You can view our question list for all candidates here.
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#2 Candidate on the Labor Party ticket for Queensland, Jan McLucas, responded :
Please find following, responses to questions you raised in your email dated Saturday 31 July 2010, issued on behalf of;
The Hon Jan McLucas
Labor Senator for Queensland
What are your thoughts on asylum seekers?
Federal Labor remains strongly committed to meeting our international obligations, which is why we have made it clear that the regional processing centre should be located in a country that is, like Australia, a party to the Refugees Convention. A regional processing centre can deliver protection to those who need it, and at the same time remove both the profitability of the people smuggling trade and the danger of maritime voyages to Australia.
What are your thoughts on public transport?
The Gillard Labor Government understands that a competitive, safe and reliable public transport is critical to lifting national productivity, curbing traffic congestion and tackling climate change.
In the 2009-10 Budget, the Federal Labor Government took the historic decision to become the first ever Federal Government in Australian history to significantly invest in public transport, allocating some $4.5 billion to new urban rail infrastructure projects.
Once built, this public transport infrastructure will provide the residents of our major cities with a cleaner, greener and faster way of getting around.
This decision is not about replacing the role of State and Territory Governments – it’s designed to complement the record investment they’re already making from their own budgets.
What are your thoughts on renewable energy?
Renewable energy generation will play an important role in meeting Australia’s future energy needs, and the Gillard Labor Government has introduced a number of initiatives that will significantly increase investment in renewable energy and drive down its costs.
Federal Labor has supported the installation of more than 100,000 solar panels and more than 170,000 solar hot water systems on Australian roofs. We’ve also helped 2469 schools with more than $100 million to install solar panels and other energy efficiency measures.
In June, Federal Labor delivered on its commitment to pass the new and enhanced Renewable Energy Target (RET) which will ensure at least 20 per cent of Australia’s electricity come from renewable sources by 2020. That’s an increase of more than four times in the renewable energy target over the next 10 years. This means that by 2020, the electricity that comes from clean renewable sources will be about equal to all the current electricity use of Australian households. This will help drive nearly $19 billion of investment in renewable energy, and reduce carbon pollution by about 39 million tonnes in 2020.
To complement the RET, Federal Labor announced a further $652 million in the May 2010 budget to establish the Renewable Energy Future Fund (REFF) which forms part of the Government’s expanded $5.1 billion Clean Energy Initiative (CEI).
A re-elected Gillard Labor Gillard Government will commit $1 billion to build transmission lines that will help connect our rich renewable energy resources to the grid and bring cheap renewable energy to where it’s needed.
Federal Labor will introduce mandatory vehicle fuel efficiency standards by 2015, and help people retire old polluting cars and replace them with highly fuel efficient models.
And we’ll create a tax cut worth more than $1 billion for those who are retrofitting commercial buildings to make them greener and more energy efficient.
Do you support or oppose the introduction of the R18+ rating classification for video games?
State and Federal Attorney’s-General decide on the guidelines for Refused Classification (RC) based on community standards.
Importantly it is the Classification Board – an agency at arm’s length from the Government and representative of the community, which makes the decisions about individual cases.
Do you support or oppose the proposed internet filter?
Federal Labor believes that while the internet offers fantastic opportunities, governments have a responsibility to put in place measures that ensure Australians, in particular children, have a safe experience online.
Federal Labor’s $125.8 million Cyber-Safety Plan consists of a comprehensive range of measures encompassing education, law enforcement, research and mandatory Internet Service Provider (ISP) filtering of content that has been rated ‘Refused Classification’ (RC).
RC content includes child sexual abuse imagery, bestiality, sexual violence, detailed instruction in crime, violence or drug use and/or material that advocates the doing of a terrorist act. Under Australia’s existing classification regulations RC material is not available in newsagencies, it is not on library shelves, you cannot watch it on a DVD or at the cinema and it is not shown on television. Moreover, RC material is not available on Australian hosted websites. Federal Labor’s proposal will bring the treatment of overseas hosted content into line by requiring ISPs to block overseas content that has been identified as being RC-rated.
The Gillard Labor Government has introduced a comprehensive suite of transparency and accountability measures to accompany the introduction of ISP filtering of RC content. In addition, the Gillard Labor Government is also seeking a review of the RC category before any obligation on ISPs is implemented for mandatory blocking of RC content, to ensure that this classification continues to reflect current community standards.
Do you support or oppose gay marriage?
The Gillard Labor Government remains committed to maintaining the definition of marriage as currently set out in the Marriage Act.
While not supporting same-sex marriage, Federal Labor does support a nationally consistent framework for relationship recognition to be implemented by the States and Territories.
Victoria, ACT, NSW and Tasmania have established relationship recognition schemes and relationships registered under these schemes are also now recognised in a wide range of Commonwealth laws. Federal Labor will continue to encourage other jurisdictions to develop such schemes. For example, the Attorney General has written to State and Territory Attorneys-General and raised the issue at the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General.
Federal Labor has introduced reforms to remove discrimination from 84 Commonwealth laws. The reforms remove discrimination and equalise treatment for same-sex couples in areas of taxation, social security, health, aged care, superannuation, immigration, child support and family law.
These reforms extend to samesex couples the same entitlements and obligations that apply to oppositesex couples. Equal treatment means some same-sex couples will get access to benefits they could not previously access.
What are your thoughts on abortion?
Federal Labor supports the rights of women to determine their own reproductive lives.
Do you support or oppose the legalisation of volutary euthanasia?
Decisions on euthanasia are decisions for State and Territory Governments.
This is a complex issue and will remain a conscience issue for individual Members and Senators within the ALP under the Gillard Labor Government.
What are your thoughts on stem cells research?
On 31 May 2010, the Gillard Labor Government announced a new stem cell research fund that will boost research in this important field. The fund includes the $21 million Australian Research Council Special Research Initiative in Stem Cell Science to commence in July 2011.
This initiative will further build Australia’s capacity to conduct stem cell research, keeping our stem cell researchers at the forefront of this rapidly developing field.
The new Australian Research Council Special Research Initiative in Stem Cell Science and the new National Health and Medical Research Council’s Centre for Research Excellence in Regenerative Medicine will ensure critical stem cell research is continued.
The existing Australian Stem Cell Centre carries out important stem cell research, including on adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells so that life-changing breakthroughs can be made to benefit the Australian community.
What are your thoughts on education?
The Gillard Labor Government believes that investment in education is one of the most important policy priorities.
The Gillard Labor Government has a comprehensive plan to make every school a great school, including:
· Reward payments for great teachers – developing an equitable national performance management framework for teachers so every teacher receives the same assessment and the best teachers can be identified and rewarded with a bonus of up to 10 per cent of their salary.
· Rewards for School Improvement – developing a comprehensive and transparent National School Improvement Framework which will identify and reward those schools that demonstrate the greatest improvement, $75,000 for most improved primary schools and $100,000 for most improved high schools.
· Empowering local schools – delivering a national roll out of greater local control for principals and parents over school budgets and the staffing mix, so they can respond to the local needs of their students, and drive improved results.
· Trades Training Centres – delivering trade training centres so every secondary school student can start learning a trade at school through a nationally recognised qualification. This will ensure young Australians have the skills they need to get the high skilled jobs of the future.
· Transparent information about school performance – building on the nationally comparable and consistent information available to parents and the Australian community through the MySchool website and providing new online resources to students, parents and teachers.
· Nationally recognised qualifications for students – developing an Australian Baccalaureate for senior students and new National Trade Cadetships for students who want to start a trade at school.
· More Computers for schools – on track to deliver a national 1:1 ratio for students in Years 9 to 12 so they have the vital computer literacy skills they need for the 21st century. This program is on time and on budget.
Federal Labor is making major investments to reverse the under-funding that has held our schools back for too long.
It is clear Mr Abbott doesn’t have the economic judgement to be trusted on any of the big issues facing Australia. By cutting funding from our schools he would deny many young Australians an opportunity to get the skills that they need for the jobs of the future.
What are your thoughts on campaign finance disclosure?
Delivering on our election commitments, the Gillard Labor Government introduced the Political Donations Bill in 2008 which will lower the donation disclosure threshold to $1,000, ban overseas donations; and prevent profiteering from public funding.
This was the first piece of legislation introduced by the Gillard Labor Government to deliver a more transparent and accountable electoral system.
What are your thoughts on climate change?
The Gillard Government accepts climate change is real and that human activity is the primary driver of climate change.
Federal Labor is committed to moving Australia forward towards a competitive, low pollution economy.
Federal Labor is committed to building the deep and lasting consensus that is needed for a price on carbon and we have announced an incentive for business to take early action to reduce pollution, ahead of a market mechanism to price carbon.
What are your thoughts on water?
Through Federal Labor’s long-term Water for the Future plan, the Gillard Labor Government is preparing Australia for a future with less water due to climate change and drought.
Federal Labor is working hard to improve the health of our rivers and secure our food supplies. We are committed to dealing with the problem of climate change and developing strategies to adapt to the climate change we can’t avoid.
The Gillard Labor Government will build on its strong record of making our rivers sustainable, securing our water supply and providing certainty for farmers reliant on the Murray Darling Basin.
We want farmers to move forward with confidence knowing they will have options to sell their entitlements when the Basin Plan comes into force.
The Government will bridge any remaining gap between the water that has been returned to the basin and what is required to be returned after 2014.
The Government will do this by continuing to buy back water each year beyond 2014, until we have returned all the water the independent Murray Darling Authority determines our rivers need in the final Basin plan next year.
By the time the Murray Darling Basin Plan comes into effect in 2014, a re-elected Gillard Labor Government will have returned one out of every seven litres of irrigation water to the rivers, through a combination of buy backs and more efficient irrigation.
Until the Plan comes into effect, the Government will continue to roll out $4.4 billion in new, efficient irrigation systems under the Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program. This is upgrading leaky, old infrastructure in the Basin – so farmers can keep growing food with less water.
Do you support or oppose standing order 50?
Under the Gillard Labor Government there will be no change to the convention of opening Parliament each day with the Lord’s Prayer.
That is the first actual response we’ve had to this questionnaire from any member of the Labor party or the Coalition.
I disagree with the way you specifically danced around key issues, but I’ll give credit where it’s due to your campaign staff for at least getting back to us.
Hi, great questions. I work in the stem cell field and I think this area of science is of crucial importance to Australia’s future and Jan McLucas has been a long time supporter of the area. One comment though, your question should be ‘stem cell research’ not ‘stem cells research’ that is scientifically incorrect, it’s like saying you are having your hairs cut! Thanks.
Yah, I did catch that, but only after I’d sent it to ~1000 people. =)