senatorlambie.com.au | June 2015 PUTTING TASMANIA FIRST Jacqui’s Journal PUTTING TASMANIA FIRST Inside this issue G’day! Welcome to my first newsletter! Thank you for your kind support and honest feedback. Since my election as a Senator I’ve been on a steep And while Government critics will whine that the learning curve. Yes, I’ve made a couple of mistakes on Senate is a place of chaos - the official record clearly this high-pressure roller coaster ride, but thanks to you shows that an independent crossbench has ensured - I’ve been able to use my vote in federal parliament to that the Senate is now a place of real consultation and get a better deal for Tasmania. commonsense. Your guidance and my vote have ensured that To-date, the Senate has passed $2.7B of prudent Tasmania finally, has a strong, independent voice in budget savings, but has protected struggling families, our federal parliament. And it has meant that Tasmania pensioners, unemployed, veterans and uni-students Freight Equalisation Meeting can no longer be taken for granted by the Federal from the terrible lies, gross exaggerations, unfair Government. cutbacks and worst policy excesses of the current government. The growing political support for the Jacqui Lambie Network has resulted in the PM and other senior My advocacy and support for our Diggers on behalf government ministers spending more time and money of all Tasmanians, forced the Liberals to add an extra in Tasmania. The unexpected independent political $200M to our soldiers’ pay over 4 years while returning competition has forced the Federal Government to leave and travel entitlements that Mr Abbott tried to begin to share the wealth of Australia in a fairer way take from them. with Tasmania. I’m determined to lead a group of like-minded people The extra federal money our state government in the Senate who are pro- small business, mining, received for their recent budget, is proof of that fact. timber, manufacturing, local government, and farming Other announcements of extra federal spending in the - but who also truly care about our underdogs - North West of Tasmania would never have happened struggling families, pensioners, unemployed, veterans if the Government thought that the Apple Isle was a and uni-students. safe place for them. To get back on our feet, Tasmania - when compared While the Tasmanian Federal Government Senators with the rest of Australia, must have the cheapest Manufacturing in Tasmania and MPs will never admit it – the threat of losing their energy, fuel, travel, freight, internet connections and seats has forced the government to carefully and zero payroll taxes for our business and families. respectfully listen to the people of Tasmania. The facts If you would like to know more about my recovery speak for themselves. plan or the Lambie Network, contact me at www. After I took a leading captain of Tasmania’s lambienetwork.com.au or [email protected]. manufacturing industry to the Prime Minister and I hope you enjoy the information in my newsletter. detailed the crisis in our Bass Strait shipping costs, and Cheers, Jacqui the subsequent threat to hundreds of workers’ jobs - the Federal Government, despite doing nothing for decades to fix the crisis, announced an extra $200M for our freight equalization scheme. PO Box 256, 22 Mount St, Burnie TAS 7320 [email protected] Mining in Tasmania (03) 6431 2233 SENATORLAMBIE.COM.AUsenatorlambie.com.au PUTTING TASMANIA FIRST 2014-2015 | 1 PUTTING TASMANIA FIRST A Voice for the People An attempt by the Abbott Government to improve business owners, will benefit from disallowing the financial advice laws completely forgot about the Corporations Amendment (Streamlining of Future every-day Australian and only further protected of Financial Advice) Regulation 2014. financial advisors. Without this protection, seeking financial advice On November 19, the Senate voted to disallow the from the big financial institutions becomes a Corporations Amendment (Streamlining of Future David and Goliath battle, but this time David didn’t of Financial Advice) Regulation 2014. have a slingshot. If passed, this amendment would have put I initially voted for this legislation when it first came investors like pensioners and families in a to the Senate, I was in the Palmer United Party vulnerable position, left open to being taken and was given advice to vote for this legislation. advantage of by financial advisors. But I didn’t feel comfortable supporting it and this Under previous laws, financial advisors did not was one of the reasons I left the Palmer United have to let potential investors know if they were Party – to have the opportunity to apologise to receiving kickbacks or commission for selling Australia for supporting legislation that would not risky financial products or schemes. benefit them. Today, because my colleagues and I stood I was relieved to be given a second chance to up for the underdog, financial advisors are right my wrong. required to disclose if they receive benefits from Australians wanting to secure their retirement or a recommending a particular financial product or future for their family through investment will now scheme. be protected from the powerful big banks and Ordinary Australians, like our pensioners, families, large investment companies. nurses, police officers, public servants and small Say no to $100,000 uni degrees Does an offer of $400 million to upgrade The government hasn’t put pen to paper granted to universities. infrastructure at the University of Tasmania to and guaranteed funds for this much-needed Bruce Felmingham of Bruce Felmingham support the Liberals’ university fee deregulation investment in capital upgrade – yet there is $50 Economic Consulting agrees with me about sound like bribery? billion sitting in infrastructure spending waiting to the effect university fee deregulation is likely to be used. While UTAS needs $400 million to upgrade have, writing ``we continue to lag behind most infrastructure and to meet demand by the UTAS has also identified a growing demand for of the developed world in the proportion of introduction of more associate degrees, I am not associate degrees and hoped to provide 10,000 our national income that is spent on higher willing to compromise my stand on university fee of them in the future, a move I whole-heartedly education’ ’. deregulation. support. ``The problem with fee deregulation is that it If the Liberals’ plan to deregulate university fees But the government has placed an arbitrary cap doesn’t seem to connect with the dual principles were to go ahead, it would mean Australia would on the number of associate degrees that can be regress to a time where big business made all the money and title, position, privilege and bank balance meant more than ability, hard work and perseverance. Do we want to return to a system whereby your status at birth determined the path your life would take? If this legislation had passed, Tasmanians would have particularly suffered as our state only has one higher education provider – UTAS. UTAS contributes $1.7 billion to the Tasmanian economy, is in the top two per cent of universities in the world and is ranked 10th in Australia for research. Yet the legislation, I and other cross bench Senators knocked back, would put UTAS out of business. So I will never support university fee deregulation, but I will continue to lobby for UTAS to receive $400 million in federal funding – WITHOUT voting for university fee deregulation. 2 | 2014-2015 PUTTING TASMANIA FIRST senatorlambie.com.au PUTTING TASMANIA FIRST A Hung Parliament is the People’s Friend Is a hung parliament a good thing or a bad thing? helped is ADF pay and entitlements. food and motor vehicle allowances will remain. The federal Liberals will tell you a hung parliament I was furious to hear last year the government had The changes passed through the Senate, making has caused chaos. planned on giving the ADF members a pay rise of me the first Independent Senator to get an 1.5 per cent – ON THE CONDITION their annual unsponsored bill through. In fact, at the next election, you can guarantee the leave was cut by six days. Liberals will run a scare campaign to bring to an The decision is now in the hands of the Lower end the hung parliament – because apparently a Take into consideration CPI, which is generally House. hung parliament is bad. around 3 per cent, and the ADF members would I take my role as the balance of power seriously, get a pay cut. Yet any reasonable and sober assessment of and consider every topic from every angle before the facts will show the independents in the If I didn’t stand up for ADF members, who would? taking a vote, to ensure the government doesn’t Senate, and a hung parliament, has guaranteed They don’t have a union and the government forget Tasmania. consultation for the Liberal Government. were going to take advantage of that. I defied my surgeon’s orders to remain in bed for Do you feel comfortable knowing the government I introduced the Defence Amendment (Fair Pay post-operative recovery and flew to Canberra has to consult people with NO party ties, before for Members of the ADF) Bill 2014 in December, to not only make my vote count, but make the making a decision? calling on the government to link the rate of pay masses’ voices heard on this matter. increase to the federal politicians’ pay rise or the The proposed changes to Medicare were also an This forced consultation has stopped the CPI – whichever is higher. Liberal government from breaking their election easy one to knock back.