Letter submitted to the Bundaberg NewsMail:

Dear Editor,

I congratulate you on yesterday’s editorial: “co-ordinated approach to jobs needed”. I couldn’t agree more!

That’s why I was so disappointed to see the State Labor Member for Bundaberg blame the Federal Government yet again.

It seems every time a journalist asks her to comment on an issue, she points the finger at someone else.

Unemployment is too important an issue to be used as a political football – it’s a whole of community problem that deserves a team effort!

I recognise there are several challenges to gaining employment in the Hinkler electorate, including a lack of job vacancies and a high number of applicants.

That’s why we’ve introduced a range of measures to help job seekers stand out in what is a highly competitive market.

Through Work for the Dole, the National Work Experience Program and Green Army, job seekers are learning important skills while contributing to their communities.

The 2015 Budget includes $330 million for a Youth Employment Strategy to help young people transition from school to work.

Young job seekers who find a job and stay off welfare for 12 months will receive a job commitment bonus of $2500, and a further $4000 at 24 months.

We’re providing concessional trade support loans of up to $20,000 and spending $200 million each year to lift apprenticeship completion rates.    

We’re also providing up to $9000 to help people relocate to take up a job.

Giving job seekers a hand up is just one piece of the puzzle.

We’re also giving businesses the confidence they need to expand because, ultimately it is businesses that create jobs – not governments.

Businesses who employ young or mature age job seekers can access wage subsidies of up to $10,000.

We’ve reduced the company tax rate to its lowest level in 50 years and are allowing small businesses to claim an immediate tax deduction for each asset they purchase up to $20,000.

We all have a role to play in creating jobs for current and future generations. There are two simple things Hinkler residents can do to boost our economy: shop locally and tell everyone how great our region is!

I will continue to work with my State Government and Council colleagues to attract public and private investment to our region.

I welcome the State Labor Government’s decision to retain the former LNP Government’s gas pipeline extension to the Port!

The Labor Member for Bundaberg is right about one thing – the gas pipeline will attract businesses and create jobs!

Keith Pitt MP

Federal member for Hinkler

OP-ED published by Queensland Country Life and www.farmonline.com.au on 23 March, 2015.

It’s a situation all too common in the horticulture sector. The supermarket giant demands to pay a lower price, but the farmer’s input costs continue to rise. Reliant on a large seasonal workforce, he turns to a contract labour hire company to hopefully save himself a few dollars.

He suspects the contractor may be breaching immigration, taxation or industrial relations laws, but turns a blind eye for the sake of his family’s livelihood.    

The farmer’s use of a contractor in no way diminishes his responsibility to those workers. Under Australian law he is equally liable and, in most cases, he’s easier for the authorities to pursue.       

Not only has he put his business at risk, but his actions also disadvantage those Australian farmers and contractors who do the right thing.

Sham contracting affects more than just the horticulture sector!

Tourism operators have complained for years that the poor treatment of backpackers damages Australia’s reputation abroad.

Contractors are today employing fewer European and Australian workers because most know their rights. This has distorted regional labour markets, where unemployment is already high, and fostered a deeply disturbing, yet widely accepted, culture of serious exploitation.

Apathy is rife. Some people even try to justify preying on vulnerable workers from developing countries, saying: “they’re getting paid more than they would back home” and “the workers are complicit too”. The workers’ unwillingness to speak out only protects the sham contractor and makes it more difficult for authorities to protect others.      

Having so many unlawful non-citizens in Australia raises serious national security issues.  The complicated cross-jurisdiction structure of the offending and the evidential burden make it very difficult for authorities to act.

As Immigration Minister in the Howard Government, Philip Ruddock announced a review into illegal work in 1999, resulting in a range of measures to improve compliance, including tougher sanctions and education campaigns. In 2010, a review by Stephen Howells found it was “the most significant problem facing Australian migration authorities”.

Regional media reports and anecdotal evidence presented to my office suggests the problem has worsened. That’s why Nationals Senator Barry O’Sullivan and I brought stakeholders together in Brisbane early last year to discuss the cause and to identify possible solutions.

One suggestion was for workers to attach payslips to their second year visa applications as proof they’ve completed the 88 days of specified work. They argued it would prevent contractors from demanding lump sum payments and sexual favours in exchange for signing the form. The change wouldn’t create any additional red tape for law abiding employers.

They said passport photo ID should be added to Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO), to make it harder for illegal workers to share the same visa number, and there should be closer monitoring of the people registering to become migration agents or ABN holders.  

While I would welcome the introduction of measures such as these, they would only address very specific aspects of what is a much larger problem.

Stakeholders said creating more hoops for farmers to jump through would only make the problem worse, and called for greater enforcement of existing laws.

Under the Coalition, in 2013-14 the number of Illegal Worker Warning Notices issued increased 201 per cent compared to the previous year, and the number of illegal workers located increased 18 per cent. So far this financial year, six employers have been fined a combined total of more than $32,000 for employing illegal workers.

The National Party has supported my call for a multi-jurisdictional taskforce.  I’d like to see some of the funds we’ve saved with the closure of immigration detention facilities, spent on an undercover operation to shine the light on this “seedy underbelly” once and for all. 

Putting an end to this scourge is everyone’s responsibility; starting with the people that set the farm gate price!    

Letter submitted to the NewsMail on 9 March, 2015.

Dear Editor,

I am writing in reply to letters by Allan Cook and Max Tanzer (2/2), who criticised me for saying the unions’ anti-asset sales campaign played a substantial part in Bundaberg going to Labor at the State election. 

I had to laugh when, the very next day (3/2), the NewsMail published a story in which the Not4Sale campaigners claimed credit for Leanne Donaldson’s win. The photo accompanying the story showed them sharing a bottle of champagne.  

A range of issues contributed to the LNP’s loss at the State election, including some of our own making. There is no doubt the unions, who previously appeared in local media to deny they were affiliated with Labor, played some part locally.  

The unions specifically targeted the Bundaberg electorate, bringing in paid protesters from Western Australia and Victoria.

The democratic right of Australians to protest and campaign is something I will always defend. I represent all Hinkler residents; regardless of how they vote. In fact, since my election, I’ve had meetings with various union delegates about a range of matters.

It is deeply disappointing that the unions are now silent on an issue that they were vehement about only a few short weeks ago.

The one-month-old Queensland Labor Government that promised they would never sell our assets is now planning on doing just that!  The Deputy Premier has openly admitted it! 

It’s the same in Victoria. The recently elected Victorian Labor Government has announced it intends to sell the Port of Melbourne, but the unions haven’t said boo!

At least the LNP was upfront during the election about their plan to lease just 11 per cent of Queensland’s assets to pay down Labor’s debt and build infrastructure. Now, Queensland looks set to be taken back to 2009.    

I respect the choice Queenslanders have made, but I won’t pretend I’m happy that Jack Dempsey is no longer Bundaberg’s State MP. He poured his heart and soul into the job. He steered us through the 2013 floods and helped make the Bundaberg Hospital Emergency Department the best in the State.

I wish Jack, his wife Christine and their children all the very best!

Keith Pitt MP

Federal member for Hinkler

Dear Editor,

I am writing is response to Bernard Barry’s letter (5/3) about food labelling laws.

Mr Barry is absolutely right when he says the recent berry contamination is just the tip of the iceberg.

However, his other claims are completely incorrect.

Contrary to what Mr Barry says, the Federal Government has not “suddenly galvanized into action because people became seriously ill”.

The National Party has been advocating for country-of-origin food labelling for two decades. On March 27 last year the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Agriculture and Industry agreed to undertake an inquiry. They released their report, “A Clearer Message for Consumers” in October.

What the berry issue has done is increase public awareness and support for something that the farming and fishing industries have long been calling for. Widespread media coverage and public debate has brought the issue to a head, prompting the relevant Ministers to prepare an urgent submission for Cabinet consideration.

I’m not sure how Mr Barry can claim that there are only two major food processing plants left in Australia, when we have several right here in the Hinkler electorate. They export to the world and together they employ hundreds of local people.

It is the two major supermarket chains that are enthusiastic about cheap inferior imports, not the Government. Intent on cutting costs wherever possible, they source products from overseas markets where labour is cheap, and biosecurity and health regulations are almost non-existent.  

The Government will take action on this issue to support our farmers and give consumers real choice, but Australians also need to get on board – shop local and always read the label!

Keith Pitt MP

Federal Member for Hinkler   

Letter submitted to the NewsMail on 22 January, 2015.

Dear Editor,

I am writing to assure the people of Bundaberg that I have been working to identify an alternative source of funding for Bumblebees Therapeutic Preschool.

The preschool’s operator, Phoenix House, first contacted my office on January 7 to advise that their Federal Government funding would expire in February and that their application for new funding was unsuccessful.

I contacted the Federal Minister for Social Services and State Member for Bundaberg Jack Dempsey to see if there was another way we could fund this unique program. 

I knew that Mr Dempsey had already helped save the service once before, when Bumblebees’ Federal funding expired in 2009.

In fact, the LNP State Government has provided $2.3 million to Phoenix House to deliver a range of invaluable programs and services to the Bundaberg community.

Together, Mr Dempsey and I have been working behind the scenes – and not in front of the TV cameras   – to try to address this issue.

It is important for your readers to know that the Federal Department of Social Service received more than 5,500 grant applications nationally totalling $3.9 Billion, for a grants program with about $800 Million available.

When demand for a funding program is this high, unfortunately, someone always misses out.

I am a father of three young children, and I understand you can’t put a price on a service like Bumblebees! 

Keith Pitt MP

Federal Member for Hinkler

Letter submitted to the Fraser Coast Chronicle on 18 December, 2015.

Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to Mr Breen’s letter (18/12) about petrol prices.

I’m sorry he feels that highlighting a serious issue like “price fixing” is “stealing oxygen”.

Petrol prices are largely influenced by factors outside Government control, such as the crude oil price.

On December 11, I wrote to Minister Bruce Billson to express my concern that the ACCC was not meeting its obligation to protect consumers from unfair commercial practices at the bowser.

As a result, on December 17, Minister Billson issued a new direction to the ACCC under section 95ZE of the Competition and Consumer Act of 2010.

The ACCC will now conduct at least four investigations a year into specific geographic markets and produce monitoring reports on a quarterly basis.           

With crude oil prices dropping by 40 per cent since June, local fuel retailers have been enjoying record profits of up to 30 cents per litre in some cases.

By comparison, the re-indexation of the fuel excise that Mr Breen referred to in his letter will add less than half a cent per litre, which equates to about $24 per year for a person using 50 litres a week.

The changes we’re making will not impact farmers and fishers who receive the diesel fuel rebate.

The funds raised will go towards building transport infrastructure, including $6.7 Billion to fix the Bruce Highway.

I urge Hinkler constituents to write to the ACCC and use social media to highlight examples of “highway robbery”.

Together, we can put pressure on retailers to do the right thing and reduce their prices!

Keith Pitt MP

Federal Member for Hinkler

Letter submitted to the NewsMail on 15 December, 2014.

Dear Editor,

It is absolutely fair and reasonable for the community to expect transparency and value for money in relation to parliamentarians’ remuneration and other entitlements. We are, after all, employed by Australian taxpayers!

Unfortunately, substantial misinformation is circulated from time to time. Federal politicians’ salaries are not determined by the Australian Parliament. They are determined by the Remuneration Tribunal, which is an independent statutory authority.

As part of the May Budget, the Abbott Government wrote to the Remuneration Tribunal requesting a 12-month freeze on the salaries of federal parliamentarians. The Tribunal agreed. This means that in the 2014-15 financial year, federal parliamentarians will not receive a pay rise.

Contrary to what many in the community believe, most MPs – including myself – are not entitled to a pension.

The defined benefit parliamentary pension scheme closed 10 years ago. In fact, any Member or Senator elected since 9 October 2004 is unable to access it.

The Coalition Government is also taking steps to close access to travel entitlements for former and retiring parliamentarians, including the Life Gold Pass scheme.

I trust this information will be of value to your readers.

Regards,

Keith Pitt MP

Federal Member for Hinkler

Letter submitted to the NewsMail on October 30, 2014:

I am writing in response to Sam Williamson’s letter (NM 30/10).

Under Labor, the National Broadband Network was the most wasteful and mismanaged project in Australia’s history. No cost benefit analysis was undertaken and so, shortly after being elected to Government, the Coalition asked NBNCo to undertake an independent strategic review of the project. The review found the roll out was two years behind schedule, with final completion due 11 years later than was promised by Kevin Rudd.

With the rapid and ongoing evolution of technology globally, the NBN would have been superseded and outdated by the time Labor had connected fibre to every home. Mr Williamson’s assertion that fibre installation would have been free under Labor is fanciful and deeply offensive to the hardworking taxpayers who fund Australia’s infrastructure.

The review revealed the cost of completing the NBN had blown out to $73 Billion – that’s $29 Billion more than taxpayers were told. It also found that if Labor’s policies were left in place households would pay $139 per month for broadband, compared to about $72 under the Coalition’s plan.

When you consider 75 per cent of the world’s 1.6 billion internet devices are portable, it’s easy to see why using a mix of technology is ideal.

Development applications have been lodged with Bundaberg and Fraser Coast Regional Councils to provide NBN wireless internet to rural and remote communities across the Hinkler electorate.

I fought hard to ensure Bundaberg was one of ten sites prioritised nationally for fibre to the node, which is expected to result in about 25,000 Hinkler premises being able to connect next year.

I acknowledge there is some disappointment that not every suburb or household will get NBN in this first phase. However, the fact that Bundaberg is a point of interconnect for the NBN bodes well for further expansion across the Hinkler electorate.

Our plan will save taxpayers $32 Billion, keep monthly bills lower and deliver the NBN four years sooner!

Keith Pitt MP

Federal Member for Hinkler

Statement from Keith Pitt MP, sent to Hinkler media:

“The Productivity Commission is an independent body.

“This report is a draft only.

“I received a briefing from the Commission earlier this week in Canberra and expressed my deep concern that they do not intend to hold hearings outside the capital cities, in disaster-affected regions like Bundaberg.

“Hinkler residents who are concerned, and wish to be well-informed on the matter, should not rely solely on views of commentators shared via the media.

“I encourage Hinkler residents to read the draft report for themselves and make submissions.”

Submissions close on October 21 and can be sent via email and post:

disaster.funding@pc.gov.au

Natural Disaster Funding Arrangements

Productivity Commission

Locked Bag 2

Collins St East

Melbourne Vic 8003

For more information go to: http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/inquiry/disaster-funding/make-submission

Statement from Keith Pitt MP sent to local Hinkler media:

Over the past week in metropolitan centres in Australia a number of counter-terrorism operations have been undertaken.

While there is no specific threat to regional areas in the Hinkler electorate, counter-terrorism measures and community engagement are vitally important.

We need to work together to counter this threat from a small number of criminals, but in so doing, we need to remain a tolerant and inclusive community.

I urge everyone in the electorate to be informed and to remember that violence against anyone based on their race, religion or beliefs is never acceptable and is not the Australian way.

By remaining calm and tolerant we aren’t giving terrorists the outcome that they want or expect which is to disrupt our way of life.

The Government is doing whatever is possible to support our police and law enforcement agencies in keeping people safe.

The Government has introduced into parliament new counter terrorism measures that strengthen our counter terrorism preparedness and response.

We need to calmly carry on with our lives while our law enforcement and security agencies work tirelessly, as they have always done, to keep all members of our Australian community safe.