In the News
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke MP is urging all Hills residents to recommit to Remembrance Day. The Recommit campaign is a Coalition-initiated, bi-partisan campaign to encourage more Australians to observe the traditional one minute’s silence on Remembrance Day.
There has been some concern in recent years about the demise of the observation of a traditional one minute’s silence on Remembrance Day. Press coverage last year told of banks, universities, businesses, government departments and others not pausing for the traditional period of silence.
“One of the most important parts of being Australian is to honour the service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country so that we may enjoy the freedom and way of life that we do today,” Mr Hawke said.
“That is why I am such a strong supporter of the Recommit campaign. It encourages all Australians to pause from their daily activities to reflect upon, remember and commemorate the service of all Australians who have been killed in wars in defence of Australian values.
“For those who want to get directly involved there are plenty of opportunities. Castle Hill RSL is having a service on Sunday the 6th to mark Remembrance Day as well as on the 11th.
“Whether you go to a service at an RSL club or not, pausing for a minute at 11am is an important gesture that I encourage everyone to make.”
Originally known as ‘Armistice Day’, Remembrance Day commemorates the dead and injured of all wars. In World War One more than 63,000 Australians were killed and more than 100,000 were wounded. Since Federation, more than 103,000 Australians have been killed in action during war service. Their names are recorded on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial, which was also opened on Remembrance Day and this year turns 70.
“At the same moment in time, when the clock strikes 11am in Australia and across the world, people pause to reflect upon the service and sacrifice of the fallen. Observing Remembrance Day is both a powerful Australian tradition in its own right, but links Australia’s involvement in the defence of freedom with the struggle of others who fought along side us,” Mr Hawke concluded.
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke MP, will travel to Canberra tomorrow to meet with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, as part of her 10 day visit to Australia.
Mr Hawke, who has been a long-standing supporter of a constitutional monarchy, says that this is certainly a moment to remember.
“The Queen and the importance of her office to our Westminster-style of parliamentary democracy both have my utmost support,” Mr Hawke said.
“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second has reigned for 59 years and is widely regarded as one of the most successful monarchs and Heads of State in history. She deserves our respect and thanks, a message I hope to convey in person on behalf of the people of Mitchell.
“It is a privilege and an honour to meet such an esteemed Head of State. I have made three oaths to the Queen in my life, once as an army officer, once when I became a Member of Parliament and once as a Justice of the Peace.
Alex Hawke was a strong advocate for the ‘NO’ campaign during the 1999 referendum on the question of becoming a republic, and has been a long-time supporter of the monarch as Australia’s Head of State.
Mr Hawke believes that recent polling on this issue, including a Roy Morgan poll issued last week showing support for the monarchy at its highest since 1991, is a testament to how important that ‘NO’ campaign was.
“A recent poll shows that over 55 percent of Australians are in favour of keeping the monarchy, with just 34 percent supporting a republic,” Mr Hawke said. “Levels of support are just as strong with Australians aged 14-17, which shows that Australians of all ages support the Queen and all that she stands for.”
“Australia is referred to as ‘the lucky country’ by many around the world, but it is more than just luck. Our stable and successful model of government, whatever its weaknesses, has always been an source of envy for other governments around the world. Our ability to uphold traditions and stable government through the constitutional monarchy plays a major part in the way we are viewed by other nations,” Alex Hawke concluded.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke MP, has congratulated Hills Mayor Cr Greg Burnett on putting forward options to give democracy back to the Hills community through a popularly elected mayor.
Mayor Burnett announced that a report will be prepared exploring the way mayors are elected in the area with a popularly elected mayor, where members of the community vote for the mayor, expected to be one of the options explored.
“The Liberal Party in the Hills council made a commitment to look at moving to a popularly elected mayor and it is great to see this important commitment being delivered. A popularly elected mayor will allow local residents and rate payers to choose the mayor directly for a four year term instead of a constant change every year,” Alex Hawke said.
“This is an important democratic step and I am looking forward to seeing how it develops”
Alex Hawke MP has spoken out very clearly in support of a popularly elected mayor in the past. Just last week Mr Hawke called for the Hills Shire Council to take a referendum to the 2012 elections on this issue and has even urged the state government to look at metropolitan council amalgamations as a priority.
“I have always supported a popularly elected mayor and Cr Greg Burnett and the Liberal council team has my full support in the pursuit of this process, Alex Hawke concluded.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
“Today, Labor members of parliament had the opportunity to restore faith with the people of their electorates,” Alex Hawke MP said.
“Labor members of parliament had the opportunity to stand up for the people of their electorates, honour their word, and stop the carbon tax that the Prime Minister promised we wouldn’t have.”
“Labor members of parliament have betrayed the people of their electorates today by voting for the carbon tax,” Alex Hawke MP said.
“They have voted for this job-destroying carbon tax and abandoned jobs and industries in their electorates.
“This fundamental betrayal is going to impact on peoples’ cost of living and it is going to make their jobs less secure,” Alex Hawke MP said.
“On the government's own figures, 3 million Australian households will be worse off under the carbon tax. On the Government's own figures, dual income families will be worse off once they have the income of a school teacher and a shop assistant; or that of a policeman and a part-time nurse. Where are these families expected to find the money to pay for Julia Gillard’s carbon tax?”
“When the Prime Minister said five days before the last election “there will be no carbon tax under the government I lead” she was giving a commitment on behalf of every Labor member of parliament,” Alex Hawke MP said.
“If Labor members of parliament were serious about keeping faith with their electorates they would have opposed the carbon tax.”
“The Coalition’s commitment to the Australian people is that we will continue to do everything in our power to fight this toxic tax,” Alex Hawke MP said.
“If we are going to take the cost of living pressures off Australian families and if we are going to give Australian manufacturing industry a fighting chance, then we must fight the carbon tax.”
“The Coalition will oppose Labor’s toxic carbon tax in opposition and we will rescind it in government,” Alex Hawke MP concluded.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
The Labor Government’s mishandling of asylum seekers is wasting billions of tax payer dollars. This is money that could be used in the Hills area.
Last Tuesday the 102nd boat arrived since Julia Gillard became Prime Minister. That is a total of nearly 6,000 new arrivals since June last year. Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke has said that enough is enough and is calling on the Prime Minister to be accountable for the waste her indecisiveness is causing.
“Julia Gillard has back flipped on this issue more times than an Olympic Gymnast,” Alex Hawke said. “She was against offshore processing and then changed her mind, she supported Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) and then changed her mind, she told voters that there would be no expansion to onshore detention centres which of course has been another broken promise.”
“Prime Minister Gillard also said she would never go to a country that has not signed the United Nations Convention on Refugees and now she supports off shore processing in a country that has not signed the convention, Malaysia, over one that has, Nauru.
“It is clear to everyone that Labor is completely unable to govern but this situation is being made so much worse by how much money they are wasting in the process.
“Labor’s incompetence has caused a budget blow out of more than $3 billion combined with chaos and riots in our detention centres, where there is at least one critical incident occurring every six hours. A program that cost less than $100 million just over three years ago under the Howard Government, now costs more than $1 billion under the Labor Government.
“This is typical Labor behaviour, get something that is working, make some changes so it no longer works and waste hundreds of millions of tax payer dollars in the process.
“Every time Labor’s incompetence and mismanagement wastes a dollar that is a dollar that cannot be spent on things needed in communities all around Australia. For example, here in the Hills, That wasted money could be used to improve infrastructure such as Showground Rd.
“Labor needs to understand that the money they waste is not their money; it belongs to the hard working Australian tax payers,” Alex Hawke concluded.