I encourage local residents to take time this ANZAC Day and commemorate the contribution made by Australia’s service men and women in wars, conflicts and peace operations.
It is important to ensure the stories and contributions of those who have served Australia are not forgotten.  I am looking forward to attending several of the local ceremonies on ANZAC Day and hope others will do the same.
Paid Parental Leave scheme
The Coalition recently announced Paid Parental Leave scheme will be better for families than Labor’s proposal which is limited to 18 weeks leave at the minimum wage. The Coalition’s Paid Parental Leave scheme will give the primary carer six months leave at their actual salary, capped at an annual salary of $150,000 or the Federal Minimum Wage, whichever is greater.
The scheme will include all employees, including contractors and the self employed and be available to part-time and casual workers if they work at least one day a week.  Unlike the Rudd Government’s proposal the Coalition’s scheme will be administered by the Family Assistance Office and not impose more red tape on small business.
The scheme will be funded by a levy of up to 1.7% on big business with a taxable income above $5 million.  The Coalition would prefer to fund our Paid Parental Leave scheme from a Budget surplus, but this is not possible due to the large debt and deficits run up by the Rudd Labor Government.  Labor’s debt and deficits mean that funding the Coalition’s Paid Parental Leave scheme through a levy on a small number of larger companies is the only way for Australia to achieve a decent paid Parental Leave scheme in the near future.  The priority of the next Coalition Government is to repay Labor’s debt. After that we will set about reducing taxes more generally, making it possible that the increases burden on larger businesses would only be temporary.
Volunteer Grants Program
Non-profit organisations can again apply for grants of between $1000 - $5000 to purchase equipment, cover the cost of petrol, provide training courses and undertake background checks under the 2010 Volunteer Grants program. Since 2001 this funding has provided welcome support to local voluntary organisations who contribute so much to help our community.
To apply online go to http://fahcsia.gov.au/sa/volunteers/funding/pages/volunteer_grants2010.aspx or call 1800 183 374 for paper-based application forms.  Applications close at 2pm on Friday 16 April 2010 AEST.
ANZAC Day Schools’ Awards 2010
To help commemorate ANZAC Day primary and secondary schools can enter as an individual class or whole school entry in the 2010 ANZAC Day Schools’ Awards.  There is one entry per school with a National and State winner and 5 special category winners.  The closing date is Friday 21 May 2010.  For further information go to www.dva.gov.au/commems_oawg/commemorations/education/AD_schools_awards/Pages/index.aspx