20071106Edition131 - Redcliffe City News

Dean Wells MPReaders may beinterested to know thatcongratulatory letters canbe arranged for peoplecelebrating specialbirthdays or anniversaries. Requestsmust be submitted in good time (4 weeksaverage) if letters of congratulations areto be received by the anniversary datespecified on the application form.Verification of the date of birth or marriagemust be provided as well as a copy ofeither a passport or citizenship papers,or a statutory declaration certifying thatthe date and place of marriage are correct,signed by a member of the family andwitness by a Justice of the Peace or aCommissioner for Declarations.Congratulatory letters are available forpeople celebrating their 90th, 100th,105th or 110th birthday, or for couplescelebrating their 50th 60th, 65th or 70thState Parliament has formally approveda legislative framework for theestablishment and operation of TAFEinstitutes as statutory authorities.Education and Training Minister RodWelford said the reforms in theVocational Education Training andEmployment Act 2007 were a key stepin the reform of Queensland’s vocationaleducation and training sector.“Ensuring we have a vibrant and robustpublic provider, alongside a thriving privatesector, is the cornerstone in ensuringQueensland’s training workforce matchesthe needs of industry and our vocationaleducation and training system remainsworld-class,” Mr Welford said.“Our $1 billion Queensland Skills Planacknowledges that the rapidly changingtraining market poses real challenges forthe responsiveness of the current TAFEdelivery model.“This legislation helps to ensure ourTAFE institutes are as responsive aspossible to local training needs byintroducing new governancearrangements that allow for locationspecificoperational plans.“This will enhance the capacity of TAFEQueensland institutes to develop industrypartnerships and grow the commercialcomponent of their business in acompetitive vocational education andtraining market.”Mr Welford said the change ofgovernance would occur through aphased transition.“Another benefit of the legislation is thateligible TAFE Queensland students willbe able to access the FederalGovernment’s FEE-HELP loan scheme,which is expected to come into effect in2008,” he said.“Under the previous legislative model,Page 4 - Vol 3 No 43 November 6 2007murrumba@parliament.qld.gov.auWedding Anniversary. My staff are ableto witness documents for such apurpose.Families are urged to take care whenoutdoors during the school holidays andreduce their risk of skin cancer. Theschool holidays are a great time forfamilies to get together and enjoy theoutdoors, but it is still important to protectagainst skin cancer. Eighty per cent ofskin damage happens to people in thefirst 20 years of life so it is important totake the right precautions against skincancer no matter what age you are. Herein Queensland we need to take particularcare when out in the sun as our statehas the highest incidence of skin canceranywhere in the world.Simple ways you can protect your skinfrom skin cancer are by:• Limiting time outdoors during peak UVtimes from 10am to 3pm;Deception Bay Shopping CentrePh: (07) 3293 1069, Fax: (07) 3293 1257• Seeking shade wherever possibleoutside;• Wear clothing that covers your skin;• Wearing a broad brimmed hat thatprotect your face and head;• Wearing sunglasses to protect youreyes; and• Applying a broad spectrum SPF30+sunscreen at least 20 minutes beforegoing outside, and not forgetting toreapply every two hours.These are some simple things we shouldall do everyday, not just during schoolholidays or warmer months, to protectourselves from skin cancer.For more information about skin cancerprevention check out QueenslandHealth’s Sun Safety websitewww.health.qld.gov.au/sunsafety.CheersNEW LAWS SUPPORT A MORE RESPONSIVE TAFE SYSTEMTAFE institutes could not offer FEE-HELP to students because they arerequired to have body corporate status,or the equivalent under the law.“I have negotiated an agreement with theFederal Minister for Vocational Educationand Training to ensure eligible TAFEQueensland students are notdisadvantaged.“The first institute established under thestatutory authority model will act onbehalf of all TAFE Queensland institutesas the eligible FEE-HELP provider for aperiod of 12 months while other institutesprepare for transition to the newarrangements.”It is anticipated that the first TAFEinstitutes will be ready to be establishedunder the new operating model by 1January 2008.Ballots drawn for Federal ElectionA total of 1421 candidates have nominated to run in the 2007 federal election, theElectoral Commissioner, Ian Campbell announced on Friday.This national figure includes 367 Senate candidates for the 40 Senate vacanciesand 1054 candidates for the 150 House of Representatives seats across Australia.Mr Campbell said the candidate nominations were officially declared at 12noontoday at public events held around Australia.The 2007 nominations are made up of 407 female candidates and 1013 malecandidates. In one case gender information was not supplied. 1421 candidates alsostood at the 2004 federal election.“Ballot papers will be printed over the weekend enabling voting to commence thisweek for people entitled to have an early vote,” Mr Campbell said.Australians are only eligible to vote early (at an Early Voting Centre or by postalvote) if on election day they will be unable to get to a polling place in their homeState or Territory. Reasons for this could include being interstate or overseas; morethan 8km from a polling place; approaching childbirth; seriously ill or caring forsomeone who is; or unable to attend a polling place due to religious beliefs, disabilityor work commitments. Locations and operating hours of Early Voting Centres willbe available at www.aec.gov.au or by calling 13 23 26 from Monday 5 November.“Electors who have already applied for a postal vote for the 2007 federal electionwill begin to receive their ballot papers from next week,” Mr Campbell said.“As the postal voting process takes some time, eligible electors who need to voteby post and haven’t yet applied, should do so without delay.”There are seven candidates in the Petrie Electorate with the Ballot as follows:1 D’ATH, Yvette ALP Australian Labor Party Senior Advocate2 JONES, Terry GRN The Greens Software Engineer3 POPE, Michael James LDP Student/Research Assistant4 VINCENT, Sally FFP Family First Accountant5 GAMBARO, Teresa LP Liberal Member of Parliament6 CARNWELL, Bruce DEM Democrats Design Consultant7 BRITT, Peter CDP Christian Democratic Party Builder(Fred Nile Group)