Join the new world

It has been a busy month in my second term in the Senate but slowly progress is being achieved. At the outset, I was elected Deputy Speaker and have taken a businesslike approach to managing debate and votes assisting Speaker, Xavier Griffith.

The strong flavour of the month in the Senate for a change has been the reduction of red tape and repeal of unnecesary legislation. The bills proposed and supported by myself and the ANP have been as follows

* I proposed the Senate (Code of Conduct) Act which repealed the existing Code of Ethics Act and Senate Impeachment Acts and replaced them with one streamlined act providing the rules of Senate behaviour. This Act was passed.

* I proposed an amendment to the Citadel Systems Assistance Package Act which legislates to buy one defense system from Citadel System then repeals the Act. This amendment was passed.

* I proposed to revoke the Public-Private Housing Project Act. This Act provided a government subsidy to a private company for the purpose of creating construction jobs. This Act was revoked.

* ANP Senator Venja proposed an amendment to the Portfolio Budget Act providing for tighter requirements on the Government's budget to the Senate.

Government business

The two main items of government business for this term have been the Australian Defence Force Bill 2.0 and the February budget.

In relation to the ADF bill, although the bill was rejected twice I finally decided to support the PM in order to provide the military and the Government some certainty. Despite some of the bill's ambiguity, the Government has a mandate to legislate its preferred arrangement for the military. The vote still proceeds as we speak.

In relation to the budget, the Senate has been supplied a budget which
1. is a week late
2. provides for an increase in defence spending by up to $20,000
3. provides for a defense budget which is larger than the entire government's tax take
4. provides for a 63% increase in printed money
5. provides for printed money to be 62% of our total revenue
6. assumes the government will make 1600 gold by printing AUD then buying gold from Australians with that paper.

eAustralia's gold reserves are dwindling fast as a result of previous money prints however the Government continues to increase its spending far beyond the means of the taxpayer. We need to examine long and hard just what is affordable for our military but this is a dangerous trend in motion. In my role as representative of all Queenslanders I want to ensure a responsible approach to government finances, we need to preserve our gold reserve and stop the increasing prints of AUD. Queenslanders can expect the ANP to scrutinise this budget carefully and require where necessary budget cuts in order to prevent any danger to our economy.

Next term

If elected next term I plan to broach the topic of import taxes again as my number one priority. High import taxes limit choice for the eAustralian consumer and inflates the price of domestic goods. High import taxes also limit international trade and as a result the demand for Australian currency. As a result of budget debate, the government has found it could cut its defence costs by up to $30,000 simply by buying weapons on the international market. Or does the good old taxpeyer foot the bill again? To become a world class economy, eAustralia needs a world class tax system and I plan to propose this next term.

The time for government funded companies has been and gone. They are a massive drain on the taxpayer and deliver fewer goods than if the government smiply purchased from the free market. If re-elected I will be proposing a pilot to tender for government purchasing, especially in regards to weapons given this is the government's largest expense. The government will save thousands of dollars simply buying from the lowest priced supplier in the market. This will start with tendering as an experiment and if successful gradually shift from GFC-based weapons production to one which is market-based.

Conclusion

My passion to serve the Senate is stronger than ever. There is a lot of work to be done for Queensland. If you give me your vote I promise to keep working hard, to make eAustralia a better place and keep your taxpayer dollars hard at work.

Regards

infin, ANP
Senator for Queensland