risk of admission to aged care facilities, but too little is being done to help Victorians currently in residential aged care to get into more suitable accommodation.
An elected Liberal Nationals Government will change this, establishing a new $10 million fund and working with the sector to improve the lives of young people with a disability.
Young Victorians with a disability deserve to live in housing that meets their social, day-to-day and financial needs.
The average age of people in aged care is 84 years old but more than 6,000 Australians under 65 are living in aged care.
With the Liberal Nationals’ investment, we’ll enable more providers to build specialist housing units and overcome the high cost of set-up that stops many existing or new providers entering the sector.
A Liberal Nationals Government will work with the sector and organisations like Young People in Nursing Homes (YPINH), Youngcare and the Summer Foundation to achieve the best results for young Victorians with a disability.
A Liberal Nationals Government will make the investment needed to get young Victorians with a disability out of inappropriate aged care living situations and living in accommodation that meets their needs.
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Disability Tim Bull
Too many young people with a disability are stuck in inappropriate accommodation and not enough is being done help them.
For these young people, aged care homes do not meet their needs, leaving them isolated and without proper support.
Monday, November 19, 2018
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Monday, 19 November 2018 08:25
Wire rope barriers rollout must have common sense
Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, has questioned the location of some of the current wire rope barrier roll out and said the Liberal Nationals will present a more common-sense approach to roadside barrier installations – only in appropriate locations and after community consultation.
“I am not opposed to roadside barriers and have in fact requested them in certain areas – but they must be installed in the right and priority locations,” Mr Bull said.
“Some of these installations, at great cost, make no sense to motorists, the wider community and even some of the contractors.
“We are spending more than $50 million between Sale and Bairnsdale where many kilometres of roadside is dead flat, open grassland and if you drove off the road, all you would hit is a sheep if you were unlucky.
“There are plenty of other East Gippsland roads where we have steep drop offs and heavily treed roadsides, like on the Great Alpine Road, where the money would be much better spent,” Mr Bull said.
“The Liberal Nationals have committed to honour existing contracts, but stop the blanket roll out of these barriers in locations where they are not needed and where no public consultation took place prior to the decision being made.
“The only consultation that went on was this government telling us they are doing this in public meetings.
“The Liberal Nationals have also committed an extra billion dollars, in addition to current funding levels, to fix our country road surfaces, where quite frankly this current money could be better spent.”
Caption: The Nationals Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, who is supportive of roadside barriers in the right locations, has labelled some of the current works a waste of money. He says these pictures highlighting where works are to occur over locations where they would be welcomed but are not earmarked for works, makes no sense.
Monday, November 19, 2018
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Monday, 19 November 2018 08:20
A better deal for Far East Gippsland
The announcement of a $67 million emergency services package to keep Victorians safe is one of the latest in a long list of commitments announced by the Liberal Nationals ahead of this Saturday’s State Election.
“Having already announced $3.5 million for a new Orbost Police Station, along with upgrades for Mick Baum Park and Mallacoota War Bunker Museum, it is pleasing to also be able to commit more support for our CFA and SES volunteers with the Emergency Services and Public Safety package,” said The Nationals Member for Gippsland East Tim Bull.
This $67m package will provide Victorian emergency services with:
• $ 51.3m in new, rebuilt, or upgraded CFA stations;
• 100 Thermal imaging cameras to allow for the rapid location of people trapped in structure fires, identify hot spots in bushfires, and in search and rescue operations;
• Broadcast Alert Response software that assists with incident response and the management of emergency services personnel;
• Funding to the Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria to fulfil its advocacy role and expand its services including funding the return of FireWise magazine, which was cut by the Andrews Labor Government;
• Deliver 10 ‘Rapid Response Vehicles’ Mercedez-Benz Sprinter Vans (or similar) equipped with Coldcut Cobra® fire extinguishing infrastructure giving fire fighters another tool for efficient rapid response in urbanised areas; and
• Roll-out rapid Emergency Medical Response to CFA volunteer brigades to areas Ambulance Victoria has identified as suitable to improve response times and early defibrillation.
The package builds on the Liberal Nationals’ commitment to protect the CFA by enshrining the rights of volunteers in legislation, launching a Royal Commission into Victoria fire services and introducing Presumptive Rights Legislation Bill for all firefighters into Parliament in the first sitting week of 2019.
• 100 Thermal imaging cameras to allow for the rapid location of people trapped in structure fires, identify hot spots in bushfires, and in search and rescue operations;
• Broadcast Alert Response software that assists with incident response and the management of emergency services personnel;
• Funding to the Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria to fulfil its advocacy role and expand its services including funding the return of FireWise magazine, which was cut by the Andrews Labor Government;
• Deliver 10 ‘Rapid Response Vehicles’ Mercedez-Benz Sprinter Vans (or similar) equipped with Coldcut Cobra® fire extinguishing infrastructure giving fire fighters another tool for efficient rapid response in urbanised areas; and
• Roll-out rapid Emergency Medical Response to CFA volunteer brigades to areas Ambulance Victoria has identified as suitable to improve response times and early defibrillation.
The package builds on the Liberal Nationals’ commitment to protect the CFA by enshrining the rights of volunteers in legislation, launching a Royal Commission into Victoria fire services and introducing Presumptive Rights Legislation Bill for all firefighters into Parliament in the first sitting week of 2019.
Mr Bull said a Liberal Nationals Government would also:
• Put new, faster trains on the Bairnsdale line;
• Provide an additional $1 billion to fix country roads;
• Make rate changes to benefit our farmers;
• Increase country patient transport subsidies;
• Boost funding for Cann River Bush Nursing Centre; and
• Make payroll tax cuts for country businesses.
• Provide an additional $1 billion to fix country roads;
• Make rate changes to benefit our farmers;
• Increase country patient transport subsidies;
• Boost funding for Cann River Bush Nursing Centre; and
• Make payroll tax cuts for country businesses.
Caption: The Nationals Member for Gippsland East Tim Bull and Shadow Minister for Emergency Services Brad Battin have announced a $67 million package for CFA brigades and SES units.
Monday, November 19, 2018
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Thursday, 15 November 2018 08:16
Backing our social enterprises
Growing and creating new social enterprises and employment opportunities for people with a disability is the focus of a new $10 million fund that would be created by the Liberal Nationals.
The Nationals Member for Gippsland East Tim Bull, who is also Shadow Minister for Disability, said the region had many great local social enterprises, including Ace Total Maintenance, Banksia Fine Foods, Cells Café (Bairnsdale) and Foster Place Café (Maffra), which all employ local residents with a disability, but more could be done to support growth in this sector.
“The new $10 million fund will support more social enterprises to start-up and expand, helping locals with a disability to gain meaningful work and build self-confidence and self-esteem,” he said.
“I have seen first-hand in my own family the positive benefits of the job opportunities offered through social enterprises.
“If elected, we will partner with disability service providers and other suitable agencies to assist with start-up and expansion costs to create good, secure jobs for people with a disability.”
Half of the fund will be earmarked to empower social enterprises to develop or expand operations in the recycling industry – with a specific focus on e-waste recycling. With funding provided on a matching basis, it will enable $20 million of investment into the sector.
Mr Bull said high start-up costs prevented more social enterprises from entering the sector.
“Boosting job opportunities for people with a disability will help them to live independently and get in control of their future,” he said.
“These jobs boost confidence and independence, giving people with a disability control over their future.
“We already have some very successful enterprises operating now and an elected Liberal Nationals Government will do more to create good, secure jobs for Victorians with a disability.”
The policy comes on the back of the announcement an elected Liberal Nationals Government will establish a $5 million fund to support the building and expansion of disability respite services.
Caption: The Nationals Member for Gippsland East Tim Bull, pictured with Noweyung clients who were involved in the production of ‘Happy Mugs’, says an elected Liberal Nationals Government will establish a $10 million fund to help social enterprises to start up and grow.
Thursday, November 15, 2018
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