1

THE FAWCETT FLYER JULY 2019

APRIL 2018 1 With the 2019 federal election now behind us, the Successive Reserve Bank Government’s attention is interest rate cuts left a financial focussed on delivering on gap for many older Australians our commitments to South who rely on pension payments Australians and our nation as a to bridge the gap between their whole. living expenses and the interest they receive from investments. In the three sitting weeks of July, the Government has Minister for Social Services, made several changes to Senator the Hon better the lives of Australians made the decision to reduce including tax relief, dropping the deeming rate which will see the deeming rate to reflect approximately 89,500 South interest rate decreases, and Australians benefit. have overseen a raft of positive policy changes which came With the changes, part into effect on July 1. pensioners can receive up $1,053 extra annually per It appears millions of Australians couple and up to $804 annually waited until the Government’s for singles. tax relief package was passed into law before they This means more money in the submitted their tax returns to pockets of older Australians make the most of our federal who have worked hard to build budget measure and election up their retirement savings. commitment. July 1st – the beginning of the We have now delivered this tax 2019/20 financial year – brought relief of up to $1,080 which will on a number of key Government benefit more than 10 million policy changes including new low and middle income earning pharmaceutical items added Australians, passing this Bill in to the PBS, the beginning of a the first week of Parliament’s Default Market Offer (DMO) and new term. Reference Price which will lead

JULY 2019 2 to lower energy prices in South and Security Committee. , and an initiative which will create up to 20,800 In this edition of the Fawcett new apprenticeships in South Flyer, I have detailed some of the Australia. responsibilities of committees and summarised elements of I have been re-appointed as the forward work program on Chair of the Joint Standing page 8. Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade and If you would like more have also been appointed to information on any of these Chair the Senate Standing or another issue of a Federal Committee on Environment nature, please let my office and Communications, as well know. as serving on the Intelligence

SENATOR DAVID FAWCETT

Senator David Fawcett

THE FAWCETT FLYER 3 IN THE MEDIA Building on the success of the recreational reserves. previous funding, a Federal Liberal Government investment of $2 Nationally, the Environment million has been delivered to Restoration Fund will inject $100 revitalise valuable River Torrens million into conservation projects. wetlands through the Environment Restoration Fund. Work will be overseen by the and Mount Lofty Ranges I joined the Minister for Environment, Natural Resources Management the Hon MP and South Board, who have given their in- Australian Member for Colton Matt principle support to co-contribute Cowdrey MP at Breakout Creek up to $2 million towards the project Wetlands to make the formal which forms stage 3 of the Breakout announcement with local media Creek concept plan. (pictured, below). More information on this funding is A combined $4 million investment available here or via the QR Code with the South Australian below. Government’s $2 million funding commitment will improve the health of the river, protect native species and deliver benefits to the local community through healthier

JULY 2019 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN 4 SENATORS SWORN-IN

On the 2nd of July 2019, the 46th resolve balanced with humility. Australian Parliament was officially opened. More Liberal and National Party Senators in the chamber, including A significant occasion to precede the ’s , are a official opening was the swearing-in welcome addition and will allow a of Australia’s new Governor General smoother passage of legislation (pictured, below right). as the Government only need to satisfy the requirements of 4 Sir Peter Cosgrove completed crossbenchers. The elected South his service as Australia’s 26th Australian senators were sworn-in Governor-General and the reins (pictured, above) on the first day of were handed to His Excellency official proceedings. the Hon David Hurley, sworn in on 1st July. General (Rtd) Hurley has served the Australian people with distinction over many decades.

The former Governor of NSW, Chief of the Defence Force, and Royal Military College graduate, the Governor-General has proven to be a man of courage, integrity and

THE FAWCETT FLYER THE VICKERS VIMY MURAL UNVEILED AT THE SA AVIATION MUSEUM 5

SMITH BROTHERS’ VICKERS VIMY LARGER THAN LIFE Marking the centenary of Sir Ross to the investment of $4 million and Keith Smith’s historic flight in investment from the Federal Liberal 1919 from England to Australia, the and State Liberal Governments. South Australian Aviation museum brought the Vickers Vimy roaring This historical event is a unique part back to life again this month by of South Australia’s history and I unveiling their new mural (pictured, was pleased to give my support above). to obtaining the funds required to ensure the aircraft’s relocation inside Using a Rolls-Royce engine, like the new Adelaide Airport terminal. one of the two fitted to the Smith Brothers’ plane, and creative You can find more information lighting, the team at the museum about this centenary and funding were able to bring the mural to life commitment in the June edition of for the almost 200 guests there to the Fawcett Flyer here, or using the celebrate the occasion. QR Code below.

The restored Vickers Vimy aircraft that Sir Ross and Keith flew 100 years ago will take pride of place in the new $165 million Adelaide Airport terminal expansion, thanks

JULY 2019 STRENGTHENING OUR 6 CLOSE BOND WITH PNG

Our ongoing relationship with the Kokoda. neighbours to the north, Papua New Guinea (PNG), continues to PNG plays a significant role in the be a vital bond for Australia in the Pacific region and our commitment Pacific. Stability and economic to the relationship reaffirms this growth of nations such as PNG fact. This month, PNG’s eighth is crucial to our near region and it and current Prime Minister the Hon is in our nation’s best interest to James Marape visited our shores to underpin our long term friendship reaffirm the close relationship our with investment in their continued two nations enjoy (pictured, above). development. Prime Minister PNG became an independent used the opportunity to announce democratic state in 1975, formally a $250m commitment to energy seceding from Australia of which generation projects on PNG’s they were a territory since World largest electricity network, the War I and the end of German Ramu grid, including construction rule. Our nation will never forget of a new gas-powered plant. As of the assistance that Papua New November 2018, only about 13% of Guineans provided to our service Papua New Guineans have reliable personnel and our nation during access to electricity. Japan, New World War II and the conflict of Zealand, the United States and

THE FAWCETT FLYER Australia have the goal of increasing Force following their independence 7 this to 70% of the population as in 1975. members of the Papua New Guinea Electrification Partnership. ForEducation remains an important greater development and access indicator of a nation’s development. to essential services like healthcare, PNG is one of the Pacific nations electricity access is a must. included in the Australia-Pacific Schools Partnerships program While in Australia, Prime Ministers which has provided more than Morrison and Marape announced 9,300 tertiary students over the negotiations will begin on a new last decade from the Pacific with Comprehensive Strategic and the opportunity to study either in Economic Partnership between the Australia or elsewhere in the Pacific. two countries. Australia’s significant infrastructure investment program Building on this success, Australia will continue with Lombrum Naval will provide $9.5 million over three Base, a strategic site for PNG, years to a new PNGAus Partnership Australian and American vessels, Secondary Schools Initiative, receiving an upgrade. Domestic pairing Papua New Guinean and security and policing is a priority Australian secondary schools to concern in PNG and Australia will build education and leadership assist in this area with a $135.9 skills and deepen interpersonal and million investment over the next institutional links. three and a half years. These initiatives and funding Australia’s $2 billion investment commitments are just part of the over the next 30 years in the ongoing Australia-Papua New Pacific Maritime Security Program Guinea connection. For more on is providing 21 patrol boats to Australia’s relationship with PNG, our friends throughout the Pacific click here use the QR Code below. so they can better ensure their domestic, and the region’s, maritime security. The very first of these 21 vessels was received by PNG earlier this year – the HMPNGS Ted Diro, named after first Commander of the Papua New Guinea Defence

JULY 2019 NEW PARLIAMENT, 8 NEW APPOINTMENTS I have been re-appointed as the press and granting our national Chair of both the Joint Standing security agencies the power they Committee on Foreign Affairs, need to conduct their business of Defence and Trade (JSCFADT) and keeping Australians safe. also as Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and The Senate Standing Committee on Communications, in addition Environment and Communications to sitting as a member of the currently has three inquiries for Parliamentary Joint Committee on consideration, one of which is to Intelligence and Security (PJCIS). examine the Murray-Darling Basin Commission of Inquiry Bill 2019. A focus for the JSCFADT in the short term is to follow up the recent This Greens bill seeks to establish a visit of PNG Prime Minister James Royal Commission-like inquiry into Marape and Australia’s commitment the management of the Murray- to assist with further development Darling Basin water resources and of the PNG Defence capability. related matters.

The Committee will engage with our counterpart oversight committee in the PNG Parliament in respect to the proposed engagement covering training and infrastructure investment such as the naval base at Lombrum, Manus Island.

The Attorney-General has referred an inquiry to the PJCIS to consider I spoke in the Senate Chamber this the impact of the exercise of law month on this proposition (pictured, enforcement and intelligence above), and how I believe that the powers on the freedom of the press. Murray Darling Basin Plan requires robust compliance checking and Our focus will be to ensure the right transparency but that from a South balance is struck between a free Australian perspective, we need

THE FAWCETT FLYER action rather than measures that would undermine the plan. With SA

9 irrigators receiving 100% of allocations last year and expected to do so again in 2019, I noted during my speech:

“I come back to the point that the evidence that the plan, even in a time when there is great stress on the river, particularly in “ its northern regions—in South Australia, the state with most to lose if this plan collapses – has 100 per cent allocation for its irrigators because the plan is in place. By all means, we should continue to implement and improve, but we certainly won’t be “supporting the waste of millions of dollars that would come from yet another inquiry into the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.”

I will provide you with updates on the inquiries before these Committees as they develop, in future editions of the Fawcett Flyer. OUT AND ABOUT

The Minister for Environment, the Hon I joined staff and students at Calvary Sussan Ley MP joined me and South Lutheran College in Morphett Vale to Australian Member for Colton Matt Cowdrey open their refurbished learning areas. The at Breakout Creek Wetlands to announce $2 upgrade was funded through a combination million delivered to revitalise valuable River of a $630,000 block grant from the Federal Torrens wetlands through the Environment Government and funding from Lutheran Restoration Fund. Education.

JULY 2019 10

Farmers and their communities across Little did I know that accepting an the country are again battling challenging invitation to speak at the Mt Barker RSL circumstances through ongoing drought. annual luncheon on Sunday would lead I spoke to journalists in Canberra about to an impromptu reunion for my old unit the Federal Liberal Government’s $5 billion ARDU (the RAAF Aircraft Research and landmark Future Drought Fund and was Development Unit). pleased to see it pass the Parliament this month. Lindsay Campbell (President of the Mt Barker RSL) served in ARDU as the Operations Officer when I was the Commanding Officer at RAAF Edinburgh while June Perry served at ARDU as her first WRAAF posting at Laverton Vic in 1957.

For more, like @senatorfawcett on Facebook.

I visited Osborne Naval Shipyard last month, with Defence Minister Senator the Hon to observe the progress made on the Offshore Patrol Vessels and Hunter Class Frigate shipyards currently under construction. Our Government’s $200 billion Defence investment, which includes the $90 billion Naval Shipbuilding Plan, is creating thousands of jobs in this precinct and will continue to create jobs over the next decade.

THE FAWCETT FLYER 11

Senator for South Australia Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

Suite 4 13/100 King William Street, Adelaide SA 5000 8205 1040 [email protected] senatorfawcett.com.au

AUTHORISED AND PRINTED BY SENATOR DAVID FAWCETT, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, SUITE 4, LEVEL 13, 100 KINGAPRIL WILLIAM 2018 STREET ADELAIDE SA 5000