Mr Page formally held the Shadow portfolios of Skills Development and Training, and State and Regional Development.

He said his new portfolios were all relevant to the North Coast and presented an exciting opportunity to address issues facing this area.

“As Shadow Minister for North Coast I will continue to call on the Premier to appoint a Minister for the North Coast to ensure this area is represented at the Cabinet table,” Mr Page said.

“The NSW Liberal/Nationals team has displayed its continuing commitment to the residents of this area by appointing a Shadow Minister for North Coast.

“The Coalition has a strong belief the North Coast deserves special attention, unlike the NSW Labor Government which has Ministers for the Illawarra, the Hunter, the Central Coast, Redfern-Waterloo and Western Sydney, but no North Coast.

“In the area of small business and regulatory reform I will work to cut regulations and red tape that are currently such a burden to small business owners.

“I will also call on the NSW Government to reduce payroll tax and make NSW a more business-friendly State.

“The tourism Shadow portfolio is an exciting opportunity and one I look forward to getting my teeth into. We have such a vibrant tourism industry on the North Coast and I am keen to do what I can to enhance the industry locally, as well as making NSW the premier tourist destination.

“These three portfolios are all very relevant to the North Coast and I’m looking forward to tackling the relevant issues.”

Mr Page said that despite a large swing against Labor in North Coast electorates in the March 24 election, including the loss of the seat of Tweed to the Nationals, the NSW Iemma Government continued to ignore this area.

“In all North Coast seats there was a significant swing away from Labor, with a 5.1 per cent swing to the Nationals in Ballina, 7.1 per cent to the Nationals in Tweed, 2.3 per cent to the Nationals in Lismore, 5.6 per cent to the Nationals in Coffs Harbour, and 6.5 per cent to the Nationals in Clarence,” Mr Page said.

“The Labor Government has a Minister for the Illawarra, the Hunter, the Central Coast, Redfern-Waterloo and Western Sydney, yet still the North Coast is being overlooked despite the voters of the North Coast sending Labor a clear message at election time.

“The North Coast is experiencing rapid population growth and as a result has special needs in terms of the provision of infrastructure and services.

“We need someone around the Cabinet table who understands those needs.

“The NSW Coalition’s policy was to appoint a Minister for the North Coast to give this area the attention it needs and deserves.

“I call on the NSW Premier Morris Iemma to appoint a Minister for the North Coast to ensure this area receives specialised attention.”

At the close of counting on Saturday night, Mr Page (Nationals) had totalled more than half the counted votes.

The figures with 32,953 counted were:

Page 17,621 (53 per cent)

Boyd (Australians Against Further Immigration) 440

Smith (Democrats) 582

Doriean (ALP) 7760

Bailey (Greens) 6550.

Total enrolment in the Ballina electorate is 45,661.

At the last poll (in 2003), 41,007 people voted in the Ballina electorate.

Mr Page, the sitting National Party Member since 1988, topped the 2003 primary vote with 21,127. Country Labor’s Sue Dakin polled 10,668 votes. Next came The Greens’ Jan Barham on 8053.

On a two-party preferred basis, the Nationals/Liberal Coalition received 59.4 per cent of the 2003 vote. Labor received 40.6 per cent.

For updated figures, visit http://vtr.elections.nsw.gov.au/lasummary.Ballina.aspx

The vote 1 Smithy beer will be available from around 6pm onwards tonight to raise money for the local hospital.

We are very excited that Brendan, manager of the Australian hotel has taken on this imitative and we are very much looking forward to having a beer at the Aussie tonight and doing something practical and real for the community for a change.

Hope to see you all there!

Cheers!

Ben Smith.

Name: Melanie Doriean.

Occupation: Currently Labor Candidate for the seat of Ballina and otherwise a project officer in the Department of Education and Training.

Do you have any hobbies?

I love reading, discussing ideas, walking, singing in a local choral group, spending time with my family.

How long have you lived in the Ballina electorate?

My husband and I moved here 25 years ago from Victoria.

What do you like most about living here?

It is a great place to live — the beaches, rainforest, the friendly people, facilities close at hand, great educational opportunities and a multitude of community activity and events that offer something for everyone. The vibrant culture of all the different towns and villages enriches our lives here.

What are your favourite places in the area?

The beaches are a favourite with me and also the peace and quiet of the National Parks.

What are the major problems facing the Ballina electorate?

I think managing growth in balance with protecting our environment is the major challenge facing us. This area has managed considerable population increases and more is to come and we must ensure that we plan carefully to have sufficient infrastructure in place. A major element of this is our health service and Labor has a plan to support these needs.

What’s your vision of Ballina in the year 2050?

I see Ballina in 2050 as a beautiful place to live with a mix of suitable housing options, open parks and spaces and a vibrant business community. The Bundjalung people have a magnificent museum and art space and are recognised for their contribution to our environment and culture. There is a strong eco-tourism industry that encourages visitors to enjoy and understand the environment and learn how to protect it. People of all ages have access to excellent health services and enjoy many low-cost health-promoting activities provided in the area. Our educational institutions provide excellent educational opportunities for our young people who now have a wide range employment options in a number of large and small enterprises in the region.

Name: Ben Smith (aka Smithy).

Occupation:

IT consultant and small business owner. I love being in small business, small business is the backbone of our community and we have some of the best small business operators in NSW here I think! Very enthusiastic, forward thinking people.

Do you have any hobbies?

I walk every day; I figure it’s a good to get into the habit now for when I’m older! I play golf every week with a bunch of mates, I love sport in general, and I love the outdoors, particularly when you’ve got what we have in our backyard

How long have you lived in the Ballina electorate?

Well over a decade and loving every bit of it, my family has a bit of history around here too, so it’s very much an honor for me to be running for this electorate.

I enjoy every moment here, and I hope that one day the generations after me will be able to do so too.

What are your favourite places in the area?

Shelley’s and Lighthouse beach are definitely favorite places of mine. I also enjoy relaxing out at the Shawsy (Shaws Bay Hotel). But every area is quiet special in its own way, I like driving out past Teven through the forest, it’s very relaxing. You can’t beat chilling out on the beach at Byron either.

Evans Head is also an extremely beautiful place which I love very much; I like Lennox head, particularly the pub. In all honesty, no matter where you are, it’s impossible not to love the area you live in, our entire area is just amazing, I don’t know why anyone would want to live anywhere else!

What are the major problems facing the Ballina electorate?

One word. Development. As I’ve said this is a very special area, and it’s growing quiet rapidly, but that growth needs to be vigorously managed, I don’t want to see our area’s natural beauty and our great community atmosphere compromised simply to make an extra buck.

As a business person, I understand the pursuit of economic growth and financial prosperity, and I support that, but we have to keep it in check with our conscience and what has made this area so great in the first place. This also ties in with the issue of affordable housing which I also feel very strongly about.

One of the other big issues that’s on everyone’s mind, at all levels of government, is climate change. My approach is that we need to do something now, it doesn’t matter how much or what, regardless of whatever political debates people want to argue over, I would like to see us do something about the issue now. A possible idea I would like people to consider would be our electorate becoming a “solar city”, doing a program similar to the solar cities project at federal level. It won’t solve the problem but it’s a good start, 60% of something is better than 100% of nothing.

Small business is also a big issue, our area is experiencing good growth and prosperity, the big guys have noticed this, and have been popping up with their franchises everywhere, small businesses are the backbone of our local community, big business is the backbone of shareholders and corporations in Sydney. I don’t disapprove of big business, but at the same note we need to make sure our small businesses are protected, as they are the true backbone of a community and whatever money you put into a small business, it’ll stay in the community, instead of running off to shareholders elsewhere.

Our local police are also substantially under-resourced for the area that they cover, they do a great job under the circumstances but we need more police, and they need to be better equipped to deal with some of the issues that happen in our area from time to time. But ultimately, that’s only one part of the issue, we need to look at preventing illegal behaviour in the first place! More entertainment outlets for the youth, and more programs to encourage mutual responsibility and inclusive community would be a good start.

What’s your vision of the Ballina electorate in the year 2050?

More of the same of what we have now, except better, more public transportation, better infrastructure, more community involvement, strong small businesses, a great environment to live in but most importantly, a government (or political person) that’ll listen to the needs of our area, and no matter how or what, will come up with ways to make it happen, and won’t blame anyone else for action or lack of action.

Mr Page said specifically the Liberal/Nationals Coalition will:

Allocate $40 million for the development of a solar power station in NSW.

Allocate $58.5 million to provide rebates of up to $1000 to install solar hot water systems.

Provide $5 million to install solar power in 400 schools.

Set mandatory renewable energy targets on NSW energy retailers of 10 per cent by 2012, 15 per cent by 2020 and a 20 per cent goal by 2025. Only renewable energy projects located in NSW will count towards targets.

Invest $10 million for renewable energy research at the CSIRO Energy Centre, including developing solar energy potential in NSW, proving the Hunter Valley hot dry rocks resource and use of crop waste for electricity generation.

Roll out smart meters to reduce energy use in up to 50,000 homes

Allocate $10 million to assess potential reservoirs for geo-sequestration from coal-fired power stations and initiatives to retrofit existing coal-fired power stations

Mandate two per cent ethanol use in fuel in 2007, with a goal to increase to 10 per cent by 2011 and raise public awareness and confidence in ethanol blended fuels

Commit an extra $20 million to weed and feral animal control in National Parks

Reward landowners who provide biodiversity conservation services to NSW with extra credits in property vegetation plans and landscape vegetation plans

Establish a $10 million Sustainable Land Use Fund to acquire land for wildlife refuges and linkages where the proposal is made by the landowner and other methods are not appropriate

Establish a $20 million Recycling Infrastructure and Markets Support program to be available to industry and local councils for projects that reduce waste, develop new products from recycled materials and help market recycled products

“The Clean NSW Fund will be financed through the sale of the NSW Waste Service,” Mr Page said.

“We have to work together as a community, as a State and as a country to address climate change and the NSW Coalition is fully committed to preserving our environment for generations to come.”

Rather than promises of bypasses, schools, hospitals, water and new highways, Mr Smith is offering free beer.

Mr Smith has teamed up with Brewtopia to make the very first Election Beer in the history of Australian politics.

A self-described underdog in the seat of Ballina, held very firmly by National incumbent Don Page, Mr Smith says he wanted to do something unique for his campaign but also do something that represented the traditional Aussie values

“Election campaigns can be sometimes boring and frustrating to the typical voter,” he said.

“I came up with the idea of having a chat with Brewtopia, the makers of custom labeled beer.

“I love sitting around and enjoying the occasional beer with my mates and I felt that it would be a great idea if I could do the same with the Ballina electorate. I think Don Chipp, the founder of The Democrats, would have loved this idea.

“We reckon that had Mark Latham employed the same tactics in 2004, we’d be under a Labor government right now.” 

Managing director of Brewtopia Larry Hedges said: “It’s smart move by Ben, moving the debate away from water and focusing on a element close to the Australian public hearts.”

In the week leading up to the election, Mr Smith in co-operation with Brewtopia will be freely distributing the Ben Smith brew to licensed pubs and clubs for distribution throughout the electorate.

Licensed pubs and clubs within the electorate should contact Brewtopia or Ben Smith’s office for more details to get their hands on the brew quickly as supply is limited and orders for the free beer are expected to be filled fast.

“The beer has won a number of national awards and is brewed by one of Australia’s top brewer’s, Brian Watson, so as well as being a great promo item, it also tastes great!” Mr Smith said.

“If anything, at the end of all this, it’ll be a great honour to be the first person in Australian politics to do their own election beer.”

For further information please contact:

Ben Smith, Candidate for the Seat of Ballina, Australian Democrats, Ph: +61 2 6681 5101 Ben.smith@nsw.democrats.org.au

Larry Hedges, Managing Director, Brewtopia Ltd, www.brewtopia.com.au Ph: +61 2 9008 1343 beer@brewtopia.com.au

Mr Page said the skills shortage had been generated by under-investment in TAFE, low-completion rates for apprenticeships and traineeships and a lack of incentives to keep apprentices and trainees in training.

“The Iemma Government’s last-minute announcement on skills cannot hide the fact that most of the skills shortages in NSW are due to a lack of focus by the Labor Government which was recently conceded by Minister Costa who said ‘in the 90s we lost focus in that area’ and admitted they ‘had dropped the ball’,“ Mr Page said.

“The fact is the NSW Labor Government’s investment in TAFE’s funding per annual student hour has been cut significantly from $15.60 in 2000 to $13.70 in 2005, according to the Auditor General’s Report to Parliament 2006.

“In addition, the completion rate for apprenticeships in NSW is at a national low of 41 per cent on the latest figures available.

“Whilst new places are helpful, we need to ensure higher completion rates and Labor’s policy doesn’t do this.

“Labor points out in their policy document that TAFE enrolments have increased, but they don’t tell you about the TAFE completion rate of less than 50 per cent.

“The NSW Liberal/Nationals policy to address the skills shortage has been strongly endorsed by the Business Chamber, who said the Opposition’s skills policy ‘Hands On’ is comprehensive and ‘offers real solutions to skills shortages in NSW’, unlike the Government’s policy which has no third party endorsement.”

Mr Page said the Liberal/Nationals Coalition plan to lift skill levels in NSW includes:

Providing apprentices with a $500 bonus at the end of their first and third years of training;

Introducing standard three-year competency based apprenticeships;

Exempting employers from paying the cost of WorkCover premiums for apprentices;

Extending Vocational Education and Training (VET) permanently to Year 9 and 10 students;

An information campaign in high schools to lift the value attached to skilled workers;

Targeted defence industry skills development to foster, maths, science and engineering opportunities;

A formal bid to host the 2013 World Skills ‘Skills Olympics’ in NSW;

Developing a closer relationship between TAFE NSW and business; and

Directly appointing business and industry representatives to the NSW Skills Council.

Mr Page joined members of the Alstonville community yesterday in the village’s main street to highlight the Labor Government’s broken promises and neglect of the important infrastructure project.

“Former Premier Bob Carr promised in 2003 that the Alstonville bypass would be built by the end of 2006, ” Mr Page said.

“He stated in March 2003 and again in June of the same year that construction money was available from the RTA’s forward capital works program.

“Within six months the Labor Government reneged on their promise.

“Mr Carr’s written promise turned out to be written in wet sand at the water’s edge on an incoming tide.

“Now we hear Labor blaming the Federal Government’s Auslink Program but that program wasn’t implemented until 2005, well after Labor broke their written commitment given in March 2003.

“We are now in 2007 and to date no money has been allocated for its construction, only planning and land acquisition has occurred at this stage.

“In contrast, the Liberal/Nationals Coalition is fully committed to the construction of the bypass and will fast-track its construction to ensure it is completed as soon as possible. Construction will commence this year if a Coalition Government is elected.

“The people of the Alstonville community have waited long enough for the bypass, it’s time the infrastructure needs of this area are recognised.

“Clearly the only way the bypass will be built is if a Coalition Government is elected.”