2005 Media Archive

MORE AGED CARE FOR NEWCASTLE, BUT MORE CAN BE DONE
Date: Monday, December 19, 2005
Federal Member for Newcastle today welcomed the announcement of 131 new aged care places for Newcastle, but urged the Howard Government to do more.
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MORE EDUCATION & TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES IN NEWCASTLE
Date: Thursday, December 15, 2005
Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Grierson today welcomed new funding for education and training in the Newcastle region.
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AWARDS FOR NEWCASTLE SPORTS CONTRIBUTIONS
Date: Thursday, December 15, 2005
Member for Newcastle Sharon Grierson today awarded 40 individuals and teams for their outstanding contributions to sport in Newcastle.
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MIGRANTS TO NEWCASTLE LET DOWN BY GOVERNMENT
Date: Thursday, December 08, 2005
The Federal Minister for Multicultural Affairs and the Immigration Department must guarantee that they will fix the appalling administration of the Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy in Newcastle and the Hunter.
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EMERGENCY GRANTS FOR NEWCASTLE
Date: Thursday, December 08, 2005
Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Grierson today announced over $100,000 in Commonwealth grants to Newcastle under the National Emergency Volunteer Support Fund and the Local Grants Scheme.
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ANOTHER 760,000 PEOPLE WORSE OFF UNDER HOWARD
Date: Thursday, December 01, 2005
The Howard Government today gagged debate on another regressive piece of legislation, this time the Welfare to Work Bill, using the guillotine to try to polish off its Scrooge-like agenda before Christmas.
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NEWCASTLE TELLS HOWARD: HANDS OFF OUR WORKPLACE RIGHTS
Date: Monday, November 14, 2005
Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Grierson said today it was essential that the community continues to voice its opposition to the Howard Government's extreme workplace relations changes.
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ENERGY EFFICIENCY: NEWCASTLE SHOWS THE WAY
Date: Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Newcastle City Council was last night presented with a Special Award for Outstanding and Sustained Innovation at the National Awards for Local Government 2005
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FEDERAL IR CHANGES: HOWARD'S CHRISTMAS PRESENT TO BOEING
Date: Friday, November 04, 2005
The New South Wales Government should be applauded for its decision to refer the Boeing Williamtown dispute to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission.
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FREEDOM OF SPEECH UNDER THREAT AT THE "PEOPLE'S HOUSE"
Date: Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Today I asked the Speaker of the House of Representatives to investigate reports of a disturbing incident involving the suppression of freedom of speech on the very doorstop of our national parliament.
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FUNDING FOR 14 NEWCASTLE SCHOOLS
Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Member for Newcastle Sharon Grierson today announced Commonwealth grants totalling $548,829 to 14 Newcastle government schools.
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GRANTS FOR NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY & MAYFIELD MAINSTREET COMMITTEE
Date: Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Member for Newcastle Sharon Grierson today announced Commonwealth Living in Harmony grants totalling $63,655 to two Newcastle organisations.
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ALZHEIMER'S SUMMIT
Date: Thursday, October 06, 2005
Sharon Grierson, Co-Convenor of Parliamentary Friends of Dementia, today chaired the closing session of the National Consumer Summit on Dementia at Parliament House, Canberra
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BALI BOMBINGS
Date: Sunday, October 02, 2005
Up to twenty Novocastrians are believed to have been in the area of last night’s bombings of Jimbaran and Kuta.
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REGULATOR MUST ACT TO PROTECT SMALL BUSINESS
Date: Tuesday, September 13, 2005
The failure of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission to adequately respond to a complaint by Newcastle-based Stickybeek has highlighted that more needs to be done to ptoect small business from breaches of the Trade Practices Act on the internet.
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POSTAL SERVICES: STOCKTON RESIDENTS STILL ISOLATED
Date: Thursday, September 08, 2005
With the Postal Industry Ombudsman Bill set to be passed by Federal Parliament, Stockton's experience with an outsourced mail delivery service shows just how important an independent complaints resolution system is.
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NEWCASTLE REJECTS HOWARD'S IR AGENDA
Date: Thursday, August 25, 2005
The recent NCC resolution on council contracts, voted for by Labor and Greens Councillors, as well as Independent Lord Mayor John Tate, is a reasonable expression of our community’s desire to see fairness in its workplaces, Sharon Grierson said today.
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TELSTRA SALE: 1,000 NOVOCASTRIANS CAN'T BE WRONG
Date: Thursday, August 18, 2005
Sharon Grierson, Member for Newcastle, today tabled a petition of 1,089 citizens of Newcastle, the Hunter and the wider region, opposition the Howard Government’s plans to flog off the rest of Telstra.
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BOEING WORKERS DEMAND A FAIR GO
Date: Wednesday, August 10, 2005
The human face of the Boeing dispute came to Canberra today as a delegation of workers met with Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Grierson, Labor Leader Kim Beazley and Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations Stephen Smith.
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RAINBOW WARRIOR HIGHLIGHTS GOVERNMENT'S HAPHAZARD PORT SECURITY APPROACH
Date: Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Member for Newcastle Sharon Grierson said today that the protest by Greenpeace activists at Newcastle Port highlights the Federal Government's haphazard approach to port security.
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SKILLS CRISIS: GOVERNMENT MUST ACT NOW, NOT IN 2011
Date: Friday, July 15, 2005
Member for Newcastle Sharon Grierson said today the Government's casual approach to the skills crisis will mean even fewer opportunities for young people in our region.
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NEWCASTLE VOLUNTEERS WIN GRANTS, VOLUNTEER AWARDS OPEN
Date: Friday, July 15, 2005
Sharon Grierson has congratulated the Newcastle region's volunteer groups who won Volunteer Small Equipment Grants, and called for nominations for the 2005 Newcastle Community Volunteer Awards.
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INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS: GOVERNMENT PROPAGANDA IGNORES REALITY
Date: Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Member for Newcastle Sharon Grierson said today the Government was too busy peddling propaganda on its industrial relations changes to know the real conditions faced by workers on the ground.
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DETENTION CENTRE CONTRACTS: DIMIA SHUTS ITS EYES AND HOPES FOR THE BEST
Date: Thursday, July 07, 2005
A new report on the management of detention centre contracts reveals the Department of Immigration has no idea what is going on inside detention centres, and simply hopes for the best from its contractor.
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LABOR'S COMMITMENT TO THE AUSTRALIAN PEOPLE
Date: Friday, July 01, 2005
Sharon Grierson says the thousands of Novocastrian worker who took to the streets today have sent a clear message to the Howard Government to back off from its hardline industrial relations stance.
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CLEAR DIRECTIONS FOR INDIGENOUS LAW & JUSTICE
Date: Thursday, June 23, 2005
The tabling of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts & Audit's report, Access of Indigenous Australians to Law & Justice Services, gives the Government clear directions for the future, Deputy Committee Chair Sharon Grierson says.
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NOT GOOD ENOUGH, QANTAS
Date: Thursday, June 23, 2005
Speaking in Parliament today, Sharon Grierson said Qantas' plan to retrench 14 Qantaslink staff at Newcastle Airport, and its determination to enforce a union-free workplace at its Jetstar facility, was unacceptable.
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VICTORY IN THE PACIFIC DAY 60TH ANNIVERSARY GRANTS
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Member for Newcastle Sharon Grierson today encouraged community organisations to apply for federal funding to organise activities around the 60th Anniversary of Victory in the Pacific, which marked the end of World War II.
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ANDERSON’S PIRACY IS NOT THE INFRASTRUCTURE ANSWER
Date: Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Member for Newcastle Sharon Grierson has told Federal Parliament that Australia desperately needs Labor’s national leadership on infrastructure planning - not the kind of ad-hoc infrastructure piracy attempted by Transport Minister John Anderson when he sailed into Newcastle Harbour last month and floated the idea of a federal takeover.
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THE LAST OF THE REAL FAIR PAY DECISIONS
Date: Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Sharon Grierson said today that the welcome increase of $17 a wek for low-paid Australians would be the last time the independent Australian Industrial Relations Commission decided on changes to the minimum wage.
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ASIC CLOSURE: DOING BUSINESS IN OUR REGION JUST GOT TOUGHER
Date: Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Sharon Grierson said today that the closure of the Newcastle Service Centre of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission would make doing business in the Hunter even more difficult.
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UNIVERSITY RESTRUCTURE: COST OF GETTING IT WRONG FELT ALL OVER THE REGION
Date: Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Sharon Grierson said today that getting the University of Newcastle restructure wrong had the potential to seriously damage the Hunter region.
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WORKPLACE RELATIONS: NO-ONE BUT HOWARD WANTS THIS FIGHT
Date: Thursday, May 26, 2005
Sharon Grierson says the release of the Government's industrial relations package today shows the obsessive, regressive Howard agenda to drive to down wages and wind back workers' rights.
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AVIATION SECURITY INQUIRY RE-OPENED
Date: Thursday, May 26, 2005
The re-opening of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) inquiry into aviation security should help answer some critical questions for the safety of Australia's travelling public, JCPAA Deputy Chair Sharon Grierson said today.
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GOVERNMENT SHOULD AGREE TO BIGGER, FAIRER TAX CUT FOR NOVOCASTRIANS
Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Sharon Grierson told Federal Parliament last night that the Government should agree to Labor's proposal to double the tax cut for average income earners.
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AVIATION SECURITY
Date: Monday, May 23, 2005
Sharon Grierson today expressed alarm at the revelation in Parliament that the Inspector of Transport Security, Mick Palmer, has not been acting in this position for the past four months.
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BOEING DISPUTE: WORKERS' CHOICE MUST BE RESPECTED
Date: Friday, May 20, 2005
The Federal Member for Newcastle today called on Boeing Australia to take a considered approach to the industrial dispute at its Williamtown maintenance plant.
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PORT OF NEWCASTLE: BEST PRACTICE DESPITE GOVERNMENT'S NEGLECT
Date: Thursday, May 19, 2005
Member for Newcastle Sharon Grierson today expressed deep reservations about the Federal Government's proposal to take over the regulation of the city's port infrastructure.
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TRADE APPRENTICESHIPS NEEDED IN NEWCASTLE'S SCHOOLS
Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Following a visit to Callaghan College at Jesmond today, Sharon Grierson called on the Federal Government to give more young people in Newcastle the opportunity to get a trade qualification while at school to help fix local skill shortages
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DOES MINISTER NELSON EVEN KNOW WHERE NEWCASTLE IS?
Date: Thursday, May 12, 2005
Speaking in Parliament today, Sharon Grierson said the identity crisis being imposed on the Hunter by the Howard Government was hurting the delivery of services to the region.
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ASIC OFFICE CLOSURE
Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Confirmation today that the Newcastle office of the Australian Securities & Investments Commission was being closed down by the Howard Government is further evidence that the Government changes the rules for regions to suit its own purpose rather than to serve the needs of regional business and communities.
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UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE: BLAMING OTHERS WON'T FIX THE PROBLEM, MINISTER
Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2005
The Minister for Education has again refused to provide any assistance to lessen the impact of 450 job losses at the University of Newcastle, failing to answer questions in Parlaiment on the matter from Sharon Grierson.
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BUDGET OF MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR NEWCASTLE
Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2005
This is a Budget of missed opportunity for Newcastle. On the four key areas where investment was needed - infrastructure, employment, skills and care - this Government has failed to deliver.
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JOINT STATEMENT WITH WAYNE REYNOLDS, NTEU STAFF REPRESENTATIVE
Date: Saturday, May 07, 2005
Sharon Grierson and NTEU Staff Representative Wayne Reynolds have called for a rethink of the restructuring process at the University of Newcastle
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INTEREST RATES STABLE: TIME TO BALANCE SUPPLY & DEMAND
Date: Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Today's interest rates announcement is welcome news for people in Newcastle and the Hunter and shows that the inflationary demand fuelled by the Howard Government's $66 billion election spending spree may be finally slowing down.
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UNI JOB CUTS: HOWARD GOVERNMENT MUST RESPOND
Date: Tuesday, May 03, 2005
The Howard Government must respond to the announcement that over 450 academic and administrative staff will lose their jobs at the University of Newcastle.
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UNIVERSITIES HELD TO RANSOM BY GOVERNMENT WORKPLACE RELATIONS AGENDA
Date: Friday, April 29, 2005
The next phase of the Howard Government's draconian workplace relations agenda has been revealed today, with the announcement that universities' funding will be dependent on them meeting new workplace relations requirements.
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MAY DAY: WORKING PEOPLE STAND UP FOR THE MINIMUM WAGE
Date: Friday, April 29, 2005
On the eve of May Day, Sharon Grierson has launched a petition calling on the Howard Government to guarantee that workers won't be worse off under proposed changes to the minimum wage.
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NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION TO DEFEND STUDENT SERVICES
Date: Thursday, April 28, 2005
Sharon Grierson has today supported the National Day of Action to protest against the Howard Government's plan to cut essential services at the University of Newcastle
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NEWCASTLE SYNAGOGUE
Date: Friday, April 22, 2005
The vandalism of Newcastle Synagogue on Wednesday night is an affront to all Novocastrians.
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PARLIAMENTARY WATCHDOG URGED TO CONSIDER AIRPORT SECURITY
Date: Sunday, April 17, 2005
Sharon Grierson, Deputy Chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts & Audit, today urged the Committee to investigate continuing revelations of breaches in airport security.
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GOVERNMENT UNPICKS MEDICARE SAFETY NET
Date: Friday, April 15, 2005
After only six months the Government is already unpicking the threads of its Medicare safety net.
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HUNTER MEMBERS GET BEHIND THE KNIGHTS
Date: Friday, April 15, 2005
The Hunter's Federal Labor Parliamentarians have wished the Newcastle Knights well ahead of their first home match of the season.
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NATIONAL YOUTH WEEK
Date: Thursday, April 07, 2005
National Youth Week is an ideal time to celebrate the contributions and achievements of young people in Newcastle, and there are many events planned over the coming weeks to do just that.
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INTEREST RATES ON HOLD: WELCOME RELIEF FROM THE HIGH COST OF LIVING
Date: Wednesday, April 06, 2005
The Reserve Bank's decision to keep interest rates on hold is a welcome respite for Novocastrians struggling to meet the high cost of living under the Howard Government.
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HUNTER INNOVATION REWARDED
Date: Wednesday, April 06, 2005
The Hunter's reputation as a region of innovation in cutting-edge industry was again on show today, with the announcement of Commonwealth funding for a major IT project in the region.
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UNEMPLOYMENT: GOVERNMENT'S BLOWN IT
Date: Thursday, March 17, 2005
The latest unemployment figures show just how badly the Government has mismanaged the economy.
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APPOINTMENT OF AUDITOR-GENERAL
Date: Thursday, March 10, 2005
Sharon Grierson, Member for Newcastle and Deputy Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Accounts & Audit, today welcomed the appointment of Mr Ian McPhee to the position of Auditor-General
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PRIVATE HEALTH COSTS MUST BE REINED IN
Date: Wednesday, March 09, 2005
The news that many health fund members in Newcastle are facing premium increases of up to 17% is another blow for struggling families in our region.
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HUNTER "MISSING" FOUND: BATTLE OF FROMELLES, 19 JULY 1916
Date: Friday, March 04, 2005
9 of the 59 Hunter Valley men killed at the Battle of Fromelles in France on the night of 19 July 1916, and posted as missing, may have been found.
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EDUCATION PRIZE WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Date: Friday, March 04, 2005
The Federal Member for Newcastle will today award two students with the 2005 Sharon Grierson Education Prize.
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SHADOW MINISTER IN NEWCASTLE TO DISCUSS EMPLOYMENT & DISABILITY ISSUES
Date: Friday, March 04, 2005
The Shadow Minister for Employment and Workforce Participation, Senator Penny Wong, is today visiting Newcastle to meet with disability and social service groups.
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PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS RISE: ANOTHER SQUEEZE ON AUSTRALIAN FAMILIES
Date: Wednesday, March 02, 2005
The announcement that private health insurance premiums would increase an average of almost 8% is another burden on the household budgets of Australian families, Federal Member for Newcastle, Sharon Grierson, said today.
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INTEREST RATES: BROKEN PROMISES & LOST OPPORTUNITIES
Date: Wednesday, March 02, 2005
The Reserve Bank’s decision to raise interest rates today has highlighted both the absurdity of John Howard’s interest rates election promise and his Government’s complacency in managing Australia’s economy over the past nine years.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO
Date: Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Sharon Grierson, Member for Newcastle, will today present the Newcastle region’s winners with their National Local Government Awards.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO
Date: Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Sharon Grierson, Member for Newcastle, has congratulated Cameron Park School, recipient of a $20,000 prize for Outstanding National Achievement in School Improvement at the 2004 National Awards for Quality Schooling.
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NEWCASTLE’S YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT RATE STILL UNACCEPTABLE
Date: Tuesday, February 22, 2005
The latest youth unemployment figures show that the young people of Newcastle are still being denied access to jobs and opportunities, Sharon Grierson, Member for Newcastle, said today.
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BEHIND THE BULK BILLING FIGURES:
Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Sharon Grierson, Member for Newcastle, has today warned that the bulk billing figures released last week are masking an ongoing crisis in health care funding by the Howard Government.
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PROTECTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN
Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Member for Newcastle, Sharon Grierson, yesterday reaffirmed her support for the Sudanese community in Newcastle, saying the recent celebration of cultural diversity attended by over 600 Novocastrians shows the welcoming nature of the city.
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NELSON WASHES HIS HANDS OF
Date: Monday, February 14, 2005
Member for Newcastle, Sharon Grierson, today said the Federal Government should take its fair share of the responsibility for the financial problems plaguing Newcastle University, and admit its higher education policies are woefully inadequate.
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NEWCASTLE’S SKILLS RECOGNISED IN AIRBUS DECISION
Date: Friday, February 11, 2005
The Federal Member for Newcastle has today welcomed the announcement by Jetstar that the maintenance work on its new fleet of Airbus A320s would be carried out in Newcastle.
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GRIERSON KEEPS PRESSURE ON GOVERNMENT
Date: Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Member for Newcastle, Sharon Grierson, today vowed to continue pressing the Howard Government to fulfil its post-election promise to ‘govern for all Australians’. Delivering a speech in the first sitting week of Federal Parliament for the year, Ms Grierson said she recognised the support in the Newcastle community for the Labor Party’s election agenda, and would be ensuring the Government couldn’t simply forget about the region.
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PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE: QUICK FIX LETS NEWCASTLE DOWN
Date: Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Federal Member for Newcastle, Ms Sharon Grierson, today condemned the Government's latest private health insurance legislation as yet another quick fix for a health system crying out for long term reform. Speaking on legislation to raise the 30% rebate for older Australians, Ms Grierson said the Government hasn’t got the balance right between the private and public health systems.
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