Federal Member for O Connor. Getting things done in O Connor

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1 RICK WILSON MP Federal Member for O Connor November 2015 Getting things done in O Connor Since my last newsletter a lot has been achieved. While the Prime Minister might have changed recently, it s the work being done in the electorate that I am most proud of. With Senator Dean Smith receiving appreciation hampers from the team at Albany Community Care Centre Earlier this year, the Albany Community Care Centre came to me in a desperate situation; they were going to have to close their doors on 30 June Along with strong community support, we were able to secure funding for the centre to remain open until at least 30 June The ability to make a difference with an outcome like this is made even better when you get a thank you note like this one from Julie Gannaway. You funded a month of respite at community care for my mum. This allowed us to have two months away to go visit my daughter, longest holiday we have ever had. It has been a massive year for us and we really needed the break. Thank you so much, you won t ever really know how much appreciation we have. In this issue: Ministerial visits... 2 NBN satellite launch... 3 Biggest Survey Funding security for Men s Sheds... 8 I ve also been campaigning hard for the Norseman airstrip to be upgraded. The airstrip lies on Lake Cowan and in its current condition, after only a few millimetres of rain, the runways are rendered unfit for landing and take-off. This means aero-medical services like the Royal Flying Doctor Service can t land and injured residents are forced to drive to Kalgoorlie to be airlifted to Perth. A petition has been launched and so far I ve gathered hundreds of signatures. But we need more so please visit to sign. There are plenty of other issues I ve been working on and I ve touched on some of them in the newsletter. Also included in this newsletter is my biggest survey. I know I m most effective when I have a clear understanding of what s important to you. To help me better understand your needs and priorities, I m inviting everyone in our electorate to participate in the survey. It will also help me to provide you with information of interest, depending on your individual issues. Once you ve answered the questions return the survey using the free reply paid details. Everyone who returns the survey by 2pm (WST) Thursday 24 December will go in the draw to win an ipad mini 2 wi-fi 16GB. Chatting to Brian Micke and Golly Pascoe about the need to upgrade Norseman airstrip ipad 9:45 AM Go into the draw to WIN an ipad min i Thank you for participating. Rick Wilson MP Federal Member for O Connor Like me on Authorised by Rick Wilson MP, 345 Hannan Street Kalgoorlie WA Printed by Advertiser Print, 165 York Street Albany WA

2 RICK WILSON MP Desert Mounted Corps Memorial On 3 July 2015, the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial in Albany was declared a Military Memorial of National Significance by the then Minister for Veterans Affairs Senator the Hon. Michael Ronaldson. I joined Minister Ronaldson and City of Albany Mayor Dennis Wellington to make the announcement at the memorial. The memorial commemorates the men of the Australian Light Horse, as well as the New Zealand Mounted Rifles, the Imperial Camel Corps and the Australian Flying Corps who served in Egypt, Palestine and Syria during the First World War between 1916 and It is fitting the memorial received this recognition during the Centenary of Anzac period the most important period of commemoration in our nation s history. The Desert Mounted Corps Memorial is one of only two Military Memorials of National Significance in Western Australia, joining the HMAS Sydney II Memorial in Geraldton. This special status is awarded to memorials of national importance that are not located in the nation s capital. The Desert Mounted Corps Memorial has always been a focal point for our community and it is a great honour that we have now received this level of recognition. Minister Ley speaking to Regional Renal Service Clinical Nurse Manager Kim Tracey With Minister Cormann and Ashok Parekh Member for Eyre Dr Graham Jacobs MLA, Minister Mitch Fifield, EACF director of nursing Kathie Carey, EACF vice chairman Ron Padgurkis and Senator Dean Smith Ministerial visits It has been my pleasure to host the Minister for Health the Hon. Sussan Ley, Minister for Finance the Hon. Mathias Cormann in Kalgoorlie and Minister Mitch Fifield in his previous position as Assistant Minister for Social Services. While in Kalgoorlie, Minister Ley announced $2.5m in Federal funding to support the purchase of a new aircraft for the Royal Flying Doctor Service West Australian division. We also toured the Kalgoorlie Hospital dialysis ward that has received funding through the Bringing Renal Dialysis and Support Services Closer to Home project. The hospital will get seven additional renal dialysis chairs, a 19 bed hostel and clinical offices for regional renal support teams. Minister Cormann attended a dinner with financial services stakeholders to discuss tax reform. I thank him for taking some tough questions from the audience. I took Minister Fifield on an electorate tour visiting towns where aged care is a major issue. In Narrogin, we visited Karinya Cottage Homes and we visited Esperance Aged Care Facility (EACF) in Esperance. EACF are looking at expanding their centre with an extra 25 beds. The project will require capital expenditure of $7.3 million. Stronger Communities Programme In the 2015 Budget, the Stronger Communities Programme was announced $150,000 for each electorate to fund small capital projects which will deliver social benefits. I appointed a community committee to undertake consultation in the electorate and to identify eligible projects and invite applicants to apply. I m pleased to announce the committee recommended 13 worthy projects across the electorate: Camp Kulin installation of outdoor kitchen Shire of Narembeen town hall development to include kitchen Shire of West Arthur development of nature based playground in Darkan Shire of Westonia ablution block construction for Senior Citizen s Centre Lake King Progress Association construction of community pavilion Shire of Bruce Rock lighting upgrade at Community Recreation Centre Shire of Kondinin two BBQ shelters at Kondinin and Hyden swimming pools Albany Menshed internal fit-out of new shed Bridgetown Lawn Tennis Club hard court resurfacing Esperance Tennis Club hard court resurfacing Esperance Soccer Association upgrade of kitchen facilities Esperance Goldfields Surf Life Saving replacement of hybrid power system Goldfields Women s Refuge upgrade of kitchen facilities Round two of the programme will open in March Contact my office for more information.

3 NBN satellite launch With Member for Eyre Dr Graham Jacobs and NBN satellite operations manager Michael Beckford Visit by the Minister for Resources On his first trip to WA, I made sure Minister for Resources and Energy the Hon. Josh Frydenberg visited Kalgoorlie-Boulder. I wanted to introduce the minister to the relevant stakeholders in the region and his visit was very well received. We all know that fast, reliable broadband is vitally important and currently more than 2,300 homes across O Connor are connected to the NBN interim satellite service to get broadband. We also know that the interim satellite has been a disappointment to many using it. There is a light at the end of the tunnel as the first of two satellites was launched on 1 October. When the service is available in early 2016, users will have broadband speeds that are faster than current metro speeds. This is great news for students trying to access distant education, for farmers conducting business and for those living in isolated areas accessing Government online services such as e-health and completing their online tax return. Recently, I toured the Kalgoorlie NBN satellite tracking station, one of 10 ground stations. The four dish ground station will play a critical role in monitoring the NBN satellites and is one of only two manned stations across the country. Touring Hahn Electrical with Craig Hahn and Minister Frydenberg Mobile phone black spots Recently, I announced $53.84 million will be invested in O Connor to build or upgrade 60 mobile phone towers. In my opinion, this is the most satisfying announcement for the electorate since my election. Everywhere I go in regional WA, the lack of mobile phone coverage is a huge issue. O Connor received more funding than any other federal electorate in Australia and many of my colleagues keep asking me how they can achieve a similar outcome for their electorates. Of the 177 blackspots nominated by local communities, 133 will receive coverage from one of the 60 new or upgraded base stations. If you would like to find out if a new tower will be located near you, check out the national map: The first of the new towers will start construction before the end of 2015 and the rollout will continue for three years. Also announced was $60 million for round two of the programme. The locations that were not selected in round one will automatically be considered in round two. Some of the 60 new or upgraded mobile phone base stations If you would like to nominate a blackspot for round two of the programme, mobilecoverage@communications.gov.au. If you require any assistance nominating a blackspot for round two please do not hesitate to contact my office. Kalgoorlie Electorate Office 345 Hannan Street (PO Box 10415) Kalgoorlie WA 6430 Ph Freecall Fax Albany Electorate Office Shop 5, The Link Shopping Centre St Emilie Way (PO Box 5077) Albany WA 6330 Ph Freecall Fax At the Super Pit with mine technical services manager Tim Berryman and Minister Frydenberg Our first stop was Hahn Electrical who kindly hosted lunch for 40 stakeholders. Hahn Electrical is a true Goldfields success story having been in business for 25 years. Daphne and Alan Hahn employ more than 65 local employees and export their parts overseas. It was very exciting to hear how a local business is eager about the prospects of the China- Australia Free Trade Agreement and the Trans Pacific Partnership. The minister and I then visited the Super Pit, Australia s second largest open pit gold mine. We toured the mill, workshops and tourist lookout with general manger Ian Butler and mine technical services manager Tim Berryman. Manjimup Office Unit 2, Central Plaza, Rose Street Manjimup WA 6258 Katanning Office Shop 3, 100 Clive Street Katanning WA 6317 Liberal House Esperance Shop 12, Dutton Arcade Esperance WA Rick.Wilson.MP@aph.gov.au

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8 Funding security for Men in Sheds I am a big supporter of men s sheds across the electorate. I was thrilled when the Australian Government committed to funding the National Shed Development Program (NSDP) until The decision to guarantee funding will allow men s sheds to maintain their shed, buy new tools or start new projects. It s great news for the sheds and the men who use them. Congratulating chair of the Hopetoun Men in Sheds Darryl Quinn All sheds are eligible to apply for funding under the NSDP. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis up to a total of $8,000 (GST exclusive), with priority given to sheds in disadvantaged areas. The $4.5 million commitment over the next three years will also assist the Australian Men s Sheds Association to develop and maintain relationships and linkages with health providers and employ strategies to more effectively reach and engage men. The Albany Menshed Inc committee recently obtained $1,700 in funding through the NSDP to help purchase a wall panel saw and sliding compound mitre With Albany Menshed committee members Jim Burton and Mike Taylor saw and the C.Y. O Connor Men s Sheds committee received $3,000 to purchase a sheet metal bender and guillotine. I ve been following the journey of the Hopetoun Men in Sheds from erection of the shed to a full blown fitted out professional workshop. In early October, I attended the official opening of the shed with more than 100 guests. We toasted the success of this dedicated team who together designed and constructed a terrific shed. OUT AND OUT AND ABOUT ABOUT With Kojonup Hidden Treasures Bloom Festival coordinator Emily Hardie Addressing the Great Southern Women s lunch in Albany Presenting a flag to Grass Patch PS Mrs Weatherhead, Luke, Elise, Hannah and Quinton At the Albany Police Remembrance Day ceremony with my family and Senior Sergeant Brad Robinson At a Bridgetown coffee catch-up with Harold Thomas, Neil Eaton, Hazel Larkworthy, Maureen Flemming, Lorraine and Don Roberts and Tom and Margaret Wright Authorised by Rick Wilson MP, 345 Hannan Street Kalgoorlie WA Printed by Advertiser Print, 165 York Street Albany WA 6330.