Homes for the Homeless

As part of its electioneering, Labor has unveiled a $150 million promise to build up to 600 new houses and units across the country to provide better access to housing for homeless people.

Mr Rudd, speaking at a Mission Australia shelter in inner Sydney, said Labor's aim is to halve the number of homeless people turned away from shelters each year within five years and close the gap within a decade to ensure all homeless obtained shelter.

"This is all part of reaching out with a helping hand to Australians in need," he told reporters.

Mr Rudd said figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare indicated that in 2005-06 there were 3,383 requests for emergency accommodation that could not be met.

That was almost five per cent of the total number of requests for emergency accommodation, he said. At Mission Australia, where Mr Rudd talked to residents, more than half of all single adult women seeking accommodation are turned away.

"In a nation that has experienced 16 consecutive years of economic growth, this is simply not acceptable," stated Mr Rudd. Simon Turner

Recycling Policies

Malcolm Turnbull, the Environment Minister and Peter Garrett, his Labor counterpart, squared off in a short debate yesterday on the Seven Network to outline the environmental platform on which their parties are fighting this month’s Federal Election

As previously mentioned, Mr Turnbull is also the local member for Wentworth, thus Marquette Turner’s HQ falls within his constituency so we are taking a particular awareness of his actions and policies.

After I questioned Mr Turnbull on the fact that despite him being the Minister for Environment, I found it quite ironic that our HQ, which is in fact in Crown St, only 5 minutes walk from his office, we do not get the benefit of recycling.

His response to me was that this was the responsibility of the local council, but would indeed allay my concerns to the local Liberal member (whom notably, does not hold the local council seat).

To add insult to injury, he stated in his debate that recycling is essentially at the heart of his policies and is indeed one of his initiatives.

Whilst I certainly appreciated the speed of his personal response, and my comments are certainly not intended to “point the finger” at the policies of one particular party (both of whose representatives have not been immune from gaffes), I also believe the accountability and “keeping the bastards honest” doesn’t hurt, and in this particular issue Mr Turnbull draws the short straw.

Recylcing should indeed be at the heart of an environmental policy as it SHOULD BE something that every single Australian can participate in. Whilst we can exert pressure when it comes to our believes on whether Kyoto is ratified or not, recycling is an every-day action that each household should be given the opportunity to take part in. Mr Turnbull, please get your local "house in order”. Simon Turner