2011 has certainly been an extremely busy and challenging year in the Federal Parliament with the minority Government completing its first full year in office.
I would like to firstly extend a sincere thank you to the many people who have taken the time to contact me over the past 12 months to offer their advice and suggestions in relation to the broad range of issues which have been considered by the Federal Parliament. Your ongoing guidance, support and encouragement is greatly appreciated.
Following last year’s election, I wrote an opinion piece about the extraordinary opportunities which a hung parliament and the balance of power situation presents for country people. Irrespective of which major party may be in office, a hung Parliament with country Independents holding the balance of power, like we saw in the early 1990’s in NSW and again nationally in the current Federal Parliament, enables the people to have a real say and to put in place policies and processes which can achieve major outcomes for the long term benefit of country communities.
Some of the community driven initiatives which have been realised in the past year include the provision of $220M for the redevelopment of the Tamworth Base Hospital, $6.55M for the long awaited Split Rock Dam to Barraba Pipeline, $6M for the initial planning of the Bolivia Hill realignment project on the New England Highway and the Tenterfield By-Pass and $43.33M for the upgrading of Chaffey Dam.
On the national level, the country Independents have played major roles in the establishment of the Department of Regional Australia and an associated Parliamentary Committee, the setting up of the $1.4B Regional Australia Fund, the dedication of 100% of the current round of the Health and Hospital Fund to projects in country areas (we previously received around 20%), the dedication of the next $500M round of the Education Investment Fund to rural and regional universities and TAFE colleges, major opportunities for new income streams and benefits for country people under the carbon pricing scheme, country communities being given priority in the rollout of the National Broadband Network, leveraging a $200M reform package to address the concerns associated with mining exploration activities in prime agricultural areas by withholding support on the Mineral Resources Rent Tax until this issue was properly addressed and country representation in the process to find a solution to the problems within the Murray-Darling Basin.
I know some people had reservations about the Government’s Clean Energy Future Package and unfortunately some commentators have sought to polarise community views on this matter by circulating misinformation.
The reason I have been involved with discussions on the issue of a carbon pricing mechanism is because of the feedback I have been receiving over many years from local residents who have contacted me expressing concern in relation to issues such as the potential impact of climate change, particularly on residents in country Australia and industries such as agriculture.
Many people would be aware that I have been a strong proponent of renewable energy for many years and in 2008 I introduced the Climate Protection Bill into the Parliament which aimed to substantially increase the percentage of Australia’s energy being sourced from renewable energy sources. These are among the issues I campaigned on at the last Federal Election and, once again, these are issues that have been driven by the community. In the survey I conducted of the New England Electorate earlier this year, over 85% of respondents indicated they were supportive of increasing renewable energy.
Both the Government and Opposition have policy commitments to achieve the same reduction in Australia’s manmade carbon emissions by 2020, being a 5% reduction in emissions based on 1990 levels. The findings of the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee have been that the cheapest path towards the 5% target and reducing our reliance on non-renewable, polluting fossil fuels is through an Emissions Trading Scheme which the Clean Energy Future package aims to establish by 2015.  As reported widely in the media, Treasury has subsequently predicted the Coalition’s direct action plan will cost more than double that of the Government’s plan by 2020 and the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network, which represents mining and manufacturing industries, has announced that it agrees with the Treasury’s findings.
There is a great deal of interest developing in country communities in relation to the benefits associated with the Clean Energy Future Package, particularly following the recent launch of the Carbon Farming Initiative and the opening of applications for funding under the Biodiversity Fund. Even at this early stage, I am aware of several local groups that are planning to apply for Clean Energy funding to kick-start new projects in the New England that will reduce carbon emissions and bring jobs and investment to our region.
Finally, it’s been wonderful to see good seasonal conditions across the New England Electorate with excellent rainfalls being recorded in many areas (although perhaps a little too much in certain harvesting regions) and an improved outlook throughout the region, particularly for the farming and business communities.
As the year draws to a close, I hope that everyone has the opportunity to relax and spend some time with family and friends to share the peace joy and hope which the Christmas season brings.
My wife Lyn, our children Andrew, Kate and Tom and my staff join with me in wishing you a safe, healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.
Tony Windsor MP,
Member for New England
