ELECTORATE BENEFITS FROM NORTHERN AUSTRALIAN POLICY

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The Coalition’s Plan for Real Action for Northern Australia released today, has a number of benefits for the electorate of Kennedy which will follow the election of Liberal National candidate Ed Morrison on Saturday next.

Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia Senator Ian Macdonald launched the policy this morning.

The policy contains a number of initiatives which will be of direct relevance to people living in the electorate.

• Councils, indigenous groups, industry organisations, natural resource management bodies and other representative groups will be involved in a Northern Australia Alliance which will consult lobby and advocate the interest of all northern Australians
• The northern Australian Land and Water Taskforce will be re-established
• The establishment of the Australian Institute of Tropical Health of Medicine will play a major role in securing Kennedy residents and farming operations from the incursion of tropical diseases
• Farmers will be able to participate in soil capture of carbon and receive payments
• The one billion-dollar regional education fund will provide for infrastructure and programmes in regional schools to provide better opportunities
• $57 million will be provided for the Landsborough highway from Longreach to Cloncurry
• $8 million will be contributed towards replacement of the Jubilee Bridge in Innisfail
• Progressive upgrade of the Outback Way will benefit the mining, beef and tourism industries and indigenous communities
• The Bridges renewal programme will repair and rebuild thousands of ageing bridges
• 500 roadside stops for long-distance drivers will make driving safer in the vast northern and north western road system
•  medical rural bonded scholarships will be doubled
• Increase in scholarships available for registered nurses in regional and remote areas will allow them to become nurse practitioners
• Nurse practitioners who practise in remote communities that have no resident medical practitioner will receive an annual $10,000 bonus
• A pilot rural bonded scholarships scheme for dentists will assist address the shortage of dental care in remote areas
• $22 million will be provided to provide dental hygienists to  remote indigenous schools and Aboriginal Medical Services
• A PET scanner in Townsville will assist Kennedy residents
• New Headspace centres in Cairns, Mount Isa and Townsville will assist young people who suffer mental illness
• Labor’s mining tax will be stopped positive benefits for the North West mineral province
• Domestic tourism development grants will help with outback tourism
• The Tourism Product Development Grants will also assist tourism in northern and western Queensland
• Overturning of the Wild Rivers legislation will assist Gulf industries and indigenous communities
• The $20 million Feral Animal Control programme will benefit Kennedy by reducing wild dog and feral pig populations
• An audit of all environmental legislation and regulation will take burdens of small businesses, including farmers and graziers
• A Bio Security Flying Squad will be established to provide urgent resources where a bio security risk is identified

In addition to these specific benefits to the electorate of Kennedy, the Coalition has announced policies in particular portfolio areas many of which have a direct relevance to the electorate of Kennedy.

“I am delighted that Ed Morrison has been able to achieve for the people living in Kennedy.”

“I urge the people of Kennedy to elect Ed Morrison on Saturday as part of the Coalition team determined to get a good deal for the people of North and north western Queensland” Senator Macdonald said.

To see the full Coalition plan for real action for Northern Australia visit www.senatormacdonald.org

END

18 August 2010

Media contact Gordon Terry      (07) 4771 3066   or   0427 960 255                                           

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