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The South Eastern Times : May 2nd 2017
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NEWS 5 Political alternative RAQUEL MUSTILLO raquel@setimes.com.au FAMILY First turned Australian Conservatives politician Robert Brokenshire has pledged to provide rural South Australians with a strong alternative at next year’s state election. Mr Brokenshire said the protection of rural and regional industries and country hospitals, roads and schools would be a major focus for the conservative party. “South Australia and Australia needs one strong voice for conservative voters, and unlike the many parties that are city-centric focused or who fight against farmers on issues such as animal husbandry, Australian Conservatives will be a strong voice for rural and regional people and farmers,” he said. “Unlike the Nick Xenophon Team and the Greens, we un- derstand the importance of live cattle and sheep exports and would rather see good Australian animal welfare standards adopted rather than banning live exports and having third world countries exporting without the high standards Australia is known for.” Last week, South Australian Senator Cory Bernardi announced his breakaway conservative party would join forces with the ideologically aligned Family First. Mr Brokenshire said he was “delighted” with the amalgamation, adding it would unite conservatives and strengthen the conservative voice in parliament both in South Australia and nationally. “Australian Conservatives will be the true country party that will ensure that whoever is in government, whether here in SA or federally, will need to do much more for country SA,” he said. “No matter what major party people vote for in the lower house, I would encourage them to support Australian Conservatives in the Upper House because the track record and future commitments from Australian Conservatives’ members will be a fair go for all, including our country people.” Mr Brokenshire will be joined in the new party by colleague and former Family First parliamentary leader Dennis Hood. Australian Conservatives founder Cory Bernardi said the party aimed to strengthen the conservative voice at the state level. “Australian Conservatives has already made an impact in federal politics and we have previously telegraphed the intention to contest state elections,” he said. “Family First has now added its firepower to Australia’s fastest growing political movement.” The socially and economi- cally conservative Family First party has polled consistently in MacKillop since first running a candidate in 2006, with then candidate Philip Cornish achieving a 7pc swing to the party. Candidate Jenene Childs received 6pc of the vote at the 2010 election, while Bill Pomery polled ahead of independent Steve Davies and Donella Peters of the Greens to gain 7.5pc of votes. Liberal Member for MacKillop hopeful Nick McBride said he was prepared for a large field of candidates to contest the traditionally conservative seat. “The more ndependents and candidates that do run the harder the job will be and it means I have to be more focused in my campaign to make sure the Liberal Party return to government,” he said. “We’re going to absolutely focused on winning the seat for the Liberal Party in MacKillop.” IN BRIEF Visa arrangement welcomed THE Australian Medical Association (AMA) has cautiously welcomed the Federal Government’s new visa arrangements, but is seeking more detail and clarification on the impact on medical workforce shortages. The current 457 visas will be abolished from March 2018 and replaced by a new Temporary Skills Shortage Visa, which will have tighter conditions and have a smaller number of eligible occupations. AMA president Dr Michael Gannon said international medical graduates have made a huge contribution to the Australian medical workforce, especially in rural areas and during periods of chronic workforce shortages. “Many communities would not have doctors if it were not for the excellent work of international medical graduates,” Dr Gannon said. “Australia is presently in the fortunate position of producing sufficient locally-trained medical graduates to meet current and predicted need. “It is important that we strike the right balance between filling vacancies with locally trained graduates and ensuring that communities, especially in rural and remote Australia, have doctors in the right numbers and with the appropriate specialist skills and experience to meet patient needs.” Council to refer to budget review WATTLE Range Council will refer to the third quarter budget review before allocating a further $192,000 to the sealing of a boundary road with Naracoorte Lucindale Council this financial year. A schedule is currently in place between the two councils for the reconstruction of a 4.9km section of Coles-Killanoola Road, located south west of Naracoorte, with Wattle Range allocating $200,000 for stage one of the project. The $192,000 shortfall follows the appointment of Fulton Hogan by Naracoorte Lucindale Council to undertake the works, which have already commenced. In a report, council staff suggested the shortfall could be provided from underspent seal road maintenance which is forecast to be approximately $100,000 below budget at the end of the financial year. Shipwreck theft fines imposed FINES of up to $20,000 are now in place for anyone found guilty of illegally taking or possessing unregistered shipwreck relics. Penalties have increased from a maximum of $5000 to $20,000 in some cases and a $750 expiation fee will be implemented for lesser offences. MEMORIAL UNVEILING: SA Volunteer Fire Fighters Museum chairman Rex Hall, Forestry SA chief executive Jerome Coleman and South Australian Country Fire Service chief officer Greg Nettleton unveil the new Wandilo memorial plaque. Fire fighter memorial unveiled at Naracoorte site A LARGE crowd recently gathered at the SA Volunteer Fire Fighters Memorial for a service which included the unveiling of a plaque dedicated to eight ForestrySA fire fighters who lost their lives. More than 200 people turned out to pay their respects to the state’s firefighting heroes at the second annual memorial service held in Naracoorte. SA Volunteer Fire Fighters Museum chairman Rex Hall (AFSM) said the turn-out exceeded his expectations. “It was absolutely unbelievable to be honest, I didn’t expect quite as many people,” Mr Hall said. The service was an opportunity for Mr Hall and ForestySA chief executive Jerome Coleman to unveil a project which has been months in the making. www.thesoutheasterntimes.com.au “The new memorial plaque bears the names of eight men who died while fighting a forest fire in pine plantation in Wandilo almost 60 years ago,” Mr Coleman said. “All were employed with the then Woods and Forests on that fateful Saturday morning when a fire began in pine plantation and quickly spread to neighbouring compartments.” While some men managed to escape, eight never made it home to their families at the end of that fateful working day. Millicent’s Arnold Damhuis and another brother of the late Bernadus Hendrikus “Ben” Damhuis, 16, who was one of the eight people caught in the fire, attended the service to honour their brother. “It was great to have representation from family members of the deceased and all their feedback regarding the new plaque was positive,” Mr Hall said. “I think it is very fitting to have something at the memorial to honour the lives that were lost in that fire.” Mr Coleman said a memorial already exists at the site of the Wandilo fire, but it is not easily accessible. “A memorial has stood at the Wandilo Forest site for almost 20 years, but its forest location makes it difficult to locate,” Mr Coleman said. “It is hoped that this new memorial will allow people to more easily pay their respects and serve as a very poignant and public reminder of the sacrifice that has shaped firefighting in South Australia.” The South Eastern Times, Tuesday, May 2, 2017 - 5 Any wreck older than 75 years in South Australian waters is automatically protected under state legislation. Under the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1981, shipwrecks are protected to prohibit the removal of relics and damage to the sites. With friendly and helpful service, Fosters Foodland is the place to shop WIN one of 2 $500 bank accounts P Trading hours Mon, Tues, Wed and Friday 7.30am-6.00pm Thurs 7.30am-9.00pm | Sat 7.30am-5.00pm 712754 • O Y T O • • U E C R N C H A H E • S R H E O
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