Dear Ms Gillard and Mr Abbott

The Honourable Julia Gillard, MP
Prime Minister of Australia
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

The Honourable Tony Abbott, MP
Leader of the Opposition
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Dear Ms Gillard and Mr Abbott,

Thank you for the opportunity to meet with you.

I’ve listed below some of my priorities should I be elected as the Member for Denison at the 2010 Federal election. It’s a long list because it’s been a long time since southern Tasmania, and Denison in particular, had a fair go from Canberra.

Local
• Replacement of the Royal Hobart Hospital. In the interim, leasing of sub-acute beds in private hospitals to help reduce the RHH occupancy rate to the national level.
• Stage 3 of the National Broadband Network complete by end 2012.
• Withdrawal of all Federal Government approvals for Gunns’ Tamar River pulp mill.
• Immediate release of the $20 million relief funding for Tasmanian forestry contractors pledged by the ALP and Coalition.
• Stage 1 of the Southern Councils Transport Plan implemented.
• The northern suburbs light rail funded and developed.
• Re-alignment of the Brighton bypass to protect the Jordan River levee Aboriginal heritage site. Upgrade of the Brooker Highway and Plenty Valley link road.
• Upgrade Hobart inner port infrastructure.
• Realisation of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery master plan.
• Stage 1 of the Glenorchy Sports, Recreation and Community Precinct funded and developed.

National
• Introduction of maximum $1 bet and $120/hour loss limits on all poker machines in Australia.
• Urgent action on climate change, including a price on carbon.
• Honouring the word and spirit of the UN Refugee Convention.
• Federal whistle-blower legislation.
• According the same funding priority to mental health care as afforded currently to GP and hospital services.
• Including dental care in Medicare.
• Overturning the recent Federal Government decision to extend to 2014 the review of the Federal funding model for education. Instead complete the review by 2012, and implement the recommendations as soon as practicable. Increased funding for tertiary institutions.
• Increasing all Government pensions, allowances and other payments to levels people can actually live on. Enhance the method of indexation so as to ensure they genuinely keep pace with inflation.
• A conscience vote on same-sex marriage.
• Increased funding of aged care facilities.
• The introduction of a national disability insurance scheme.

Office
• Adequate staffing and office space to deal with the workload of an Independent Member of Parliament.

And,

Media Release
Andrew Wilkie
Independent candidate for Denison
www.andrewwilkie.org

30 August 2010

ANDREW WILKIE MEETING PRIME MINISTER AND OPPOSITION LEADER IN CANBERRA TODAY

Independent candidate for Denison Andrew Wilkie will travel to Canberra today for talks with Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition leader Tony Abbott.

The meeting with Mr Abbott will commence at 3.00 pm and the meeting with Ms Gillard at 4.30 pm.

Mr Wilkie hopes to have an opportunity to conduct a media conference at Parliament House Canberra sometime afterwards.

A copy of the letter Mr Wilkie sent to Ms Gillard and Mr Abbott laying out areas for discussions is contained at the bottom of this Media Release. This is not a list of demands but, as the letter explains, a list of some of Mr Wilkie’s priorities which he intends to work on as Member for Denison.

And,

Australian Marriage Equality (AME) has welcomed Tasmanian Independent Andrew Wilkie’s inclusion of a conscience vote on same-sex marriage on his priority list for meetings today with the leaders of both major parties, and has called on both major parties to grant the request. Read more HERE