2011年7月2日星期六

Govt misses target to cut homeless rate

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在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
Posted July 1, 2011 08:33:00

The Tasmanian Opposition has criticised the Government for failing to meet a promise to halve the state's homeless population.

In 2008, the State Government pledged to halve the number of homeless by the end of last year.

Liberal spokeswoman Jacquie Petrusma told budget estimates the Salvation Army is reporting an increase in demand from homeless people of more than 120 per cent.

She said the homeless population had grown from 1,400 to more than 3,000 in the past two years.

"You're talking about halving the rate of homelessness when it's obviously huge out there," she said.

Human Services Minister Cassy O'Connor says the state has 13,000 public housing properties, with a 98 per cent occupancy rate.

But she says there are more than 3,000 people on the waiting list.

"I share your and the Salvation Army's frustration around this."

The Minister says demand is growing because of the high cost of private rentals.

The Government is planning to complete five new housing projects by the end of the year.

Tags: homelessness, state-parliament, states-and-territories, tas, hobart-7000, launceston-7250


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Senator's parting shot over defence role

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在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
Posted June 30, 2011 09:56:00

Outgoing Tasmanian Liberal Senator Guy Barnett is pushing for the state to play a larger role in the defence sector.

Senator Barnett has fired a parting shot at the Federal Government, releasing a report he says is proof Tasmania is being neglected by the Department of Defence.

He says Hobart's port and the Australian Maritime College in Launceston are under-utilised by the defence forces.

Mr Barnett says only 208 of the nation's 80,000 Australian Defence Force employees are based in Tasmania.

He says the state's defence footprint has diminished but there are opportunities for growth.

"We have the deepest sea-water port in the southern hemisphere in Hobart, providing opportunities for the Royal Australian Navy," he said.

"We're missing out big time.

"One of the biggest opportunities in terms of the future clearly is the Scottsdale Defence facility. This could be massively expanded."

A Defence spokesman says the department has an ongoing investment program in Tasmania, including the planned multi-million-dollar upgrade of Scottsdale's nutrition research facility.

In the 2009-10 financial year, $50 million was spent on personnel, equipment and facilities.

Senator Barnett is one of two Tasmanian senators leaving Federal Parliament.

Labor's Kerry O'Brien has spent 15 years in the Senate, while Liberal Guy Barnett will leave after almost a decade.

He was defeated at the last election by former state MP, Lisa Singh.

She will be joined in the senate by unionist Anne Urquhart.

Tags: defence-forces, federal-state-issues, federal-parliament, tas, hobart-7000, scottsdale-7260


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Regional police not safe from cuts

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在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
Updated June 29, 2011 15:54:00

Tasmania's Police Minister has not ruled out cutting officers in regional areas.

After less than two months in the job, David O'Byrne has been forced cut about 40 officers next financial year.

The Police Commissioner Darren Hine says he is working with district commanders to decide where the jobs will come from, adding community safety will be taken into account.

"There'll be some impact but we're trying to minimise that," he said.

Police numbers could drop by up to 100 over four years but the Minister is yet to detail exact figures.

"There are a whole range of decisions that need to be made in the first 12 months so we're not able to get a number on that," Mr O'Byrne said.

The Police Department must find more than $57 million in savings over the next four years.

As part of cost-cutting measures, Tasmania Police will stop outsourcing speed camera operators.

Mr Hine says four contractors paid to set up and monitor speed cameras will stop by Friday.

"The strategy that we've been using, as in having unsworn people sitting out there with speed cameras, yes that did free up some police officers," he said.

"Obviously now we're going into tough economic times, that means we've got to move some police officers into speed cameras to do that function."

The deputy commissioner, Scott Tilyard told the hearing the number of random breath tests conducted will fall 16 per cent to 590 thousand in the coming financial year.

The amount of hours speed cameras spend on the road will drop by four per cent.

He says the changes aren't about saving costs but about better targeting.

Tasmanian police will continue to investigate unsolved crimes despite the abolition of the cold case unit.

Mr Hine has told the hearing that the six people employed in the unit will be deployed as part of cost-cutting measures to save $53.5 million over the next four years.

He could not detail how many cases the unit had solved since its creation in 2008, saying it has reviewed several cases which will be handed back to CIBs.

"They re-investigate as they would have done before and if there is a need to put a taskforce on some information that's come in relation to a serious, unsolved crime, then we'd put a taskforce in," he said.

Hobart's Police Academy will remain open despite Tasmania Police postponing its recruitment program.

Four officers will be redeployed as a result of the cost-saving measure.

Mr Hine told the hearing training of current police officers remains a priority.

"We haven't planned in our forward estimates to cut in-service training at all because it is imporat that we do continue to develop our peope," he said.

"We put a number of courses through there and so if you went down to the academy at this very moment you would find it full of people doing inpsectors' courses and various other courses as well.

"So the recruit training is a small part."

The Minister says a recruitment course will not be rescheduled in the "foreseeable future".

Mr Hine also told the hearing police are considering making organisers of profitable public events pay for security.

"We're not going to withdraw our services from a lot of these public events but we're just being mindful if we can do it more efficiently," he said.

A restriction of services could see organisers of large public events pay police or private security firms.

Mr Hine said police already charge for their services at sporting events like AFL games and Targa.

Mr Hine says the number of Tasmanians caught using a mobile phone while driving dropped by more than one-thousand in the past year.

More than 150 warnings have been given to drivers caught smoking in the car with a child on board.

Tags: the-budget, states-and-territories, police, tas, hobart-7000, launceston-7250

First posted June 29, 2011 12:02:00


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Business confidence slumps

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在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
Posted June 30, 2011 08:29:00

A survey shows small business confidence in Tasmania has plummeted to a two-year low.

The latest Sensis Business Index says confidence is diminishing because of the economic downturn, an exodus of people from the state and the state's small population.

The report's author, Christena Singh, says the Federal Government's carbon tax is also a concern.

"Overall, 50 per cent of Tasmanian small businesses said a carbon tax would have a negative impact on their business."

Robert Mallet from Tasmania's Small Business Council says a lack of faith in the Labor-Green Government was also driving uncertainty.

"They're seeing a lack of good quality policy that enables them to get in and do the business the way they really want to be able to do it," he said.

In a statement, Premier Lara Giddings said the tough state budget would help restore business confidence.

Tags: economic-trends, small-business, tas, hobart-7000, launceston-7250


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Dumped coach swaps teams

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在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
Updated June 30, 2011 08:50:00

Former North Hobart coach Clinton Brown has signed with Glenorchy, just days after he was dumped by the Demons.

Brown's tenure at North Hobart was cut short on Monday, following the club's fourth loss in five weeks.

After initially planning to play on with the Demons, Brown has now opted to see out the season with the Magpies.

He says it would have been too difficult to remain at North Hobart.

The Magpies play North Hobart this weekend and Brown's presence in black and white could have set up a sensational clash.

However, he has opted not to play out of respect for his former club.

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, tas, glenorchy-7010, north-hobart-7000

First posted June 30, 2011 08:12:00


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Rookie minister 'out of his depth'

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在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
Updated June 29, 2011 16:19:00

Tasmania's Tourism Minister Scott Bacon has been accused of knowing nothing about his department.

The rookie Minister faced a tough day of questioning during budget estimates about his plans to turn Tasmania's tourism industry around.

He said the Three Capes Track on the Tasman Peninsula was a focus.

But when asked how the Tourism Department was involved, Mr Bacon admitted the project was being driven by Parks and Wildlife.

Greens MP Tim Morris became frustrated.

"You've just told the committee this is a major project for you and yet when I question you about it, you're actually not doing anything," he said.

Opposition Leader Will Hodgman says the Minister is out of his depth.

"He had no idea as to basic detail to about his portfolio," he said.

Mr Bacon assured the committee Tourism Tasmania would promote the development when it was completed.

After just over a month in the job, Mr Bacon has been tasked with closing a tourism call centre in Launceston and sacking 24 employees from Tourism Tasmania.

Mr Bacon said the cuts would be finalised by December and most staff will be redeployed.

Mr Hodgman did not cut the junior Minister any slack.

"I've sat across this table from your father going back a few years but I tell you one thing he didn't do when he was Minister and that's rip the guts out of the budget."

"I'd like to explore the significant cuts you apply to your department," he said.

Tags: tourism, the-budget, states-and-territories, tas, hobart-7000, launceston-7250

First posted June 29, 2011 16:11:00


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Minister quizzed on business class travel

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在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
Posted June 29, 2011 13:51:00

The Primary Industries Minister has been grilled over his preference to fly business or economy class.

Bryan Green has told a budget estimates hearing that the Department of Primary and Industries and Water has cut its interstate travel bill by 30 per cent this financial year.

Just over $1 million has been spent on interstate travel and $59,000 on overseas travel.

Mr Green says 46 staff travelled overseas to places like the United States, Chile and Singapore.

Independent MLC Jim Wilkinson asked the Minister whether he flies economy class.

"Truth be known if it was your own money, that's how'd you'd travel isn't it?"

Mr Green says he flies economy on any distance under three hours and was at the back of a plane on a flight to Sydney only recently.

"As I was getting into my seat there was a guy who said 'god, the Government must be going bad'," he said.

Tags: the-budget, state-parliament, tas, hobart-7000, launceston-7250


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