Mr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (15:59): I sometimes think those opposite are living in a parallel universe. Yesterday I made some comments in this House that upset some people-that if a lie is repeated often enough people start to believe it. That’s what is happening from that side of the chamber. It is a fact that…
DetailsTonight, I wanted to speak about the state that we find South Australia in, and not just on water issues. We are losing another seat at the federal level. We have a redistribution underway at the moment. In 1997, we had 13 seats in South Australia and, in 1998, we had a redistribution and went…
DetailsMr RAMSEY: I do believe, though, that a mistruth is being repeated here which is simply not correct. Labor and the member opposite claim to have the high moral ground on education. On one hand they say David Gonski’s the font of all knowledge on education, when in fact Mr Gonski was never happy with…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (16:43): I will come to the amendment later on. I note that the last two-thirds of the member for Hunter’s speech was about the amendment rather than the legislation before us. In the first place, I will address the legislation before us, and I note that the member for Hunter and…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (13:53): On Tuesday I had the very great pleasure of catching up with Gerard Neesham. I met him many years ago with the great member for Canning Don Randall, who unfortunately has passed now. Gerard was a former teacher, a WAFL and AFL player, and the inaugural coach of the Fremantle…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (15:38): I thank the member for Paterson for those remarks, and I think it’s important that perhaps someone from the government side as well make a presentation on this particular report, considering that the member for Groom has been promoted and will no longer be the chair of this committee. We…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (17:59): I’m very proud to stand in this chamber as the member representing the first community in Australia that had the gumption to attack one of the great social evils within its midst-in particular, excessive alcohol consumption. That community is Ceduna and the surrounding communities of Yalata, Oak Valley, Koonibba and…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (17:59): I’m very proud to stand in this chamber as the member representing the first community in Australia that had the gumption to attack one of the great social evils within its midst-in particular, excessive alcohol consumption. That community is Ceduna and the surrounding communities of Yalata, Oak Valley, Koonibba and…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (13:46): As Christmas nears, it gives me great joy to be delivering good tidings to Whyalla. In fact, we have announced a 14,000-tonne rail order for the Inland Rail, for Parkes to Narromine-something I am sure you’re very pleased about, Mr Deputy Speaker Coulton. The order will be worth around $20…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (15:52): When the coalition was elected to parliament in 2013 there were no premises in my electorate of Grey connected to the NBN. Work had started in Port Augusta, but it had ceased because the contractor had withdrawn from the contract. In fact, they’d gone broke. It was the same in…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (15:15): I rise to speak in support of these amendments. Of the five amendments put forward, this one is the most palatable to all. I actually find it quite difficult to believe that this chamber would not overwhelmingly adopt these amendments, which have no reflection at all upon the Marriage Act…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (17:57): It was Churchill who told us that democracy was the worst form of government, except for all of the rest. So it has been with our postal survey: democracy has been celebrated. It has shown that it can succeed, with a postal survey to assess the country’s desire to legalise…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (13:54): Diabetes Australia is 60 years old, and last week in the Great Hall in this place we held a 60th birthday celebration. Diabetes Australia is a wonderful organisation with wonderful partners like the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the DANII Foundation, and they were all there. We were privileged to…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (10:41): I swear never to commit, excuse or remain silent about violence against women. This is my oath. In 2014 I took this oath when I became a White Ribbon ambassador, as part of my strong belief that women should live in safety and free from all forms of violence. For…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (16:35): Sometimes you know when you’ve come into the right place and it’s your place in time-when all your little ducks line up, if you like. And so it is with the National Energy Guarantee. I’ve been in this place since the 2007 election. It would be fair to say that…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (15:45): I thank the member for Jagajaga for bringing this subject matter to the House’s attention today: poverty and inequality. It brings me to question some of the driving motives of those of us who are brought to this place, and the differences between the government and the Labor Party. I…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (13:41): I’m very pleased to take this opportunity to congratulate the Crystal Book Primary School on winning two prizes in the 2017 Anzac Day Schools’ Awards. The school has displayed great initiative and creativity in the way it commemorates Anzac Day, helping students to understand more deeply the significance of our…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (18:53): I would like to thank the member for Indi for bringing this motion before the parliament. It gives me an opportunity to discuss the coalition’s electoral commitment of $15.2 million from 2017-18 to 2020-21 to establish up to six regional study hubs across Australia. In the electorate of Grey we…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (11:04): I rise to speak on the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform) Bill 2017. At the heart of the raft of reforms that were in the bill presented on I think 22 August is the implementation of drug testing for welfare recipients. This really highlights the very big philosophical debate…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey–Government Whip) (10:39): Sometimes I’m asked why I’m in parliament and asked: ‘What do you achieve?’ Last Friday was a graphic example of what can be done when people work together, and that is the handover of the Arrium assets to Liberty House-GFG Alliance-and one Sanjeev Gupta, a British citizen. So in Whyalla…
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