Memo from Mayo Election Edition

Welcome to an election campaign special edition of the Memo from Mayo. With pre-poll voting opening this week, I thought it was timely to provide an update on my announcements and the work of Centre Alliance.

Open ticket

On Friday Rebekha released a copy of her 'How to Vote' card. Once again Rebekha is running an open ticket and will not preference anyone. This is the same approach Rebekha has taken since the 2016 election and indeed this is the same approach taken by all Centre Alliance candidates both in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

You can read more here:

You can access details about the pre-poll venues and opening times here.

Dental voucher

Rebekha has welcomed Labor's election announcement of a dental voucher for pensioners.

This is something Rebekha called on both the major parties to support quite some time ago.

"Now the Government needs to match the promise so our pensioners can address their dental health in a timely manner," Rebekha said.

You can read Rebekha's press release from back in March here.

Rebekha also spoke about Mayo's health needs (including on KI and the Hills) in parliament just before the Federal Budget was revealed which you can watch here.

Photograph: Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie with Port Elliot pensioner Sebastiano Consalvo who backs the local MP's bid for a dental voucher having experienced long delays with his dental health.

Weak on basin plan

Centre Alliance has called out both major parties as being weak on the governance and execution of the $13B Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

Rebekha and her Senate colleagues have labelled as "uninspiring" the Liberal Party's letter to the Auditor-General and the Labor Party's call for a limited scope Commission of Inquiry into the water buyback controversy dubbed Watergate.

"Only a Federal Royal Commission with broad terms of reference will have the jurisdiction and scope to look at all of the issues that have been raised in respect of the Plan's governance and execution," said Rebekha.

You can read more here.

Photograph: Senator Stirling Griff, Rebekha, Senator Rex Patrick, Centre Alliance Barker candidate Kelly Gladigau and Centre Alliance Senate candidate Skye Kakoschke-Moore.

Renewable future for Mayo

Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie has welcomed the ASX announcement that a Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES) scheme will be developed at the now-closed copper mine at Kanmantoo.

Hillgrove Resources recently announced that it had entered into an agreement to sell the right to develop, own and operate the PHES project to AGL Energy Limited for $31 million.

If the multi-million dollar proposal progresses beyond the five-year development and building stage, the PHES could drive a 250MW facility capable of powering 100,000 homes from 2024.

“This forward-thinking project is exactly the renewable energy future our community Mayo can lean in to," Rebekha said.

"It underlines the real potential for our community to combat climate change whilst also meeting our energy needs and providing the jobs of the future."

Photograph: Rebekha receives a briefing about the PHES project from Dean Smith, AGL's Manager of Power Development.

Normanville abattoir

Rebekha has called on both the major parties to commit to a $6 million Federal Government loan so a private operator can upgrade the Normanville Abattoir to an export standard facility.

The Centre Alliance MP made the call following a recent meeting with representatives from Ternakan Kamran Exports (TKE), the Malaysian owners of the abattoir, and a further visit to the site. You can read more here.

CAPTION: Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie stands outside the now-closed Normanville Abattoir off Hay Flat Road.

Upgrade Victor Harbor Road

Rebekha has renewed her call for the State Government to upgrade the Victor Harbor Road between Mount Compass and the popular seaside destination.

The local MP said the State Government needed to at least investigate the building of more passing lanes until a full duplication could be costed and planned.

“You only have to look at this section of this high-traffic road at Easter to see how easily a bottleneck develops at peak times,” Rebekha said.

“The Federal Government’s budget announcement of $73.6 million to complete the duplication of South Road to McLaren Vale is welcome but it doesn’t address the real problem we have in this section of the Victor Harbor Road.

“Further, we’ve since learned that the South Road to McLaren Vale project won’t start until late 2022 and isn’t expected to be completed until 2026/27."

Photograph: Rebekha stands at the Victor Harbor Road at Mount Compass on the Thursday afternoon before the Easter long weekend. You can read more about her call for upgrades to the Victor Harbor Road here.

Dementia friendly office

Rebekha and her staff have taken steps to become the first documented 'Dementia Friendly' Federal Electorate Office in the nation.

You can watch her YouTube clip here. You can read her press release here.

Green Army: Rebekha Wants You!

Today Rebekha Sharkie called on the Government to re-enlist the Green Army.

This skill training and environmental action program was rolled out by former Prime Minister Tony Abbott in 2014 and then axed two years later by former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

“Nationally the program delivered more than 1000 projects and engaged with over 11,000 young Australians while Mayo benefitted from 37 projects over four rounds of funding," Rebekha said.

Photograph: Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie, back row, attends a Green Army graduation ceremony at Woorabinda in Stirling in the Adelaide Hills in July 2017.

You can read more here.