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The second in a series of speeches on the future for Australia's Development Assistance Program, delivered at the University of Adelaide

Today the Rudd Government is releasing the First Home Saver Accounts (FHSA) discussion paper outlining the proposed features of the accounts and how they would operate.

This follows Cabinet’s formal approval of the establishment of the FHSA on Monday this week.

“Labor recognises that young people and families in Australia are facing real financial hurdle to purchasing their first home. That’s why we announced we would pursue this policy in the 2007 federal election campaign, to give people a better chance at achieving the great Australian dream of owning their own home” the Member for Fraser, Bob McMullan said.

Australian Hearing is offering free hearing checks at the Retirement and Lifestyle Expo in Canberra on 8-10 February 2008.

Member for Fraser, Hon Bob McMullan, said the Australian Government hearing service provider is hosting a stand at the event to promote hearing awareness to retirees.

The need for more assistance to fight treatable or preventable blindness was highlighted in last night’s “7:30 Report” on the ABC.

Dr Nitin Verma is to be commended on the invaluable work he is carrying out, restoring vision to hundreds of thousands East Timorese people.

According to the ABC, Australia’s official contribution will end this year. Dr Verma says the real need is for the training of eye care personnel.

On World Sight Day earlier this month (11 Oct 07) Federal Labor announced our plan to Fight Avoidable Blindness in the Region, as part of a broader policy on disability in development.

After 11 years of inactivity, and after Federal Labor’s announcement, the Howard Government followed suit and made an announcement on blindness and disability.

While the decision was 11 years late, it is nevertheless more than welcome.

Federal Labor's Overseas Aid spokesperson, Mr Bob McMullan today said he was deeply disappointed that Federal Howard Minister, Mr Tony Abbott had criticised World Vision chief Tim Costello for his support for Federal Labor's foreign aid policy.

Australia needs to do more to make poverty history.

Federal Labor believes Australia should be a leader in the fight against poverty.

In July this year, Kevin Rudd made the historic announcement to lift Australia’s international development assistance performance to hit the intermediate UN target of 0.5 per cent Gross National Income (GNI) by 2015.

This would be an important step in the right direction towards Australian doing its fair share of the work (particularly here in our own immediate region) to truly make poverty history.

Shadow Minister for Transport, Roads and Tourism, Martin Ferguson announced today that a Rudd Labor government will help fund a $60 million upgrade of roads in the Canberra International Airport precinct.

Reform of the federation requires a plan of action and only a Rudd Labor Government has such a plan.

In a speech today to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) Shadow Minister for Federal/State Relations, Bob McMullan, welcomed the fact that Federal/State Relations is finally on the political agenda.

The Leader of the Opposition’s speech to the Lowy Institute today is historic.

It establishes for the first time in Australia’s history a commitment to lift Australia’s international development assistance performance to hit the intermediate UN target of 0.5 per cent Gross National Income (GNI) by 2015.

This is also an important step in the right direction towards Australian doing its fair share of the work (particularly here in our own immediate region) to truly make poverty history.

Member for Fraser, Bob McMullan today said that the ACT Government’s announcement of a $1.7 million boost for public dental services emphasised the callousness of the Howard Government’s refusal to assist Australians with dental health problems.

Federal Labor has called on the Howard Government to explain why it gives priority to the funding of detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island in the overseas aid budget.

And it also called for a new direction in overseas aid and focus on the South Pacific taking into account the emergency of “climate change refugees” from struggling atolls affected by increased ocean levels.

Labor Member for Fraser, Bob McMullan, today condemned the Howard Government’s continuing neglect of, and refusal to act on, Australia’s escalating dental crisis.

“Ordinary families in my electorate simply cannot get the dental care they need, when they need it, because of Mr Howard’s refusal to help solve this crisis” said Mr McMullan.

Around 400,000 voters could be left without a voice in this year’s election as a result of the Howard Government’s extreme electoral laws which took effect last week.

I confidently predict that John Howard will, at some time during 2007, declare that reform of federal-state relations is a national priority. I expect he will then announce a proposition which will look like a step in the right direction, even though nothing will actually happen.

Bob McMullan, Member for Fraser, says that yesterday’s rise in interest rates was inevitable, given Australia’s appalling trade performance, and he forecast this in his speech to the Parliament in May on reaction to the budget. However the inevitability of the rate rise does not make it any the less painful.

The 7th annual Fraser Lecture was delivered by Clare Martin MLA, Northern Territory Chief Minister. She spoke on developments in Indigenous Affairs in the Northern Territory.

Clashes of wills over the distribution of power and responsibility between the federal government and the states are as old as the nation itself and are common to all comparable federations. And the reasons are not hard to find. They have always had at their core the competing ambitions and priorities of governments at different levels; evolving judicial interpretations of constitutional provisions; fiscal imbalances and conflicting political agendas.

Finance Minister Senator Nick Minchin has spent just under half a million dollars over the past eight years shifting his office around the marginal seats of South Australia to shore up support for sitting Liberal Members.

At a meeting today of the Directors of the Australian Franchisees Association, the Shadow Minister for Small Business Bob McMullan gave an undertaking that a Latham Labor Government would, upon election, immediately seek to undertake a review and then act quickly to strengthen the Franchising Code of Conduct.

A Latham Labor government will also take action to ensure fair payments for small business by introducing a clause into all Commonwealth Government contracts similar to that to be introduced by Victoria.