Welcome to the latest edition of Clark Matters, my monthly email newsletter to help keep you abreast of federal politics and what I’ve been up to.
Welcome relief for Tasmanian university students
The Universities Accord (Student Support and Other Measures) Bill 2024 is a welcome first step in alleviating some of the unfair and unnecessary pressures facing Australian students and those with ballooning HECS/HELP debts. I’ve been lobbying the Government to reform the HECS system for years, and it was personally heartening to see the Government subsequently include HECS arrangements within the scope of the Universities Accord review.
Of course much more needs to be done, starting with the 47 recommendations of the Accord report, many of which are still awaiting Government response. And then we need to go even further with the bold reintroduction of fee-free first degrees for Australian students. After all we are one of the richest countries in the world, and more than capable of making higher education accessible and affordable for any Australian with the desire and aptitude to pursue it. It’s all about priorities.
Macquarie Wharf 6 funding welcome
I welcome the announcement that the Federal Government has agreed to provide $188 million to upgrade Macquarie Wharf 6 and provide access for icebreaker, RSV Nuyina, for the next 30 years. This is something I have long campaigned for, having lobbied the Prime Minister and Federal Environment Minister personally to convey my concerns about the future of the Australian Antarctic Program in Tasmania.
Improved wharf facilities and a refuelling solution will provide long-overdue certainty that the icebreaker can continue to be based in Hobart. It will also ensure Hobart remains central to the important work of the Australian Antarctic Division for many years to come.
The current state of Macquarie Wharf 6, and the time it has taken for the Tasmanian Government to finally come to the table, is nothing short of shameful. Governance in Tasmania, and TasPorts in particular, is woeful right now and I applaud the Federal Government for pushing the matter to fruition.
State Government backflip on poker machines would betray Tasmanians
Reports the State Government is considering backing down from implementing a nation-leading cashless pre-commitment card for poker machines is very concerning. This would be the first of its kind in Australia and set a precedent for all states and territories. Its importance cannot be overstated.
The fact that next to no progress has been made since the card was announced two years ago shows the Tasmanian Government was getting cold feet. Commissioning a report to analyse the economic impacts of the cashless card on clubs when the benefits of such a scheme have already been thoroughly researched shows how beholden they are to the gambling industry.
Current poker machine arrangements in Tasmania are taking a shocking human toll. Thousands of addicts are losing more than they can afford, the result often being poverty, homelessness, relationship breakdown, ill health and even suicide. If the Tasmanian Government were to walk away it would show they don’t give a toss about the dreadful harm inflicted by poker machines.
This is a watershed moment for poker machine reform, not just in Tasmania, but the whole country. The State Government must not buckle to the demands of the gambling industry. To do so would be a disgraceful betrayal of the community and show total disregard to people experiencing poker machine harm.
Yours sincerely
Andrew Wilkie
