Quick fixes are not the answer

Letter submitted to the NewsMail and Fraser Coast Chronicle on January 6, 2014: 

Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to the article published by APN on January 2 (2014), “Pitt will need quick fix for NBN, Marine Park and Health”.

Quick fixes were a hallmark of the Rudd and Gillard Governments. Quick fixes gave Labor short term boosts in the polls, but resulted in home insulation deaths, duplicated school halls and $900 stimulus cheques being sent to foreign workers who are no longer in Australia.

On September 7, the Australian public elected a Coalition Government to end the mismanagement and waste of taxpayers’ funds.

They put a stable, consultative, adult government in charge, to carefully consider and comprehensively analyse programs before they’re implemented, preventing a repeat of fiascos like the National Broadband Network (NBN).

Under Labor’s plan, the region was never going to receive the NBN by 2014. Labor knew this, which is why their so-called rollout maps misleadingly described areas as being ‘under construction’ when in many cases they hadn’t even reached the stakeholder engagement phase.

As you accurately point out, during the election I committed to fix mobile phone black spots, suspend marine park areas and invest in agriculture.

Since being elected just three months ago, we’ve released a discussion paper inviting the public to make submissions on the Coalition’s $100 million Mobile Coverage Project.

We’ve released the terms of reference for an Agriculture Competitiveness White Paper, which will make recommendations to generate jobs, improve farm gate returns and increase investment for economic growth.

We’ve successfully negotiated a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Korea, which will benefit the region’s sugar, horticulture and seafood exporters.

And, just last month, the Queensland Seafood Industry Association wrote to me thanking the Coalition for honouring its election commitment to scrap Labor’s flawed marine management plans.

The Coalition is off to a solid start, getting on with the job it was elected to do.

I will continue to work hard for the people of Hinkler in 2014, to build the stronger, more prosperous country that we all want.  

Keith Pitt MP

Federal Member for Hinkler    

NBN Factbox:

 

• If Labor’s policies are left in place, Australian households will pay up to 80 per cent more for broadband, with bills increasing by $43 per month;
• The roll out is currently two years behind schedule, with final completion due 11 years later than promised by Kevin Rudd;
• The cost to taxpayers of completing the NBN under Labor’s plan has blown out to $73 Billion. That’s $29 Billion more than we were told.