Moreton Bay College will hold it’s annual Family Fun Day Fete on Saturday 8 September at Hargreaves Road Oval.

The Fun Day is a major fundraising event for the Parents and Friends’ Association and there will be a great selection of  entertainment, food and rides. 

I encourage you to get along to the Moreton Bay College Family Fun Day Fete from 10am to 3pm on Saturday September 8 and support a wonderful school community in Bonner.

For more information please contact Cherryl Levinge at Moreton Bay College on (07) 3249 9307.

Ross Vasta today called on Bonner community members to have their say about who should be the next Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year and Australia’s Local Hero.

Nominations are now open for the Australian of the Year Awards 2013. You can nominate online at www.australianoftheyear.org.au, pick up a nomination form from any branch of Major Sponsor the Commonwealth Bank or call 1300 655 193 for more information.

Ross Vasta said the Australian of the Year Awards program relies solely on nominations from the public to find the recipients each year, so it was important for community members to actively express their opinion on who should be considered for the awards.

“Wouldn’t it be brilliant to see someone from Bonner honored with these Awards in January 2013”

“If there is someone you admire or who you think is an exemplary Australian, take a few minutes to nominate them – it’s a great way to say thanks for their efforts.”

“Show your pride in these special people and in our community.” said Ross Vasta.

There are four award categories:

·                     Australian of the Year – open to all Australians who deserve recognition for their extraordinary achievements, contributions to the community and nation and who are inspirational role models to all Australians;

·                     Senior Australian of the Year – recognises those Australians aged 60 years and over who continue to achieve and contribute to the community;

·                     Young Australian of the Year – recognises those extraordinary young Australians aged 16 – 30 years who are making their mark on our community;

·                     Australia’s Local Hero – recognises Australians who make a real difference in their local communities and whose outstanding contributions enrich the lives of those around them.

Nominations close at midnight on 31 August 2012. For more information on the Australian of the Year Awards or to submit your nomination online visit www.australianoftheyear.org.au.

Local households will be hit even harder, after it was revealed that the GST will be added to consumer bills on top of the carbon tax, said Ross Vasta, Member for Bonner.

“Local families will pay the carbon tax on their energy bills, they will pay it on the necessities of life and now we find, they will pay it through increased GST collections”, said Ross Vasta.

“This is a tax on a tax.  A double whammy that will hit every household in Bonner”, said Ross Vasta.

Labor’s assistant carbon tax minister, Mark Dreyfus admitted that the carbon tax was in effect a secret increase in the GST saying:

NEIL MITCHELL:  And because of the carbon price, you will take in more GST revenue, correct?                                                                   

MARK DREYFUS:   Yes, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that

Ross Vasta said in the three weeks since the launch of the carbon tax, Julia Gillard and her senior ministers have refused to visit a single small business to find out how the carbon tax is impacting their costs.

“I call on Julia Gillard to come to Bonner and visit a small business in Wynnum, Carindale or Mount Gravatt and ask them how much the carbon tax has increased their costs and prices”.

“The carbon tax has increased the costs of electricity and gas, and now we find out, it will also increase the amount of GST collected”.

“The Coalition has a plan to abolish the carbon tax.  If elected at the next election, the Coalition will implement its plan to abolish the carbon tax on day one of a new government, with legislation introduced to abolish the carbon tax on day one of a new parliament”.

“Only by abolishing the carbon tax can we take the pressure off households and help businesses grow and create jobs.

Ross Vasta said there was a clear difference between the Coalition and Labor on the carbon tax.

“The Coalition has pledged to abolish the carbon tax. Labor and the Greens have promised to increase the carbon tax.”

SU QLD chaplaincy is in an exciting phase of growth. Be a part of this

opportunity and join us at our annual fundraising gala as we look to

raising money for chaplains in the schools throughout our Wynnum

Manly District. The morning will comprise a hot breakfast along with

insights into the world of Chaplaincy and its impact on the lives of

young people in our Schools.

Date Wednesday 1 August, 2012

Time 7am for a 7.15am start

Venue Wynnum Manly Leagues Club

(Skyview Room – 92 Wondall Rd, Manly West)

Cost Rather than an entrance fee, it is hoped that guests will

contribute to Wynnum Manly Chaplaincy via donations

on the morning. Opportunities will be given throughout the

morning to contribute financially to help support the work

of our local chaplains.

There will be a charity auction during the morning and EFTPOS will be available.

Bookings Bookings are essential. To book, please phone Wynnum Manly Leagues Club on 07 3906 7800.

Dress Smart

You are invited to come along to a Community Planting on Saturday 14 July.

(planting along the track past the off leash dog area)

Ross Vasta Member for Bonner says the changes to the private health insurance rebate that commenced on 1 July will increase the costs of health insurance and increase hospital waiting lists.

“Like the carbon tax, the change to private health insurance is a broken promise by Julia Gillard that will worsen the burden on households”, said Ross Vasta.

“The carbon tax will hurt households and the economy and means testing the private health insurance rebate will hurt households and the health system.

“Residents throughout Bonner with private health insurance will be adversely impacted by the changes to the private health insurance rebate.

“Those who breach Labor’s income threshold will pay up to 43 per cent more.  Everyone else will also pay more for their coverage as the health funds will have to increase premiums to cover the loss of members from the fund.  It is estimated that the cost of premiums will increase by 10 per cent over and above what would be expected otherwise.

“It is estimated 1.6 million Australians will drop private hospital cover over the next five years and another 4.3 million Australians will downgrade their level of coverage because of these changes.  This will have a dramatic impact on the costs of everyone who keeps their private health insurance.

Ross Vasta says the increased cost pressures on private health insurance will particularly hit families who are already doing it tough because of the carbon tax.

“Julia Gillard likes to play the class war card on private health insurance, but in doing so, it proves she doesn’t understand private health insurance.  The fact is that across Australia, nearly half of all people with private health insurance earn less than $50,000 a year and over 3 million earn less than $35,000 a year. 

Ross Vasta said that he was particularly concerned about the impact of the changes on the public hospital system.

“Waiting lists will grow – and this will impact everyone on a waiting list.  They will grow because these changes will push an estimated 845,000 procedures onto public hospitals at a cost to government of $3.8 billion.

Ross Vasta said the Coalition’s support for the private health insurance rebate is part of the Coalition’s DNA.

“We will restore the private health insurance rebate as quickly as we can.”

Recently I had the honour of reopening a great local Wynnum business, Wynnum School and Office Supplies. The owners, Phil and Lois Troop, have operated several businesses in the Wynnum area and, in mid-2010, they merged a school supply business and an office products business under one trading name-School and Office Supplies. When the Troops added a novelty paper business to their line-up, they saw it as a great opportunity to expand the store, ultimately moving next door to 1/70 Tingal Road. Not content with this, they also used the space to open the Australian Academy of Maths and English, Wynnum, which I have no doubt will be an invaluable resource to the wider Bonner community. It was this new location that I was very pleased to officially open.

Small businesses like Wynnum School and Office Supplies are the backbone of our economy. At a time when so many small businesses are struggling just to get by, it is extremely heartening to see this great local business expanding with such an impressive new showroom. I have no doubt that their success can be attributed to the hard work of Phil and Lois. I congratulate them on their continued hard work and have no doubt that it will pay off not only for them but for our local community.

Also on Sunday afternoon, I had the great pleasure of attending the Queensland National Rifle Association’s Queen’s Prize championships. This fantastic facility at Belmont in my electorate of Bonner is a first-class facility. It hosted the world championships last year and will host the Commonwealth Games in 2018. The Queen’s Prize is such a well-regarded event that even the Queensland Governor, Her Excellency Penelope Wensley, a fellow patron of the club, was there to lend her support to the event. I was also joined at the event by my good friend and colleague the Deputy Mayor of Brisbane, Councillor Adrian Schrinner, who is a great supporter of the range. The new member for Chatsworth and Assistant Minister for Public Transport, Steve Minnikin, also attended for his first Queen’s Prize, and I have no doubt that he will be attending many more in the future, as he has been doing a great job for Chatsworth.

Once again, I congratulate the committee members on such a prestigious event, which provides opportunities for the talented competitors to showcase their abilities, and I look forward to lending my support to this event for many more years to come.

Come along to a fun and informative day showcasing opportunities for people with a disability and their carers.

Details:

Time –         9.30am till 3.30pm

Date –         12th September 2012

Where –     Mt. Gravatt Showground

                    Logan Road, Mt. Gravatt Qld.

Federal Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta has encouraged voluntary organisations in the Bonner Electorate to apply for the 2012 round of Volunteer Grants. 
 

The 2012 National Disability Awards nomination period has officially opened, and now in it’s sixth year has been established to honour and recognise the achievements of people and organisations that have made significant contributions to the community to improve the lives of people with a disability.

Federal Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta welcomed the opening of the Awards nomination period, and urges the people and businesses of Bonner to get behind those who deserve national recognition for their contribution to improve the lives of people with a disability.

“These Awards are important for our community to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions individuals and organisations have made to improve the lives of people with disability,” Ross Vasta said.

Nominations close 5pm AEST Friday 20 July 2012.

For further information call 1800 440 385 or visit www.idpwd.com.au.