Mr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (11:29): I welcome this motion put forward by the Leader of the Opposition. It does give us a chance to talk about a very important issue. Eight per cent or thereabouts of my electorate of Grey is Indigenous, and I have made it a core part of my workload, since I came…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (09:54): After listening to the shadow minister, I must say that was a very glass-half-empty summation of the National Broadband Network. We have actually come a very long way here in Australia. I don’t want to spend the whole of my allotted time going back through a potted history of this, but…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (12:13): I welcome the fact that the cashless debit card trials have been extended for two years in Australia. But, at the same time, I must say I’m really disappointed that they haven’t become permanent in the sites that are designated, including Ceduna in my electorate of Grey—which was, of course, the…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (13:34): An Albanese federal Labor government is a bit like a mirage in the desert. I don’t think it’s coming any time soon, but, anyway, there you go. There is a percentage of people who still think that a mobile phone is for having a conversation on. In fact, it is the…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (19:45): In August 1998 the Nantawarrina Indigenous Protected Area was declared. It was the first one in Australia. It’s in the Gammon Ranges, or near that, in the northern Flinders Ranges, near Nepabunna. I went there two years ago for a celebration of the 20th anniversary. In 2015 another Indigenous protected area…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (10:22): Hot off the press! We all know that COVID-19 has created a lot of issues throughout Australia and particularly with country shows. In my electorate of Grey, not one of our country shows was able to operate this year. So I’m pretty happy to announce that 18 of them plus the…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (13:59): In 2015, following the advice of an independent committee, the government called for people to volunteer their land for the siting of the new National Radioactive Waste Management Facility. We stand in this parliament 5½ years later, and we have found that community. It’s called Kimba. We have been through three…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (10:54): Following a number of thwarted attempts, in March 2015 the government called for voluntary nominations of land on which to establish a national radioactive waste management facility. I raised the possibility of this being well sited in my home town—in fact, on my own farm—in April 2015. The process came about…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (16:41): The announcement by China that it will put 100 to 200 per cent tariffs on Australian wine comes as a fairly cruel blow. South Australia will be badly hit by this, given that we are the biggest wine-producing state in Australia and the home of many of the premium brands which…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (15:43): I was very tempted, when I saw the subject of this matter of public importance, to pull out my appropriations speech that I gave only two weeks ago, where I spent 15 minutes talking about the achievements of the government in Grey—but of course I’ve only got a five-minute speaking…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (13:49): This morning I had the great privilege of attending the memorial service for Remembrance Day at the Australian War Memorial. I congratulate all of those that had anything to do with organising or performing on the day. It was a very memorable service, indeed, and in great taste. Each time I…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (13:37): There is no doubt that Australia has been going through one of the toughest economic times we’ve seen, certainly since the Second World War and possibly since the Depression. So it was delightful news yesterday when the RBA made a statement to Senate estimates that they believe Australia has come out…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (19:24): The 2020-21 federal budget is totally focused on getting Australians back to work. It will provide a huge boost right across the nation and certainly it will do so in the electorate of Grey. I’m very grateful for the investments that are being made there. It’s an extraordinary budget for extraordinary…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (19:46): Last Friday night, I had the honour of attending the South Australian Spirit of Excellence in Agriculture Awards, hosted by the Agricultural Bureau of South Australia and attended by the new South Australian minister for agriculture, David Basham, and also by the member for MacKillop, Nick McBride, and the Labor member…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (12:42): I speak to the motion, and let me say that recycling is the buzzword and so it should be. The world has finite resources. Recycling is imperative for the environment. Recycling is imperative for the world’s resources. And I hope that recycling will become lucrative for regional communities, because I think…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (11:54): The NDIS, like every other arm of government, should be open to sunlight. It should be clear and transparent and we should understand what is going on within the NDIS. It’s interesting that this motion put forward by the member for Maribyrnong comes only a short while after the member for…
DetailsMr RAMSEY ( Grey — Government Whip ) ( 16:21 ): It’s been a tough year for grape producers in the electorate of Grey. They’ve battled a drought that affected them with low yields, but it has led to extremely high-quality wines. Due to the COVID crisis, the global distribution chain has broken down, cellar doors are closed and airline businesses have wound…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (11:17): I’m a bit bemused by this motion actually, but I thank the member for Ballarat for putting it forward. In fact, I did wonder when it was written because it calls for the government to immediately intervene in the administration of Virgin. Well, we’ve seen that the government actually held its…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (18:18): I move: That this House: (1) recognises that: (a) Patrick Ryan, aged 16 years, from Port Lincoln South Australia died in February 2020 at a party with friends as a result of inhaling Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) from a barbecue gas bottle; (b) a number of young Australians have died from…
DetailsMr RAMSEY (Grey—Government Whip) (11:01): This inquiry into COVID-19 and its effects on homelessness was requested by Minister Ruston and Assistant Minister Howarth, and it’s been a very interesting inquiry, I must say. It’s certainly been quite a large one. In fact, this is just the interim report. The committee is yet to reach any conclusions…
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