TRANSCRIPT OF THE HON.
REMARKS TO CIVIC RECEPTION, WARRNAMBOOL CITY COUNCIL
Thank you very much, it’s great to be here in Warrnambool. I’m delighted to see that elections here in Warrnambool don’t take 17 days to resolve. You’ve come so swiftly to what I’m sure is a very happy outcome, but look it’s great to be here. It’s great to be with Denis and Dan, my state and federal parliamentary colleagues and, look, Denis and I were arguing over whether in fact this is my first visit to Warrnambool. I’m prepared to concede to the new Victorian Government. But I’m sure this is the first time I’ve been overnight in Warrnambool.
It is important for federal politicians to spend as much time as they can in the community. I think when I was a minister it was easy to be a prisoner of the office, a prisoner of the public service briefing note. I suspect that the current Government is even more a prisoner of the briefing note than the former Government was and the only way to avoid that is to spend as much time as you can in the community.
I’m delighted to be here with Dan Tehan. I think he’s going to make a really outstanding Member for Wannon. I think he has future front bencher stamped all over him and, of course, I think he is a very worthy successor to David Hawker who, as you know, for almost 30 years was the local member and was the Speaker, a very fine Speaker in the federal parliament.
In Opposition, it’s impossible to do everything that you’d like to do for local communities. Obviously, there are significant issues which the Government ought to step in to resolve. We’ve got problems with our roads, problems with our health system. I’m sure the new Victorian Government is going to do all it can to improve roads and health services here in south western Victoria and I think the federal government should do its bit to.
I’ve had some experience on the Princes Highway of just how difficult and dangerous its use can be. We committed, at the recent election, to extend the duplication on the road as far as Colac but obviously as soon as is humanly possible but we should have a decent dual carriageway linking Melbourne and Adelaide.
We should have a Medicare licence for the MRI machine here in Warrnambool and that was one of the commitments that we made at the recent election and that commitment stands and the next Coalition government will certainly, as one of its first measures, put that Medicare
licence into the MRI machine here at Warrnambool. But most of all, I really just want to say how impressed I am with the spirit of the local area. I know that there are always difficulties for people who are making their living in hard market places. Down at Port Fairy this morning, as I was rowing on the surf boat, there was a local lobster fisherman and he was telling me about the difficulties you’ve had over the last couple of weeks getting your lobsters into China. Now, it’s not always easy to solve these sorts of trade problems quickly, but certainly an active and energetic federal government has got to be doing what it reasonably can to ensure that people can get their produce to market at the best possible price.
So, I just want to say that, despite all the difficulties, the city looks to be thriving. Jacinta, I think the great thing about Australia is that sometimes governments let you down, but the people never let you down and that’s part of the Australian spirit. We roll up our sleeves and we get on with life and, yes, we often think that we should get more help from various authorities but regardless of that we get on with life and we get on with building a better life for ourselves and for our families and the great thing about Australians is that they don’t confine themselves to their own kith and kin. When it comes to looking out for their fellow human beings, we always try to look after the wider community and whether it be the council with the work that it does above and beyond the call of duty and this fine gallery is an example of that, whether it be Coast FM today who generously donated $1,200 to Peter’s Project, whether it be the work of the volunteer organisations, such as the local surf clubs; Australians puling together to make a better country. So thank you so much Mayor Jacinta for having me here. I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can over the next 40 minutes or so and thank you for making me so welcome.
Copyright © 2010 : Authorised by Dan Tehan, 190 Gray St, Hamilton VIC 3300
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