PUBLISHED IN ‘THE AUSTRALIAN’. TOUGH decisions needed to make Australian teaching world class. The most contentious of the necessary reforms is to fire bad teachers. The latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report on secondary school achievement shows our top students are falling behind and our disadvantaged students are not catching up. Geoff Masters,…
Andy Vuong of Grade 5 at Knox Gardens Primary School, has been awarded the Aston Shield by Federal Member of Parliament, Alan Tudge MP, at a school assembly this week. Andy, who was presented with an engraved shield, has also been added to the Knox Gardens Primary School’s perpetual shield. The Aston Shield is awarded…
The Cake Decorators Association of Victoria, Rowville branch, had its official launch at the Rowville Scout Hall last Sunday. Federal Member for Aston, Mr Alan Tudge MP, spoke at the launch attended by around 80 local people. Mr Tudge congratulated the committee of the Rowville Branch. In particular, he commended the new President, Velma Brown,…
PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA: Mr TUDGE (Aston) (10.21 pm)—In question time on Thursday, 28 October the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport was asked questions about the Moreton Bay rail link in Brisbane and the Epping to Parramatta rail link in Sydney. In the minister’s response, he outlined the reasons that the federal government decided to make…
PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA: Mr TUDGE (Aston) (10.36 am)—In the newsletter I sent to my constituents in October, I asked for their views on the Stud Road bus lane. Stud Road is the only north-south road that travels through the city of Knox, and as such it is a very important arterial connecting our community. The…
PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA: Mr TUDGE (Aston) (12.29 pm)—I rise to second the motion moved by the honourable member for Sturt. We are calling on the government to delay the implementation of the national curriculum for the simple reason that it is not ready. And don’t just believe me or Mr Pyne in this assessment but…
PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA: Mr TUDGE (Aston) (6.48 pm)—I rise to speak on the Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities) Bill 2010 having been a student leader myself back in the early nineties, having worked with Dr Nelson in the early 2000s—in 2005, if I recall correctly—to abolish compulsory student union fees and as a…
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CHAMBER Mr TUDGE (Aston) (4.00 pm)—Last week I had the opportunity to attend several Remembrance Day services, where we paid our respects to those brave men and women who have died in the service of our country. The first such service was on the Sunday before Remembrance Day, when the Bayswater RSL…
Mr TUDGE (Aston) (6.49 pm)—The purpose of the National Broadband Network Financial Transparency Bill 2010 is twofold: the first is to require the publication of a 10-year business case for NBN Co. and the second is to refer the NBN project to the Productivity Commission for a thorough cost-benefit analysis. I find it astounding that…
Mr TUDGE (Aston) (10.00 pm)—As I travel around my electorate, one of the issues that increasingly gets raised is the soaring cost of living. The basic costs of everyday, non-discretionary goods like water, electricity, child care and groceries are all going up. And people are hurting. I hear this said at the retirement villages, at…