The Albanese Labor Government's first budget unlocks important funding for our local communities in Braddon including:

Bass Highway - $540m has been provided to upgrade Tasmania’s important road corridors, including the Bass Highway, the Tasman Highway and the East and West Tamar Highways. It will include the installation of safety barriers and construction of passing lanes on the Bass and Tasman Highways with sections to be determined in consultation with the Tasmanian Government

Boat Harbour Beach Redevelopment - $4.5 million: The Albanese Labor Government will help breathe new life into Boat Harbour Beach with a $4.5m investment in the redevelopment of the foreshore.

We will partner with the Waratah-Wynyard Council to deliver more space for the surf club and the community, while delivering safety and accessibility upgrades to benefit locals and visitors. Importantly, this investment will include the establishment of a community centre for the area and provide the Surf Club with fit for purpose facilities.

This investment will create local jobs in the construction phase, and will deliver a better future to businesses, the Boat Harbour Beach community, and visitors across the region.

Burnie Arts and Function Centre - $13m: The Albanese Labor Government will partner with the Burnie City Council to redevelop the Burnie CBD and make the Burnie Cultural Precinct a reality. This plan will put the community at the heart of the CBD’s redevelopment, creating better open spaces, revamping public buildings, and increasing the number of locals living in the CBD.

Burnie Community House Toy Library - $5000: Federal funding will support the weekly family activity Kommunity Kids, and will be used to purchase equipment suitable for 0-5 year old’s. Kommunity Kids has been running for 13 years as a whole of family activity held every Wednesday afternoon at the Shorewell Park Reserve. Items to be purchased include a mud kitchen, water play equipment, outdoor art equipment, building blocks, sensory setup, portable sandbox and balance beams.

Costa Group - $2m: The Albanese Labor Government will partner with this iconic local agriculture business in North-West Tasmania to expand its East Devonport Berry Distribution Centre and create new jobs and business opportunities. The investment will help expand the centre’s capacity from around 12,000 tonnes to more than 17,000 tonnes for the 2026/2027 season. The expansion is expected to support 140 full-time jobs and more than 1,000 new harvest-season jobs.

Devonport sporting facilities - $25m: The Albanese Labor Government will commit $25 million to deliver a long-awaited upgrade of sporting facilities in Devonport. We will partner with the Council as it continues the process of bringing together the many different sporting groups involved, and develops detailed plans for modern, accessible facilities to meet future demand and act as a community hub.

Dial Range - $431,000: The Albanese Labor Government is partnering with Central Coast Council to build new eco-friendly toilet facilities for walkers & mountain bikers at one of North-West Tasmania’s most popular recreational use nature reserves, the Dial Range.

Latrobe Recreation Ground - $500,000: We are partnering with Latrobe Council to deliver change rooms and ensure that all players have the privacy that they deserve. This project is critical for young women who participate in sport at the ground. The redevelopment will also create new rehearsal and storage facilities for the Latrobe Federal Band.

Loaves and Fishes Tasmania - $1.3m: The Albanese Labor Government will assist Tasmania’s largest provider of free emergency food, Loaves and Fishes. Each year, Loaves and Fishes distribute around one tonne of donated food, such as fresh produce, ready-to-eat meals, emergency food hampers and school breakfast supplies. They work with about 350 community agencies to help feed 16,000 Tasmanians each week. Until now they have received no Federal Government support.

McKenna Park - $500,000: The Albanese Labor Government is supporting the upgrade of the McKenna Park facilities including a full fit-out of its lounge, kitchen and kiosk as well as an electricity upgrade. McKenna Park is ideally located to cater to the needs of the growing community around the complex.

Mobile Blackspots - $2.1m: Working with telecommunication companies and the Cradle Coast Authority, Labor will invest $2.1 million to improve mobile coverage in Togari and Queenstown.

Schools Upgrade funding – four schools will receive funding for important upgrades.

• North-West Support School - $50,500 for upgrades at its Devonport and Burnie campuses. $18,000 will go to building a shade structure at the school’s Devonport campus and $32,500 will build a sensory maze at its Burnie campus.
• Don College - $78,000 to upgrade outdoor areas.
• Hellyer College - $50,000 to upgrade workshop areas.
• Boat Harbour School - $137,000 to install a new playground with modern equipment.

Project Far Northwest - $12.5m: The Federal Labor Government is funding the redevelopment of the site of a former nature-based visitor attraction called Dismal Swamp, transforming it into an experience hub for the far north west of Tasmania. Private sector tourism operators will be able to offer visitors environmental and cultural experiences, accommodation and hospitality.

Aboriginal Health Centre in Queenstown – $1.42m: Rural Health Tasmania will establish this important service to meet the needs of the local community.

Shorewell Park, Community Battery: The federal government has allocated $224.3m to fund 400 community batteries Australia-wide to lower bills, cut emissions and reduce pressure on the grid.

Six Rivers Aboriginal Corporation: $600,000 over three years. This federal funding will enable Six Rivers Aboriginal Corporation's museum and cultural centre “Tiagarra”, to open full-time to promote cultural engagement and foster stronger outcomes for Tasmanian Aboriginal people in the North-West.

Tasmanian Minerals, Manufacturing & Energy Council (TMEC) - $293,000: We are helping to train the next generation of skilled workers for the manufacturing and mining industries by purchasing state-of-the-art training technology: 3 welding simulators and virtual reality headsets to meet the growing demand from schools and TAFE.

TasTAFE Devonport - $1million: We will invest in upgrades to the TasTAFE Devonport Campus to ensure people studying automotive body repair and refinishing can get the skills they need.

Warawyn Early Learning - $1.3 million: Funding from the Albanese Labor Government will meet an urgent community need by expanding Warawyn Early Learning Services to better support families and children in Waratah-Wynyard.

West Coast Child Care, Playgroups, Playgrounds & Open Spaces - $1.3 million: The Albanese Labor Government will provide $1.2 million to build and upgrade playgrounds on the West Coast. The funding will go to the West Coast Council to carry out this vital part of its Sport and Recreational Plan.

We will also provide $50,000 for Queenstown Child Care Service to upgrade its backyard, transforming it into a nature play space with real grass, natural climbing structures, easels for painting, chalkboards, ball runs and outdoor STEM experiences. This is the only child-care service on the West Coast of Tasmania and operates on a “not for profit” basis.

Kids' Club at the Zeehan Connection Centre will receive $3,240 which will allow the purchase of tables and chairs for children, bean bag chairs, a reading tent, floor cushions, a sensory tub on wheels, ingredients for cooking to expose children to different tastes and cultural experiences, and educative entertainment for young children.

Whaleback Energy Park Feasibility Study - $2.4 million. The Albanese Labor Government is providing support to Westcoast Renewable Energy Pty Ltd so it can undertake a feasibility study. The study will look at challenges facing the development of a green hydrogen industry, including environmental sensitivities and market sustainability.

Urgent Care Clinic - North West Tasmania is identified in the Budget as the site of one of 50 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across Australia.

The clinic will make it easier to get high quality care for urgent, but non-life-threatening health issues. The clinic will be open extended business hours, seven days week to provide the care you and your family need, with no out-of-pocket costs to patients. It will take pressure off local emergency department, leaving overworked doctors and nurses available to attend to more serious and life-threatening cases.

The clinic will be established as part of an existing GP clinic or community health centre in Braddon and is expected to be operational from 2023-24.

In addition, these budget announcements are focussed Tasmania-wide and will also directly benefit the Braddon electorate:

• Forestry Workforce Training Program - $10 million over four years
• Support for Plantation Establishment - $65.9 million over four years
• Accelerate adoption of wood processing innovation - $112.5 million over four years
• University of Tasmania - $5.5 million to provide 442 new university places across all Tasmanian campuses

SENATOR THE HON CAROL BROWN
Senator for Tasmania
Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport

SENATOR ANNE URQUHART
Senator for Tasmania
Chief Government Whip in The Senate
Media Release

DELIVERING OUR PROMISES
$685 MILLION INFRASTRUCTURE BOOST FOR TASMANIA WILL BE GOOD FOR BRADDON

Tasmanian Labor Senators, Carol Brown and Anne Urquhart, have welcomed today’s announcement confirming the Albanese Labor government will deliver on $685 million of election commitments for vital infrastructure projects in Tasmania in the 2022-23 Federal Budget.

The Government is investing $540 million to upgrade Tasmania’s important road corridors, including the Bass Highway, the Tasman Highway and the East and West Tamar Highways.

Quotes attributable to Senator the Hon. Carol Brown, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport:
“The Albanese Government is working hard to deliver on our election promises.

“The $685 million infrastructure boost to Tasmania will be good for jobs, our communities and the safety of some of our most used roads”

Quotes attributable to Senator Anne Urquhart:
“Here in the North-West we understand just how important upgrades to the Bass Highway are, particularly after the recent rainfall events, and I am pleased to see funding in place to ensure we deliver on our commitments.

“Investing in nationally significant highways like the Bass Highway will help the economy which relies heavily on road transport and help make life easier and safer for everyone.”

The Budget will also commit:

• up to $35 million for the TransLink transport hub at Launceston Airport.
• $60 million towards the upgrade of the runway at Hobart Airport.

The Albanese Government is working in partnership with the Tasmanian Government on the investments that deliver the best value for taxpayers’ dollars and the best outcomes for the people of Tasmania.

Sunday Oct 16, 2022

 SENATOR ANNE URQUHART

 SENATOR FOR TASMANIA

CHIEF GOVERNMENT WHIP IN THE SENATE

National Anti-Corruption Commission

During the 2022 Federal election, voters across Braddon told me they wanted to elect a government which would return integrity and trust to parliament.

Today the Albanese Government introduced legislation to establish a powerful, independent and transparent National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate serious or systemic corrupt conduct across the entire federal public sector.

As part of this commitment, the government has also announced $262 million to fund the establishment and ongoing operation of the Commission over the next four years.

This will ensure the Commission can hit the ground running. It will have the staff, capabilities and capacity to triage referrals and allegations it receives, conduct timely investigations, and undertake corruption prevention and education activities.

The Albanese Government’s National Anti-Corruption Commission is built on the following design principles:

• Broad jurisdiction: The Commission will have broad jurisdiction to investigate serious or systemic corrupt conduct across the Commonwealth public sector by ministers, parliamentarians and their staff, statutory officer holders, employees of all government entities and government contractors.
• Independent: The Commission will operate independent of government, with discretion to commence inquiries into serious or systemic corruption on its own initiative or in response to referrals, including from whistleblowers and complaints from the public.
• Oversight: The Commission will be overseen by a statutory Parliamentary Joint Committee, empowered to require the Commission to provide information about its work.
• Retrospective powers: The Commission will have the power to investigate allegations of serious or systemic corruption that occurred before or after its establishment.
• Public hearings: The Commission will have the power to hold public hearings in exceptional circumstances and where it is in the public interest to do so.
• Findings: The Commission will be empowered to make findings of fact, including findings of corrupt conduct, and refer findings that could constitute criminal conduct to the Australian Federal Police or the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
• Procedural fairness: The Commission will operate with procedural fairness and its findings will be subject to judicial review.

The election of the Albanese Government on May 21 shows we have the support of the Australian people to establish a National Anti-Corruption Commission.

We now look forward to the entire Parliament coming together to support this clear mandate to establish a National Anti-Corruption Commission.

28 Sept 2022

Media contact: Susan Wallace 0418 372198

THE HON MATT KEOGH MP

MINISTER FOR VETERANS’ AFFAIRS

MINISTER FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL

and

SENATOR ANNE URQUHART

SENATOR FOR TASMANIA

CHIEF GOVERNMENT WHIP IN THE SENATE

ROSEBERY DISTRICT SCHOOL AND FOREST PRIMARY SCHOOL AWARDED FOR HONOURING PEACEKEEPERS

Braddon’s Rosebery District School and Forest Primary School have been praised for their creative projects honouring Australian peacekeepers as part of the annual Anzac Day Schools’ Awards.

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Matt Keogh said the national competition is an exciting opportunity for students to engage with veterans and learn more about Australia’s wartime history.

“This year’s theme was chosen to complement the 75^th anniversary of Australia’s involvement in international peacekeeping operations, which we commemorated this week,” Minister Keogh said.

“The students in the winning schools took the theme to heart by engaging with former and current peacekeepers in a variety of ways, and genuinely reflected on the courage and sacrifice involved with the unique nature of peacekeeping service.

“I’d like to congratulate the winning schools, but also all schools which took part – your commitment to acknowledging service is commendable. I also want to thank the teachers who worked with students and coordinated the entries for their schools, you have done a great job. ”

Senator Anne Urquhart applauded the two schools.

“Congratulations to the Tasmanian State winner, Rosebery District School, which also won the Remote Schools Award and to Forest Primary School for winning the Specialist Educational Setting category,” Senator Urquhart said.

“Both schools have made great contributions which have made our community proud.”

For more information on the Anzac Day Schools’ Awards visit the Anzac portal.

16 September 2022  

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Stephanie Mathews (Minister Keogh’s Office): 0407 034 485

Susan Wallace (Senator Urquhart’s office): 0418 372198

Authorised by The Hon Matt Keogh MP.

The Hon. Mark Butler MP

Minister for Health and Aged Care

Senator Anne Urquhart

Chief Government Whip in the Senate

 MEDIA RELEASE

Diabetes support for Tasmanians

More people in Tasmania living with Type 1 diabetes are now able to access life changing subsidised Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) products to better manage their blood glucose levels.

The Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, announced the Australian Government will extend subsidised access to CGM products under the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS), effective from 1 July.

Australians over the age of 21 with Type 1 diabetes will be able to access CGM products through their pharmacy, with a co-payment equivalent to $32.50 per month or $390 per year. These life saving devices were previous costing them up to $5,000 per year.

“The Australian Government is investing an additional $273.1 million over four years to deliver our election commitments to better support people living with type 1 diabetes,” Minister Butler said.

“CGM technology is life-changing. Supporting more people with subsidised CGM products will improve the health and quality of life for tens of thousands of Australians living with type 1 diabetes.”

People who are currently eligible for CGM products through the NDSS will continue to receive products free of charge. This includes children and young adults under 21 with type 1 diabetes, concession card holders with type 1 diabetes, and people with type 1 diabetes who are pregnant, post-pregnancy or trying to become pregnant.

Welcoming Minister Butler’s announcement, Anne Urquhart, Senator for Tasmania, said the extended access would mean new hope and help for people living in North west Tasmania to manage their type 1 diabetes.

“This is great news for people with type 1 diabetes in our community,” she said. “CGM products help reduce complications from living with diabetes, and the need to see a doctor or go to hospital.

“While finger prick blood testing gives patients a glucose reading at a single point in time, CGM gives continuous glucose readings, including during sleep.”

People on the North West and West Coasts and King Island will be among the 71,000 more Australians who will now have subsidised access to CGM under the Government’s initiative. It means that, for the first time, all Australians with type 1 diabetes – around 130,000 people – will have access to subsidised CGM products.

The Government is also delivering on its commitment to expand the eligibility criteria for the separate Insulin Pump Program.

This will provide an additional 35 fully subsidised insulin pumps a year to allow young adults aged 18 to 21 with type 1 diabetes from financially disadvantaged families to benefit from this life-changing technology.

“Until now, this program has been limited to children up to the age of 18,” Senator Urquhart said. “Again, it is more great news to help people in our community to better manage their condition.”

More information about the Insulin Pump Program, including online application forms, is available at www.jdrf.org.au

Further information about the NDSS, including information about how to access CGM products, is available at www.ndss.com.au

FRIDAY, 8 JULY 2022