In the News
Monday, 31 May 2010
Mr HAWKE (Mitchell) (6.43 pm)—I rise tonight to speak about the successful year of The Hills Swimming and Life Saving Club in my electorate of Mitchell. The club was formed in early 1967 with the name ‘The Hills Amateur Swimming Club’. The word ‘amateur’ was, of course, compulsory in those days. In 1998 it was changed to ‘The Hills Swimming Club’, and then, in 2006, to ‘The Hills Swimming and Life Saving Club. It is based centrally in Baulkham Hills and run by a fantastic committee of volunteers. It used to be the biggest swimming club in New South Wales, with over 700 members in the seventies. The lifesaving club, of course, is affiliated with the Royal Life Saving Society, whose headquarters is in my electorate of Mitchell. Classes have been held for the first season this year.
I want to offer congratulations on the presentation this year of the Derek Emery trophy to Eleanor Marshall and the Denis Robertson Award to Chelsea Podrow. One hundred and ninety-five club records were broken in the 2009-10 season. The club captains for swimming this year are Andrew Payne and Eleanor Marshall. The club captains for lifesaving are Ben Fishburn and Tiarna Jones. It was fantastic to attend the presentation, along with around 200 parents and committed volunteers.
Club membership is growing. It is such a fantastic club, and I want to congratulate all of the parents, the
hardworking coaches and staff at the club, the committee, the dedicated volunteers, the swimmers and, of course, the life members—the life members being Graham Taylor, Alan Kerruish, Pauline Alan, Bernie Boyle, Marilyn Tobin, Damian Hofman and Melanie Williams. This is a fantastic club. It fits in with the fine tradition of volunteerism in my electorate, and I endorse it thoroughly in the 2009-10 season.
24 May 2010
Mr HAWKE (Mitchell) (4.12 pm)—I rise today to record my congratulations to the Hills Relay for Life, which was held at the Castle Hill Showground on 15 to 16 May. This was the ninth year of the Hills Relay for Life event, held at the Castle Hill Showground, and this year I can report that over $200,000 was raised in support of the Cancer Council, with local business groups, community groups and people of all ages showing their support for those with cancer and their families, friends and carers. This has become an iconic event in the Hills community.
I want to firstly thank and congratulate Bev Jordan for an amazing effort as chairwoman of the 2010 Relay for Life.
Each year since I have been elected I have had a team in the Relay for Life, and this team has also helped raise money for the community. This year’s event, however, was one of the biggest and best relays we have run in the Hills district.
I also want to congratulate committee members James Butler, Cathy Aird, Bryan Mullan, Samantha Connor, Lynn Pike, Richard Tarlinton, Michael and Natalie Ball, Councillors Tony and Andrew Hay, Chris Cleary, Katie and Ruth Didsbury, Helen Gooden, Robin George, Aimee Holdsworth, Denise Daynes, Andrew Bronier, Erica Wadlow, Taylor page, Alison Harper, Jillian Carpenter, Councillor Michelle Bryne, Dave Power, Nicole Stap, Christine Zec and Sue O’Neill. There are so many names there because it is such a well-patronised and supported event by all elements of our community. I want to particularly mention Jason Francis, who is a 14-year-old boy from Castle Hill High School. He walked 200 kilometres from Bathurst to Castle Hill. He raised over $22,000 in sponsorship for his 200-kilometre walk, which was a fantastic achievement.
I want to congratulate Team Bunny, who won the Team Spirit Award. They were a fantastic team, serving soup throughout the night as it got down to very cold temperatures, as it does every year. This year we had over 100 teams participating in the Hills Relay for Life. Some of the teams were Castle Hill High School, Castle Hill Public School, Northholm Grammar, St George Bank Castle Hill—who, incidentally, won the Relay for Life Community Spirit Award for Business—St George Bank, Hornsby 1st Castle Hill Scout Group, 1st Kellyville Scout Group, Hills Shire Times, Hills News, Castle Hill RSL, Samuel Gilbert Public School and St John’s Ambulance.
Moving around the Relay for Life on that weekend and talking to the carers, the survivors, the friends and the families was a moving experience. I want to mention one particular incident, in meeting a woman at a stall whom I bought some raffle tickets from. She was a very cheerful woman. I asked where the money was going, and she said, ‘Me and my friend have had brain tumours for the last five years.’ I said, ‘Five years?’ This woman was diagnosed five years ago with a brain tumour and has had 68 courses of chemotherapy, and the joy and sense of life that I got from this woman was absolutely amazing. It was a very inspiring story, and I want to record my congratulations to her for her fight and struggle against cancer, which is ongoing.
This is a wonderful event. We will find a cure for cancer through the initiative of the community and the generosity of so many community members, businesses and charities. I want to congratulate all of the Hills community, carers, survivors’ families and friends.
The spirit of the Hills community was on clear display at the ninth Relay for Life event held at the Castle Hill Showground.
The enthusiasm in raising over $200,000 in funds for the Cancer Council was matched by the commitment to support those with cancer, their families, friends and carers.
Thank you to the organisers, the volunteers, sponsors and team members whose commitment made this such a great community event. We are truly fortunate in the Hills to have so many people who willingly give up their time for important events such as the Relay for Life.
Congratulations to Jason Francis and Ingrid Helf who walked from Bathurst to Castle Hill Showground to raise funds for the fight against cancer. Mention should also be made of Team Bunny who were the winners of the inaugural team spirit award.
12 May 2010
The Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke, was this week elected as the Deputy Chair of the Federal Parliament’s new Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety.
The terms of reference cover a broad spectrum of issues, including methods and approaches to combating online threats.
“The online environment has provided a tremendous means of communication and an unprecedented exchange of information and ideas,” Mr Hawke said.
“There are also well-known threats, and how we protect ourselves and our children from illegal and inappropriate content is one of the great challenges we face in coming years.”
Mr Hawke thanked the many local residents who have passed their opinions regarding cyber-safety issues to him. In particular there has been a growing concern about the Government’s plans to filter the internet.
“There is a clear and deeply held concern in the community about how we protect ourselves and our children in the online environment,” Mr Hawke said.
“However this concern is matched by fears that in protecting ourselves, we might enact draconian methods which might not work as intended, would censor the internet, and prevent access to legal and inoffensive content.
“I look forward to working as Deputy Chair if the Cyber-Safety Committee, and will bring the views and concerns of residents throughout the Hills community to my work in this role,” Mr Hawke said.
More information regarding the Cyber-Safety Committee, including the terms of reference are available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jscc/tor.htm
The Committee consists of twelve Members of Parliament and Senators. Convention has that a Government Member or Senator is appointed as Committee Chair and an Opposition Member or Senator as Deputy Chair.
“This is another big taxing, big spending Labor Budget, with no serious reform,” said the Federal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke.
“The Government has not taken a single tough decision to rein in its reckless and wasteful spending.
“The Budget’s return to surplus relies upon a great big new tax on Australia’s resources sector, not tough decisions. Kevin Rudd’s mining tax is a dagger to the heart of the Australian economy, putting major projects at risk and sending jobs offshore.
“Mr Rudd and Mr Swan want to sacrifice Australia’s future economic prosperity to improve the numbers in this Budget’s bottom line.
“Spending in this Budget will increase by $26 billion over the next three years relative to last year’s record spending forecast. The Government will have to borrow over $700 million a week to fund its reckless and wasteful spending – putting upward pressure on interest rates and the cost of living for Australian families in the Hills,” Mr Hawke said.
“The peak debt bill of $93.7 billion will be the amount owed by the Australian people to pay for Kevin Rudd’s spending spree.
“The Budget also exposes the costs of the Government’s waste, mismanagement and policy failures.
“There has been a $1 billion Budget blowout as a result of Kevin Rudd weakening Australia’s borders and $1 billion will be spent to fix Labor’s tragic home insulation mess,” Mr Hawke said.
“The Budget confirms that Kevin Rudd’s health policies will be about more bureaucrats and not better services. The Government will spend around $500 million to establish new layers of Commonwealth bureaucracy. In less than a month, Kevin Rudd has broken his promise of no net increase in health bureaucrats,” Mr Hawke said.
“Having broken his election promise and built just two of 36 GP super clinics, Kevin Rudd is now asking the Australian people to trust him when he says he will build 23 more.
“The Labor Budget does not invest a single additional dollar in Australia’s major road networks.
“And in an undisguised election campaign strategy, the Government will spend $126 million on print, radio and television advertising,” Mr Hawke said.