PRESS CLIPPINGS - Continued
Dec 28, 2007 Feds turn up heat on pokies
A federal attack on poker machines looms after the election delivered the balance of power in the Senate to two independents - Steve Fielding and Nick Xenophon. From next July the Rudd Government will be forced to negotiate with the two senators from Victoria and South Australia on legislation when the Coalition decides to oppose it. Family First's Senator Fielding said yesterday he will adopt a "pro-Victorian agenda" and has already written to Kevin Rudd outlining issues he wants the new Government to start thinking about.
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Nov 28, 2007 Sticky wicket for conservatives
Politicians usually have pretty strong views about mandates when they're the ones wielding them... Now it's prime minister-elect Kevin Rudd's turn to argue that he has a mandate for his industrial relations changes, about which he was up front, unashamend and forthright.
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Nov 23, 2007 Focus moves from morals to filthy lucre
Family First has staked its electoral fortunes on a vow to act on cost of living pressure... Family First's strategy includes challenging the Greens on social issues such as drug policy, abortion and euthanasia while campaigning among ordinary voters on hippocket issues such as petrol prices and the power of big supermarket retailers.
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Nov 22, 2007 War for the crumb vote
The Greens v Family First brawl has been a bitter sideshow to the Howard v Rudd prize fight... Senator Fielding said voters wanted a more balanced Senate to keep a check on the Government but he warned of chaos if the Greens had the balance of power. "People want balance and common sense, not extremism. People want third parties like Family First to look at issues on their merits and not oppose things for the sake of it."
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Nov 21, 2007 $1 billion transport fund 'just the ticket'
Family First Senator Steve Fielding thinks federal help to "push a tram over the hill into Knox" would make sense. Last Thursday, he and Aston hopeful Peter Lake visited Bayswater railway station to demand the establishment of a $1 billion federal public transport fund for Australia.
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Nov 20, 2007 Family First adds voice
Family First joined bodies like the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia in calling for the federal small business minister to be in cabinet, including the policy in its small businesses platform.
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Nov 20, 2007 Appeal to voters
Family First makes its first major appeal to voters on ABC television tonight... Federal leader Steve Fielding said Australians were "bored with the major parties which look and act the same" and his party would offer a more "refreshing" perspective.
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Nov 14, 2007 Providing Choice For People With Dementia To Stay Home
Alzheimer's Australia welcomes the billion dollar boost for Community Care Services proposed by Family First. Glenn Rees, National Executive Director, Alzheimer's Australia said that "...the major parties should recognise, as Family First has done, the importance of Community Care in supporting Australians with significant care needs to remain at home."
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12 Nov, 2007 - Party's red alert on Greens
Family First has warned voters against going with the Greens in the Senate as it launched its Victorian campaign yesterday ... Family First will run candidates in every Victorian seat.
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12 Nov, 2007 - Warning against Greens
Family First has warned voters against going with the Greens in the Senate. Party leader Senator Steve Fielding branded the Greens soft on drugs and economically reckless at the party's Victorian campaign launch yesterday.
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10 Nov, 2007 - How family-friendly is the free market?
The ideology of free-market economics, which dominates Australian politics, is often in conflict with conservative and community values, argues Family First leader Senator Steve Fielding.
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05 Nov, 2007 - Horses for courses
Never look a gift horse in the mouth, so the saying goes. So we couldn't let this classic of the "look at moi" press release genre from Family First's Steve Fielding go unremarked. Senator Fielding appealed to Australians "in the spirit of the Spring carnival, spruiking Family First's policies until he was hoarse". Geddit. Wait, there's more ...
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02 Nov, 2007 - Finding money on trees
"... Fielding has been travelling the countryside with hope in his soul that he can get a few more colleagues to Canberra and a handicam to record his campaign stops."
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30 Oct, 2007 - Artist runs for grassroots
A lack of representation of the interests of small businesses and families is what prompted Bendigo artist Terry Jarvis to run as a Family First candidate at the next month's federal election. Mr Jarvis was joined at the Lake Weeroona yesterday by Family First leader Senator Steve Fielding and lead Senate candidate for Victoria Gary Plumridge.
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29 Oct, 2007 - Government not impressing most mums
Fifty-five per cent of women do not believe the level of support for women with children has progressed in the past 10 years under the Howard Government, a survey released today shows ... 42 per cent of women in the 18-40 age bracket would have another child if Family First senator Steve Fielding's plan to raise the baby bonus to $10,000 per child was introduced.
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27 Oct, 2007 - Labor chooses Greens deal over Family First
Labor has lost its chance of securing Family First preferences after moving to stitch up a deal with the Greens. Greens leader Bob Brown yesterday said a deal to swap preferences with Labor in all states except Tasmania was close to being finalised.
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24 Oct, 2007 - A finger in the Senate power pie
No matter who wins on November 24, it's likely one or more of the minor parties will have the balance of power in the Senate.
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24 Oct, 2007 - Babysitter rebates in Family First plan
Family First proposes to expand the childcare rebate to cover babysitting by grandparents, friends and other family members. And Family First leader Steve Fielding yesterday said a crucial preference deal with the major parties could hinge on their willingness to adopt the proposal.
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23 Oct, 2007 - Family First wants tax incentive for home buyers
Family First wants tax reform to allow first home buyers the opportunity to claim interest costs through tax on their mortgage. The tax reprieve would last five years and go some way to curbing the housiong affordability crisis, party leader Steve Fielding said.
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21 Oct, 2007 - Video thrill for election stars in YouTube's battle of hustings
The election is giving politicians a short, sharp ride up the technological learning curve. Even the little guys are having a go. Senator Steve Fielding's Family First YouTube channel has 17 videos. What he lacks in resources he makes up for in enthusiasm.
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19 Oct, 2007 - Family First proposes jail for colluding executives
The Family First Party has released a plan to make price-fixing a criminal offence with jail terms of up to 10 years for individual executives ... "Price fixing is fraud, it is theft, and the punishment must fit the crime," Senator Fielding said yesterday.
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18 Oct, 2007 - Recognise these men? Either or both may end up holding the balance of power
The Coalition is likely to lose control of the Senate, while Labor is just as unlikely to win it. Two outsiders, from different states, from different sides of the political divide, could become two of the most influential politicians in the land should current polling bear out at the next month's federal election. Nick Xenophon and Victorian senator Steve Fielding have a real chance of holding the balance of power in the next Senate.
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16 Oct, 2007 - Slogans
Kevin Rudd offers "new leadership" and John Howard is peddling "the right leadership". But that's not nearly enough. Cue Steve Fielding ... His response? "In touch leadership."
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15 Oct, 2007 - Preference deals vital
"Fielding's pitch for votes rests on his claim that Family First uses its influence in the Senate with caution, in contrast to what he sees as the more obstructionist Greens."
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15 Oct, 2007 - Secret stash
KING of the media release, Senator Steve Fielding, is armed and ready with his election survival kit: chocolate ...
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15 Oct, 2007 - The conservative alternative
With neither of the major political parties likely to rule the Senate in their own right, it's possible Family First could vie with the Greens for direct influence over Senate votes.
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14 Oct, 2007 - Meet the Press
Interview with Family First Senator Steve Fielding
Discussions about Senate balance of power, petrol taxes.
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12 Oct, 2007 - Blowhards on the blower
Family First senator Steve Fielding reckons households across the country will be bombarded with calls from politicians during the election campaign - even those who have signed up to the do not call register - because politicians, like political pollsters, are exempt from the call bans.
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11 Oct, 2007 - Put family first, says key senator
A Victorian senator who could find himself with the balance of power after the federal election has attacked the main parties' focus on " market fundamentalism" at the expense of the family. Steve Fielding, who reppresents Family First, last night said there was a "clash of values" between economic liberalism and social conservatism.
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10 Oct, 2007 - Competition laws: shifting the balance towards families
Predatory pricing destroys competition and leads to higher prices for families already struggling to make ends meet. That is why my party took action and introduced predatory pricing legislation.
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8 Oct, 2007 - Family First to care for carers
People caring for disable relatives would be given a lump sum so they could take up to four weeks of annual leave, under a Family First proposal.
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1 Oct, 2007 - Control of Senate a heavy cross to bear
The question of who is the most influential non-government member of the Senate could lead young players astray. The holder of this most interesting position isn't a household name...
It's the tireless and politically lonely Victorian Steve Fielding, leader and sole senator of the party Family First.
Click here to read article in The Daily Telegraph
Click here to read article in the Mercury
28 Sep, 2007 - S6bn SNUB
Victoria has been given a $6 billion brush-off thanks to John Howard and Kevin Rudd both overlooking the state in big-spending election pledges.
Victorian Family First senator Steve Fielding said he feared the state was being ignored. "As a Victorian, I'm very concerned the state could be left behind," he said.
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28 Sep, 2007 - Family First is Howard's choice
John Howard yesterday said he preferred Family First to hold the balance of power in the Senate, rather than the Greens or Democrats, if the Coalition lost control at the election.
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23 Sep, 2007 - Banks' 'daylight robbery' exposed
Ever had the feeling that your bank is robbing you with all its penalty fees?... Under the bill, introduced by Family First Senator Steve Fielding in June, fees must be a "reasonable estimate of the loss suffered by the supplier".
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21 Sep, 2007 - Senator puts small business first
Family First senator Steve Fielding has introduced a bill to ban creeping acquisitions, where large businesses slowly buy out smaller rivals. He said the government should commit to the bill after its changes to toughen predatory pricing laws this week.
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20 Sep, 2007 - Push to quash fishing charges
Family First has moved to trump the Queensland Nationals by attempting to overturn illegal fishing convictions on the Great Barrier Reef.
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19 Sep, 2007 - Family First introduces alcohol bill
Family First senator Steve Fielding has introduced a bill into federal parliament aimed at reducing the alcohol consumption. Senator Fielding said alcohol killed three times more Australians than all illicit drugs combined but the government was not serious about tackling the issue.
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17 Sep, 2007 - $10,000 bonus pledge for kids
A proposal to give $10,000 cash to a couple who have a third child is a step in the right direction, according to a pro-family group - partly because it would buy a bigger car. The Australian Families Association said the Family First policy to expand the baby bonus to $10,000 was an acknowledgement of the spiralling cost of children.
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17 Sep, 2007 - Public given no voice in bank fee inquiry
A Senate inquiry charged with examining whether consumers are being ripped off by bank fees is to report today without any public hearing. Family First senator Steve Fielding has accused the Government of taking its eye off the ball on important issues such as bank fees because of its internal leadership woes.
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17 Sep, 2007 - $10,000 for third child plans
Families that have a third child should receive a $10,000 bumper Baby bonus and every family should receive an annual childcare payment of $4,000 per child, Family First says.
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17 Sep, 2007 - New baby bonus
The political party Family First wants to pay parents $10,000 for having more than two children in a radical plan to boost Australian fertility rates. Family First senator Steve Fielding joins TODAY from Canberra to explain the new proposal.
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17 Sep, 2007 - Super baby bonus for third kid: Fielding
Family First Senator Steve Fielding has proposed a bumper baby bonus to encourage families to have more children.
Senator Fielding, one of 16 children, said parents would receive $10,000 for their third child under his proposal. He said Australia had a real problem because it was not producing enough new young Australians.
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17 Sep, 2007 - Family First in baby bonus deal
Parents would get a $10,000 "bumper baby bonus" when having a third or subsequent child under a Family First election proposal.
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12 Sep, 2007 - ABC Radio Life Matters with Richard Aedy: Predatory pricing
The power of a big retailer to undercut prices is nothing new - and it can be tempting to go along with it, especially when banana prices creep up again from time to time.
But the dominance of big market players in Australia's grocery sector continues to ring alarm bells.
So called 'predatory pricing' is reducing not just buying power at the checkout, but also choice on the shelves, according to the Family First party.
Victorian senator and party leader Steve Fielding has identified the issue as one to highlight in the lead up to the federal election. And he's just introduced an amendment to the Trade Practices Bill to force greater transparency.
Click here to listen
(1.6mb mp3 file)
10 Sep, 2007 - Fire blight a big threat
The damage and cost caused by equine influenza has been likened to the potential effects of a fire blight outbreak in the Goulburn Valley's orchards by Family First Senator Steve Fielding. Mr Fielding was in the region last week to support growers in their demands for stronger quarantine protection from New Zealand apples where the disease is endemic.
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10 Sep, 2007 - Small business has price win
Laws strengthening regulations against predatory pricing were expected to pass Parliament overnight, after Federal Treasurer Peter Costello accepted a late amendment to appease small-business groups in an election year ... But Family First senator Steve Fielding said the changes did not go far enough, and late last night tried to get through his own amendment.
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06 Sep, 2007 - Fielding hits both sides of IR fence
The Howard Government's workplace laws were like a "cyclone" unleashed on Australia and were set to cost it the federal election, Family First Senator Steve Fielding said yesterday. He gave no comfort to Labor either, declaring that its approach was little different from the Coalition's.
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05 Sep, 2007 - Senator slams banks' 'token gestures'
Consumers advocates have applauded moves by National Australia Bank and ANZ to cut fees, but Family First senator Steve Fielding has slammed the banks for offering "token gestures" intended to head off legislation.
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05 Sep, 2007 - Bank fees slashed in bid to stop regulationk
The National Australia Bank has moved to cut its penalty fees on overdrawn accounts by $20 as it tries to head off a new law that would regulate the penalty fees banks can charge consumers ... Family First Senator Steve Fielding has introduced a Bill into the senate that would stop banks applying penalty fees, instead they would only be able to recover their costs if bank accounts were overdrawn.
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31 Aug, 2007 - Federal funding for Superpipe exposed: build now, pay more later
Family First Senator Steve Fielding was one of the first politicians to pick up on the details of the Federal funding, issuing a press release mid-week which criticised the Federal Government's decision.
"The key thing for the people in this region is that why should we allow the Federal Government to basically drip-feed the money rather than have them provide an up-front lump sum of 31 million. The key to it here is the money goes into interest payments rather than off the capital up front, and that would serve everybody much better off. That would mean less debt in the long term and less water rates increase for the people of Ballarat."
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30 Aug, 2007 - Policy prompts tactical rethink
Senator Fielding said he was "absolutely" sympathetic to small business owners opposed to Labor's plan to reintroduce unfair dismissal laws. But he insisted Family First would fight for the interests of families, citing as proof his stand against Work Choices last year. "I do know the issue runs deep in the community and I believe it will make people focus not only on the lower house but also on the balance of power in the Senate," he said ...
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29 Aug, 2007 - Shock-and-gore TV
Family First senator Steve Fielding said the complaints process and the industry codes were flawed. "Family First is concerned that it is very difficult for families to get action against such programs," he said.
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29 Aug, 2007 - ANZ slashes penalties for poor just days before Senate inquiry
... A fortnight ago, the Senate announced an inquiry into laws proposed by Family First senator Steve Fielding that would stop banks charging excessive penalty fees and allow customers to sue for damages. Proposing the legislation, Senator Fielding said banks changed up to "92 times" the actual cost of processing such transactions in a "ruthless profit grab" that "fleeced vulnerable Australians" ...
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28 Aug, 2007 - Bank fees mission
Family First Senator for Victoria Steve Fielding visited Werribee and Footscray last Friday to canvass residents' thoughts on bank fees.
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27 Aug, 2007 - Family First sets Senate challenge
The Family First party will run Senate candidates in every state as part of a bid to seize the balance of power in the upper house at the federal election.
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27 Aug, 2007 - Fielding's power pitch
Family First would act responsibly in handling the balance of power should it secure Senate control, but the thought of the Greens being in the same position would be "scary".
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27 Aug, 2007 - Downside of uncannily resembling a pro-family dinkus
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26 Aug, 2007 - Family First seeking balance of power
Senator Fielding revealed on Sunday Family First would run Senate candidates in every state abnd hoped to have candidates for every lower house seat. Senator Fielding said he believed Australians liked the idea of having a minor party to stand between Labor and the coalition in the Senate and apply some "commonsense".
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25 Aug, 2007 - When the middle is a very nice place to be
Family First's Steve Fielding may have been the accidental senator, but the hard-to-read Victorian's colleagues know that they underestimate him at their peril.
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25 Aug, 2007 - No safety net - It took 16-year-old Tom Wood just 30 minutes to bypass the Government's $84m porn filter
Family First Senator Steve Fielding, a long-time campaigner for cyber safety, said cracking the software showed the need for compulsory filtering by internet providers. "You need both. You need it at the ISP and at the PC level," Senator Fielding said. "The Government has not listened to common sense and it leaves kids exposed"
...
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22 Aug, 2007 - Giants fuel fears
... Victorian Family First senator Steve Fielding said he was not surprised about the warnings of a duapoly threat. "We need to make sure independents are also not squeezed out of the market through predatory pricing" ...
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17 Aug, 2007 - Stalking the predators
Legislation to stop companies engaging in predatory pricing is occupying the minds of federal politicians across the political spectrum.
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17 Aug, 2007 - Inquiry to scrutinise soaring bank fees
Soaring bank fees and credit card charges will be examined by a Senate inquiry amid concerns consumers are being ripped off. "Families are being ripped off by profit-grabbing banks which can charge penalty fees way above bank costs," Senator Fielding said.
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17 Aug, 2007 - Banking fees face inquiry
Australia may follow Britain's lead and start cracking down on runaway bank fees which are earning the banks billions of dollars in revenue. The Federal Government yesterday agreed to hold a Senate inquiry into bank fees based on a private Bill to stop fees being used for profits. The Bill has been put forward by Family First Senator Steve Fielding.
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7 Aug, 2007 - Interest rates rise expected
FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding says the government could have easily reduced one of the big inflationary pressures by cutting fuel tax by 10 cents per litre.
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3 Aug, 2007 - Address the petrol pain
Bairnsdale Chamber of Commerce and Industry members on Monday evening met with Senator Steve Fielding to discuss challenges small businesses encounter when competing against large companies.
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3 Aug, 2007 - Senate support for small business
Senator Steve Fielding with jerry can in hand, gave motorists the surprise of their day at a local petrol outlet on Monday night.
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3 Aug, 2007 - Aquifer deceit claim'
Gippsland MHR and Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran has accused Family First Senator Steve Fielding of " deceitfully misrepresenting the facts" regarding the due date of a report into the depletion of the Latrobe Group Aquifer. However Mr Fielding has continued to pursue Mr McGauran on why a report on the depletion of the Latrobe Group Aquifer is not to be released until December, which Senator Fielding says is " six months later than promised".
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2 Aug, 2007 - Family First senator enters carers debate
Family First Senator Steve Fielding has given his support to a Rosedale family hoping to have the laws governing carers changed.
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2 Aug, 2007 - Government drunk on tax: Fielding ' Cut pain at the pump'
In Wodonga yesterday, Senator Steve Fielding from the FAMILY FIRST Party called on the Federal Government to cut its petrol tax by 10 cents per litre.
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2 Aug, 2007 - Government rejects Fielding predatory pricing bill
Proposed laws designed to strenghten protection from predatory pricing for SMEs, proposed by FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding, look set to fail after they were rejected by a Government-dominated Senate committee yesterday.
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2 Aug, 2007 - Senate clears small business safeguards
Treaurer Peter Costello's plan to toughen trade practices has been cleared by a Senate inquiry that concluded last night the proposed legislation would protect small businesses and should be passed without amendment ... Senator Fielding said the bill did not go far enough, although small businesses might be thankful for any protection they could get.
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1 Aug, 2007 - Dry argument
Farmers' plight for a solution to the falling groundwater in the Latrobe Aquifer will continue to be raised in Federal Parliament until answers are forthcoming. Family First Senator and Leader Steve
Fielding will urge the Senate to act to secure compensation for farmers in the Yarram district and the future of the aquifer
.
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1 Aug, 2007 - Prices 'hitting city families'
More Wodonga residents are finding it harder to make ends meet and welfare agencies are struggling to keep up with the demand, according to FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding. He took to the streets yesterday to canvass issues concerning Wodonga residents ...
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31 July, 2007 - Fielding puts petrol prices under pump
High petrol prices was one issue which brought Family First Senator Steve Fielding to sale yesterday. For two years he has been campaigning for a cut in petrol excise of 10 cents per litre.
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30 July, 2007 - Battling it out at the bowser
FAMILY FIRST's Senator Steve Fielding took to the streets this month to push his campaign against petrol tax.
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28 July, 2007 - So little can mean a lot
FAMILY FIRST Leader Steve Fielding visits the Styx Valley in Tasmania.
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25 July, 2007 - Water torture - Farmers wait too long
Farmers are sinking thousands into bores while they wait for some action to address the dwindling groundwater supplies... Federal Gippsland MP and Minister for Agriculture Peter McGuaran this week rejected claims made by Family First Senator Steve Fielding that farmers were waiting too long for the result of the latest study into the acquifer.
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25 July, 2007 - PM - End draws near for private equity: RBA
" ... STEVE FIELDING: Well the area of concern I think for most Australians would be the huge black hole in tax revenue that we've just heard this morning from the Reserve Bank. The report, that they submitted, says "the implications for government revenue are hard to ascertain as there are currently insufficient data to fully model the effects of private equity on tax revenue". What that means is the Reserve Bank of Australia doesn't know how much private equity is driving tax revenue loss for this Government. It's a huge tax black hole. That puts pressure on all of us because it's revenue that would have to come from somewhere else ..."
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24 July, 2007 - Family First has wood on rivals
FAMILY FIRST leader Steve Fielding yesterday toured the Styx forest near Maydena in South-West Tasmania to see if logging was well-managed or not ...
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21 July, 2007 - Parents make 18
Cheryl Critchley meets two parents who never stop giving.
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21 July, 2007 - Falters produce that sinking feeling
Among those deeply unimpressed has been the lone FAMILY FIRST Senator, Steve Fielding of Victoria.
Fielding has consistently agitated on the high cost of household essentials and proposed policies to lower them. He has called for a 10c a litre cut in petrol tax, the outlawing of predatory pricing of groceries, and a special tax break for investors to boost housing supply.
"Compare this to Labor's plans," Fielding said this week in a prepared statement. "On petrol, Labor wants an inquiry. On groceries, an inquiry. And on housing, Labor will host a summit. Labor has followed FAMILY FIRST in recognising these as key concerns but is not willing to make the hard decisions to fix the problems."
Fielding is no Howard flunky, but the Prime Minister would have been cheering him on.
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20 July, 2007 - Aquifer report delay goes on
Delays in releasing the final report about the Latrobe Aquifer as promised have Family First Senator for Victoria Steve Fielding concerned.
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18 July, 2007 - Bank fees no help, says ANZ chief
Penalty fees charged by banks to people low on money help neither the bank nor the customer, says outgoing ANZ chief executive John McFarlane ... FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding seized on the comments to demand backing from other political parties for his attempt to outlaw large bank penalty fees. His private member's bill was tabled in Parliament just before it rose for the winter break.
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17 July, 2007 - No dams policy just plain stupid
Letter from Steve Fielding to the editor of the Gippsland Time
The people of Gippsland have endured the worst that nature has to offer. Within six months families and communities have faced drought, fire then flood. Our thoughts are with the farmers who have watched their paddocks turn from dust bowls to rivers, the families who have lost homes and belongings and the small businesses that will have to start over.
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10 July, 2007 - TPA bill fails small business
Proposed legislation before federal parliament continues to come under fire from legal experts for not doing enough to protect small businesses against cartels and the misure of market power ...
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08 July, 2007 - Pre-election push to make banks dump unfair fees
FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding had introduced a Bill requiring bank penalty fees to at least reflect costs.
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03 July, 2007 - Parents make him proud
Mr and Mrs Fielding have been nominated for a Pride of Australia role model award by their son, FAMILY FIRST's Senator Steve Fielding.
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29 June, 2007 - Party bid to oust Brown
Petrusma to stand for FAMILY FIRST.
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29 June, 2007 - Giving the law teeth
The issue of predatory pricing is close to the heart of FAMILY FIRST's Senator Steve Fielding, who this month introduced a bill to federal Parliament proposing amendments to the Trade Practices Act.
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25 June, 2007 - PM's haters parade their own defect
"... the FAMILY FIRST Senator and his wife Susan made an unannounced visit to remote Northern Territory communities in March. Here's some notes he made: 'Our trip was deeply depressing and disturbing. We walked away stunned and shocked that our kids were growing up in such an environment. And nearly every conversation we had ended up being about grog. We could see that much for ourselves: They walked and some staggered around the streets with bottles in their hands. Soft drink containers were used to to disguise the alchool in them. They gathered in groups and drank. There was such aimlessness about them. In the car parks. Under the trees in the park. In the doorways of shops ... We were stunned. What Sue and I concluded was that this was a generation that needed rescuing."
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24 June, 2007 - Bill may end bank fee rort
"Banks will no longer be able to charge excessive penalty fees for dishonoured payments, if a bill introduced into Parliament last week is passed ... The Family First bill aims to stop fee gouging by ensuring penalty fees are for cost recovery only."
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19 June, 2007 - Govt backs Fielding workplace law changes
The Federal Government will back a change to its industrial laws designed to stop unscrupulous bosses trying to avoid paying workers their redundancy entitlements. FAMILY FIRST senator Steve Fielding was scheduled to propose the change during debate on the workplace laws in the Senate late yesterday ...
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19 June, 2007 - Redundant staff get fairer test
The federal government has agreed to a FAMILY FIRST push for better redundancy protection under its new fairness test ...
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15 June, 2007 - Fielding questions fuel inquiry
Treasurer Peter Costello has ordered the ACCC to look into fuel prices, after revelations of price gounging. But FAMILY FIIRST Senator Steve Fielding says this will be the 46th inquirym into fuel prices in the last two decades ...
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14 June, 2007 - Guild welcomes FAMILY FIRST plan to stamp out predatory pricing
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia has welcomed Family First Senator from Victoria, Steve Fielding's move to protect small business from big business predators.
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14 June, 2007 - Protecting Small Business
Alan Jones in his Today Show editorial says Victorian FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding is going to introduce private Member's legislation into the Senate today to amend section 46 of the Trade Practices Act to make it illegal for large retailers to cut prices in order to drive out smaller competition.
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14 June, 2007 - Fielding ups ante with Costello
FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding has challenged Treasurer Peter Costello to strengthen protections for small business, otherwise his planned safeguards would be blocked in the upper house. Senator Fielding, whose support is needed to pass the changes into law, will introduce a bill today proposing stronger measures to combat predatory pricing by big companies ...
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14 June, 2007 - Full-fee uni degrees fail senators' fairness test
Legislation removing the barriers to universities offering more full-fee degrees for students who miss out on marks has hit a hurdle in the Senate. FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding and Nationals Senator Barnaby Joce have warned they have concerns over the legislations ...
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09 June, 2007 - Workplace relations and human asset-stripping
Senator Steve Fielding's article on the subject of industrial relations, summed up what many of us here, and elsewhere, have been saying for a long time.
Fielding and his Family First party should be supported, for they, unlike most of the protagonists, haven't painted themselves into a corner.
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08 June, 2007 - Booze Blitz
Senator Fielding made a series of suggestions in response to recent articles in The Standard that highlighted fears over drug and alcohol abuse by some Warrnambool secondary school students ...
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04 June, 2007 - Call for carbon trading scheme for low income families
The FAMILY FIRST Party says low income households will struggle when a carbon trading system makes power and petrol more expensive...
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27 May, 2007 - AFL drug-test row spreads - Sport bodies face funds threat
The row over the AFL's failure to endorse a zero tolerance approach to drug testing has widened, with calls to cut government funding to institutions such as the Australian Institute of Sport for failing to test athletes for so-called "party drugs".
FAMILY FIRST's Senator Steve Fielding grilled officials from the ASC at the Senate Estimates hearings this week
...
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26 May, 2007 - Family First takes on Howard's workplace laws
FAMILY FIRST took a strong stand against the Howard Government's workplace canges from day one ...
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25 May, 2007 - Fielding wants porn filters in parliament
FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding has accused the Government of hypocrisy for failing to install content filters in the computers of politicians and their staff to block access to pornography ...
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23 May, 2007 - FAMILY FIRST and Small Business
Alan Jones in his 2GB editorial said that FAMILY FIRST's Steve Fielding is "the first person in political history to make the simple point that the retail market is not working, and the Woolworths effect is responsible for high food inflation. Here is someone sticking up for small business and saying the only way to protect consumers from the price gouging of Woolworths, Coles, and that's groceries and petrol, is for small business to be given a fair go." ...
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22 May, 2007 - VACC - amendments to competition laws overdue for small business
" ... Until now, we had little support from the Government - VACC Executive Director David Purchase said. The task has fallen to FAMILY FIRST Senator, Steve Fielding, and Nationals Senator, Barnaby Joyce, to stand up for small business in the national parliament. VACC agrees with FAMILY FIRST that there are too many hurdles to prove predatory pricing ..."
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19-20 May, 2007 - Pro-drugs, anti-business party poses a danger
FAMILY FIRST's Steve Fielding warns that the Australian Greens could hold the country to ransom if it wins the balance of power in the Senate ...
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18 May, 2007 - Politicians see the light
From switching off lights at Parliament House to installing solar hot-water systems at home, Australia's political leaders are turning green.
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18 May, 2007 - Family First can look forward to more influence
The PM's dinner invitation for Steve Fielding suggests future reliance on his Senate vote...
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18 May, 2007 - It takes two houses to make law
Labor may win government this year, but not control of the Senate. The battle over IR won't end on election day ...
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16 May, 2007 - Mortgage tax breaks in Family First plan for first-time buyers
First-home buyers could get tax deductions for their mortgage payments so they can compete with investors or use their superannuation savings for house deposits under two proposals put forward yesterday. FAMILY FIRST senator Steve Fielding said the Government needed to level
the playing field between investors and first-home buyers to assist those entering the property market ...
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15 May, 2007 - Bid for Senate first
Geelong's Gary Plumridge will stand as FAMILY FIRST's top senate candidate for Victoria at the Federal election ...
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10 May, 2007 - Roads funds anger
Mr Fielding criticised the Government for funding the Geelong bypass, Caldr Highway and the Pakenham bypass but not the Princes Highway West. "Once again the Princes Highway and families of south-west Victoria have missed out", he said ...
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8 May, 2007 - Fielding attack on Turnbull over pipe
FAMILY FIRST leader Steve Fielding has joined the Ballarat community in lobbying the Federal Government on the Goldfilelds Superpipe ...
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8 May, 2007 - Fielding visits Kyabram
FAMILY FIRST's Federal Senator for Victoria Steve Fielding was in Kyabram on Thursday and spent some time with grade five and six Haslem St Primary School students ... Fireblight was the other reason that Senator Steve Fielding visited the Merrigum area, claimimg that if infected apples from New Zealand were allowed in to Australia it would threaten and then devastate local orchards ...
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8 May, 2007 - FAMILY FIRST backs zero tolerance on alcohol
FAMILY FIRST has unveiled a radical plan to tackle Australia's binge drinking culture and spare future generations the cost of endemic alcohol abuse ...
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4 May, 2007 - Fielding visits Castlemaine
Senator Steve Fielding, FAMILY FIRST Senator for Victoria, canvassed various issues with shoppers in Mostyn Street during a visit to Castlemaine ...
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4 May, 2007 - Blight fight goes federal
Victorian senator Steve Fielding says he is passionately opposed to the importation of New Zealand apples into Australia because of the risk of the fire blight bacteria ...
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2 May, 2007 - Family First Senator visits
The Family First party's federal Senator for Victoria, Steve Fielding, paid a visit to Alexandra last Monday to make a first hand assessment of how families in regional areas were coping during the drought. As for families making ends meet, he believes that tax cuts, and more importantly fuel tax cuts would make a great deal of sense.
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2 May, 2007 - Senator seeks local opinion
Victorian Senator Steve Fielding toured the north-east last week, calling into Benalla as part of a fact-finding mission. The FAMILY FIRST representative spent about two hours along Bridge St last Tuesday, canvassing the opinions of shoppers as they went about their day. Not surprisingly, Senator Fielding said water was high on the public agenda...
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1 May, 2007 - Senator Fielding seeks our opinions
FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding was in Euroa last week to ask local people what is important to them ...
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1 May, 2007 - Family ties
Senator Steve Fielding, federal leader of the FAMILY FIRST Party, became the fledgling party's first parliamentarian when elected in 2005. As Larry Writer learns, a happy childhood as one of 16 children helped forge his views on what matters.
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27 Apr, 2007 - Former Liberal put FAMILY FIRST
FAMILY FIRST leader Senator Steve Fielding yesterday visited Brisbane to announce Jeff Buchanan as the party's lead Senate candidate for Queensland at this year's federal election ...
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24 Apr, 2007 - PM 'broke Anzac Day promise'
FAMILY FIRST claims day off at risk ...
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24 Apr, 2007 - Senator pays visit to Stawell Primary School
Stawell Primary School had an introduction to politics when Senator steve Fielding visited the school last week ...
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20 Apr, 2007 - Fielding joins fight for Princes Hwy upgrade
The campaign to upgrade the Princes Hwy between Mount Gambier and Geelong has received a further boost with FAMILY FIRST's Senator Steve Fielding joining the fray ...
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20 Apr, 2007 - Senator Fielding backs freight hub
"Making ends meet is hard for a lot of people. In the coming federal budget, the government needs to find the best way to help people in rural and regional areas" ...
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19 Apr, 2007 - Senator slams Anzac work bid
South-West residents could be forced to work on Anzac Day under the Federal Government's WorkChoices legislation, Family First Senator Steve Fielding said yesterday.
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19 Apr, 2007 - Senator's eye opener
Victorian Senator Steve Fielding has described a tour of the Wimmera as an "eye-opening experience". The FAMILY FIRST leader said his 'street talk' visit to the region brought home the intensity of the impact of drought in country Victoria ...
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18 Apr, 2007 - Family First's dry argument
Stop press: senator Steve Fielding's FAMILY FIRST party gets heavyweight support. FAMILY FIRST has touched a nerve in its campaign to highlight alcohol abuse ...
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18 Apr, 2007 - 'Give south-west petrol tax cuts'
South-west residents struggling to make ends meet would benefit from a 10 cent petrol tax cut, according to FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding ...
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18 Apr, 2007 - Princes Highway 'ignored'
The Federal Government id turning a blind eye to the 350,000 people who use the Princes Highway each year by not upgrading it, FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding said yesterday ...
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17 Apr, 2007 - Superpipe has to go ahead, says Fielding
FAMILY FIRST's Victorian Senator Steve Fielding has heard all about Ballarat's water problems. But as the old saying goes, seeing is believing. Mr Fielding said he did not realise the full extent of the plight until he visited the city yesterday ...
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16 Apr, 2007 - Family First slams Greens deals
The Liberal and Labor parties have been told it would be absurd for them to direct preferences to the Greens in the federal election because it would be sending children the message it was acceptable to use drugs ...
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16 Apr, 2007 - Family values cut Greens down to size
As one of 16 siblings, Steve Fielding worked out that to get ahead of the pack you had to find an angle, a point of separation. If you didn't, 15 otherwise loving brothers and sisters would trample all over you. Fielding, a Victorian and the lone senator from the party Family First, is applying that early lesson to politics...
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14 Apr, 2007 - Choosing not to hear
"... no political party has successfully run the debate on industrial relations through the prism of family policy. This was until FAMILY FIRST came along ..."
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11 Apr, 2007 - Help feed families
Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has called on the federal government to offer some relief to families struggling with rising food costs. His call comes amid concerns by Family First senator Steve Fielding that families were strruggling with a 9 per cent increase in food prices.
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10 Apr, 2007 - Budget plea as food rises bite
Big rises in grocery prices, from butter to toilet paper, are adding to pressure on the Federal Government for a family- friendly Budget next month. FAMILY FIRST's Steve Fielding yesterday said that a 9 per cent increase in the price of Australian food last year was the second -highest increase of 30 industrialised nations. Senator Fielding said price rises in a basket of just seven basic items had added $6.77 a week to family costs, and called for $8.4 billion in Budget relief for households ...
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10 Apr, 2007 - Senator faults price stats
Households have been hit by price rises for staple goods over the past two years, making a mockery of the official inflation rate of just over 3 per cent a year, it was claimed yesterday.
A survey of basic household foodstuffs released by FAMILY FIRST party yesterday shows prices of many key groceries have soared despite such things as communications, transport and clothing being less expensive. Victorian Senator Steve Fielding said the official low inflation figures did not match actual household expenditure ...
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30 Mar, 2007 - FAMILY FIRST's industrial laws
Australian workers have suffered under the Howard Government's Industrial Relations laws, according to FAMILY FIRST ...
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28 Mar, 2007 - ABC Radio National Breakfast with Fran Kelly: Workchoices
In July 2005, in his first media release as a new politician, FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding attacked what he called the 'market friendly' industrial relations reforms then proposed by the federal government.
Overtime, penalty rates, public holidays - even the sacred lunch break - were set for the chop, the new senator warned.
This week sees the first anniversary of the passing of those industrial relations reforms as the Workchoices legislation.
And today Steve Fielding will introduce a private members bill in the Senate to 'fix' what he calls the flawed Workchoices laws. Steve Fielding is in our Canberra Parliament House studio ...."
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(7mb mp3 file)
27 Mar, 2007 - How to fight fear with fear
ALP strategists note the move yesterday by FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding to introduce amendments to the workplace laws guaranteeing public holidays, meal breaks and penalty rates as well as redundancy entitlements ...
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26 Mar, 2007 - Fielding proposes WorkChoices changes
The Federal Government is set to come under further pressure over its industrial relations laws, with tomorrow marking the first anniversary of the introduction of Workchoices. FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding will this week introduce legislation to guarantee workers public holidays, meal breaks and penalty rates ...
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26 Mar, 2007 - FAMILY FIRST to tackle WorkChoices
FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding will legislate this week to amend the Government's new industrial relations laws and give workers back their public holidays and penalty rates. Senator Fielding said WorkChoices had gone too far ...
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20 Mar, 2007 - Jetstar Bill fails to win support
FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fielding drafted a Bill which he said would have protected the jobs of Australians working for Jetstar and other Qantas subsidiaries. But a Senate committee recommended that the Senate reject the Bill. "Both the major parties have been reluctant to stand in the way of a huge debt-ridden $11 billion buyout that threatens the jobs of thousands of Australian workers and their families," said Senator Fielding.
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16 Mar, 2007 - First party to act
FAMILY FIRST was the first party to raise concerns that, under the Government's workplace legislation, workers were no longer guaranteed overtime and penalty rates, public holidays or meal breaks. FAMILY FIRST opposed the changes because they undermined family life.
Senator Fielding campaigned strongly against the WorkChoices legislation, and voted accordingly.
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14 Mar, 2007 - Qantas in jail row
Qantas engineers are standing by claims that inmates from Singapore's Changi prison have been used to clean its planes before maintenance work. Qantas dismissed the claims but warned its 35,000 workers all jobs were under review ... Victorian FAMILY FIRST senator Steve Fielding said the admission was deeply disturbing for Qantas employees. "This is the last thing Qantas staff want to hear with the proposed takeover coming", Senator Fielding said.
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14 Mar, 2007 - FAMILY FIRST's lollipop man tastes a sour deal
Senator Fielding questioned Airline Partners Australia about how the sale of Qantas will affect the ownership of Jetstar, getting responses which seemed downright testy ...
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13 Mar, 2007 - Senator talks to the shoppers
FAMILY FIRST Senator for Victoria Steve Fielding hit the streets of Sunbury last week, fielding questions from a bemused array of shoppers ...
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13 Mar, 2007 - Blast over Qantas sale nod
FAMILY FIRST Senator Steve Fieldi | 
