The buildings are part of what the government describes as a temporary accommodation camp to house the people, who have been camping on the marsh since their community was officially closed down.

ABC [read this story]

Japanese company Inpex intends to pipe its Browse Basin gas to the new facility, near Darwin.

Platts [read this story]

Ben Wyatt

Shadow education minister Ben Wyatt says remote teachers are worse off than other public servants.

He criticised the government for increasing public servants’ district allowance but not teachers’ locality allowance.

ABC [read this story]

You can read his statement here:

Tuesday, 20 December 2011

Bad Santa Grylls leaves nothing for teachers in regions

The Barnett Government must increase the Locality Allowance for teachers as it has done for other regional public servants, Shadow Education Minister Ben Wyatt said today.

Mr Wyatt said Regional Development Minister Brendon Grylls broke his election promise to provide free rent for teachers, police and nurses in regional areas then failed to include teachers in the increases to District Allowances, which were supposed to replace the broken promise.

“During the 2008 election campaign, Mr Grylls paraded around country WA and promised free rent to teachers, police and nurses in government housing,” Mr Wyatt said.

“Instead, he increased District Allowances to regional public servants, supposedly to stop them leaving regional areas or defecting to mining companies, but failed to show the same concern for teachers.”

Mr Wyatt said the Locality Allowance was paid to teachers to offset the cost of living in regional areas. Some country schools also attracted the Country Teaching Program Allowance due to difficulties in teaching at those schools and because the Education Department found them difficult to staff.

“The Country Teaching Program allowance is completely separate from the Locality Allowance,” Mr Wyatt said.

“The Locality Allowance for teachers in Karratha is $3,438 per year and the new District Allowance to public servants is $15,922 per year.

“That is hardly going attract teachers to the Pilbara.

“Mr Grylls and the Barnett Government betrayed teachers on the broken rent promise and they have rubbed salt into the wounds by excluding them from increases the District Allowance that were supposed to make up for the broken promise.

“In a couple of years when Brendon Grylls is lamenting the lack of teachers in country areas, he will have only himself to blame.”

ABC [read this story]

The first residents moved into their home on the new subdivision at Broome North this month.

Broome Advertiser [read this story]

Barry Haase MHR

Local member Barry Haase said he has lobbied an important parliamentary committee to meet in Broome next year.

“Public hearings for the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Australia inquiry into the fly‐in, fly‐out (FIFO) and drive‐in, drive‐out (DIDO), workforce practices of mining operations in regional Australia will be held in Karratha, Port Hedland and Broome in March 2012,” he said.

You can read his statement here:

Barry Haase

Federal Member for Durack

M E D I A R E L E A S E

21 November 2011

Regional Australia public hearing dates

After lobbying by Federal Member for Durack, Mr Barry Haase, public hearings for the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Australia inquiry into the fly‐in, fly‐out (FIFO) and drive‐in, drive‐out (DIDO), workforce practices of mining operations in regional Australia will be held in Karratha, Port Hedland and Broome in March 2012.

Karratha will host the hearing on Wednesday 28 March, Port Hedland Thursday 29 March and Broome on Friday 30 March.

Mr Haase, a member of the Committee has called for further submissions before the hearings.

“Regardless of the fact that the closing date for public submissions was 7 October 2011, we are still soliciting submissions. It is imperative we have a number and diversity of submission. To date we have 145 submissions and are actively seeking more so as to gain as much information as possible to base our report. ”

“The terms of reference for the inquiry are wide ranging and received submissions have been quite diverse ranging from family and relationship breakdown and the mental health of the FIFO bachelor to the cost of housing issues. I urge anyone associated with the FIFO and DIDO work practices, shires, employers, employees, spouses of employees, volunteer organisations, sporting group and emergency services, in fact anyone else with an interest to make a submission.

“While I personally have a preference for residential mining operations, I am realistic about the need for both FIFO and DIDO to supplement the workforce of many mine sites in Durack under existing circumstances.”

Interested parties are asked to contact the Committee on PH: (02) 6277 4162 or e‐mail: ra.reps@aph.gov.au and express a point of view.

Daisy Howard

Daisy Howard has moved back into the Broome house she occupied for almost five decades.

Wendy Duncan MLC

Wendy Duncan said NGOs in Kimberley and Pilbara towns will have 58 new houses by early next year.

The housing will be for staff of organisations that provide various community services.

You can read her media release here:

NGOs TO BENEFIT FROM ROYALTIES FOR REGIONS 9 NOVEMBER 2011

The announcement that staff of non-government organisations (NGOs) who deliver critical services in the Pilbara and Kimberley will benefit from 58 houses funded by the State Government has been welcomed by Member for Mining & Pastoral, the Hon Wendy Duncan MLC.

Ms Duncan said that the housing, funded with a contribution of $35 million from Royalties for Regions, was part of an affordable housing initiative delivered to 29 NGOs in Broome, Derby, Halls Creek, Karratha, Kununurra, Newman, Roebourne and South Hedland.

“Non-government organisations find that they need to commit very precious funds towards housing their dedicated staff before they can even start their task of serving the most needy in our regional communities, so this commitment of Royalties for Regions funding is most welcome,” Ms Duncan said.

The housing is allocated by a committee with the aim to provide housing to a wide range of organisations.

“This is another wonderful example of where Royalties for Regions is making a significant difference to the lives of people who live and work in our regional areas,” said Ms Duncan.

NGO staff will move into most of the properties this month, with the remainder to be occupied early in 2012.

Graham Albert Don, 69, managed a block of six Homeswest flats and three privately owned flats in Barker Street Broome.

The West Australian [read this story]

A family complained of dumped asbestos in the back yard of their Homeswest property that had been renovated.

Kimberley Echo [read this story]