PUBLISHED IN THE AUSTRALIAN: While the change in Parliamentary Speaker was drowning other news, the Gillard government quietly dropped its promised teacher bonus scheme. Axing this clumsy add-on to the existing teacher salary structures was sensible, but the principle of merit pay remains essential to improving our schools. Wholesale reform is required. The existing system…
DetailsFederal Member for Aston, Mr Alan Tudge MP, attended and spoke at a Citizenship Ceremony held on Remembrance Day, 11 November 2010, to celebrate with 118 Knox residents who pledged their commitment to Australia, to become Australian Citizens. The Mayor, Cr Joe Cossari and Wurundjeri Elder, Doreen Garvey-Wandin, warmly welcomed the candidates and State Member…
DetailsThe Coalition today released a Discussion Paper on Gambling Reform signalling its intent to (among other things) prohibit gambling companies from offering credit to their customers. Federal Member for Aston, Alan Tudge MP, has been campaigning for this reform ever since an unemployed Wantirna man was provided with $80,000 in credit by Sportsbet earlier this…
DetailsYear 12 students from Fairhills High School enjoyed a celebratory breakfast BBQ at the Tim Neville Arboretum in Ferntree Gully, before the commencement of their final exams. Principal, Mr Harvey Wood and teachers cooked pancakes and bacon and eggs for the students, who used the social occasion as one of the last times they would…
DetailsPUBLISHED IN ‘THE AUSTRALIAN’: The official results are not in but every indication from reforms in three Cape York communities suggests a breakthrough is finally occurring in remote indigenous schooling. Children are attending at just below mainstream levels and many are learning faster than the state average. If these trends are sustained, then the serious…
DetailsStudents from Carrington Primary School in Knoxfield welcomed a new Australian flag presented by Federal Member for Aston, Alan Tudge MP, to celebrate Australian National Flag day on 3rd September, 2011. Mr Tudge described Australia’s flag as our nation’s most significant symbol. He said, “Our Australian flag is officially 110 years old today. It is…
DetailsDayHab has officially opened its doors offering affordable, addiction treatment from its centre in Upper Ferntree Gully. Federal Member for Aston, Alan Tudge MP, officially cut the ribbon at the front entrance announcing DayHab as “open for business”. DayHab is an addiction treatment centre that aims to provide accessible and high quality programs at an…
DetailsA Scoresby medical device manufacturer, Austramedex, is one of dozens of manufacturers in Knox who are gravely concerned about job losses due to the Government’s carbon tax. Federal Member for Aston, Alan Tudge MP, visited Austramedex on Friday to understand the issues. Managing Director of Austramedex, Mr Barry Lazarus, informed Mr Tudge that manufacturing is…
DetailsPUBLISHED IN THE PUNCH: In this country we are blessed with some outstanding economists. But can they be collectively wrong? The Gillard Government thinks not. They claim that no economist is backing the Coalition’s Direct Action Plan, which therefore proves that it is the wrong policy. Case closed. Gillard’s claim is false: there are economists…
DetailsARTICLE IN THE ROWVILLE-LYSTERFIELD COMMUNITY NEWS: As an MP, you sometimes get constituents in your office whose stories blow your mind and set you on a course you never expected. This was the case when a young, unemployed Wantirna man came to see me in early March. The young man was given $80,000 in credit…
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