Aged care, renewable energy, jobs and the Uluru Statement of the Heart were just some of the topics that came up when Whitlam MP Stephen Jones had a chat with the Southern Highland News.
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Jones, the Minister of Financial Services and Assistant Treasurer discussed the first two weeks of parliament under the Albanese Government.
Southern Highland News (SHN): You visited the SES Wingecarribee Unit recently. What can you tell us about the visit?
Stephen Jones (SJ): The Southern Highlands Wingecarribee Unit has been inundated with calls in the first quarter. This year alone they have had more than 1800 calls for assistance.
The package that was announced was for local business owners and primary producers who have had significant damage.
It will also help the council with infrastructure damage.
Assistance will be provided through the Commonwealth State Disaster Recovery Fund.
Assistance includes direct help for homes that have been damaged, support for councils with cleanup and restoration of public assets and concessional interest rate loans for small businesses who have had significant damages.
SHN: What have been some of the highlights that have happened in the last two weeks?
SJ: The past fortnight in parliament has set the theme of what we are going to do over the next three years.
We've started with two big things; introducing aged care reforms and climate change.
SHN: Let's talk about aged care homes. How does the government plan to help?
SJ: Three things. Firstly, increasing and improving the quality of foods minimum food standards.
Secondly, increasing the minimum number of minutes are available for aged care in line with the Royal Commission recommendation on the minimum number of minutes.
Thirdly, ensuring that there are nurses in every nursing home.
SHN: how does the government plan to get more nurses into nursing homes?
SJ: There's a couple of things we're going to do. Firstly, we're going to fund it.
Secondly, we're going to put in place a workforce plan to ensure that we can get some of that'll be about attracting people back into the service.
Some of it will be around ensuring that we get some overseas trend nurses back into Australia as well.
Read also: Dave Letch takes his last bow
SHN: Let's talk about renewables and wind farms. What will that mean for the region?
The announcement on Friday last week was about offshore wind.
Wherever you stick wind farms on land, there's always controversy.
There are also some really practical factors about wind effects and the velocity of the wind. There are lot more windy days at sea.
The Illawarra, just down the mountain, that area has been selected as one of the zones for the development of offshore wind projects.
SHN: Will that increase jobs in the region?
SJ: There are heaps of jobs in this, there's a hell of a lot of steel.
These wind turbines for the offshore are twice as big as the ones on show them massive, absolutely massive.
So a lot of work around implementing that and a lot of work in the building. They will be steel from the steel works, they'll be jobs in construction and jobs in the maintenance.
SHN: What can you tell me about the Uluru Statement of the Heart? As an MP have you been consulting with Elders?
SJ: I've had meetings with some members of the Dharawal community and will follow it up with a meeting with the Gundungurra community.
I propose to start with the Elders first, and have a respectful discussion with them and then take it to the broader community.
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