Catherine King

Federal Member for Ballarat

Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing

Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport

Welcome

Welcome to my website.

My priority as the Member for Ballarat is listening to the community and working in the best interests of our local area.

As your local Federal Member of Parliament, I encourage you to seek assistance from me if you have any enquiries on matters for which the Federal Government is responsible.

I also invite you to contact me or my office if you have any questions about local services and issues with which my office can help.

Since being re-elected, I have been working hard to deliver on the Labor Government’s commitments for our area, keeping in touch with the issues that affect you, and also representing you in Federal Parliament.

This website is designed to provide information about government programs and activities across our region.

I look forward to seeing you out and about in the electorate.

- Catherine

Ballarat Arch of Victory restoration complete

Following six months of restoration work the Ballarat Arch of Victory has been restored to its original splendour.

Federal Member for Ballarat, Catherine King joined Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC CVO, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia and Craig Fletcher, Mayor of the City of Ballarat for the official reopening of the Arch of Victory in Ballarat.

The Arch of Victory is an enduring monument to the service and sacrifice of Australian servicemen and women.

The Gillard Government is committed to protecting our important heritage places in the community. That is why the Australian Government has funded a total of $510,000 to the restoration of Ballarat’s Arch of Victory.

A copy of my media release can be found here and speech here.

Gillard Government launches ‘Clean Energy Package’

The Gillard Government today announced its comprehensive plan for tackling climate change, ‘Securing a clean energy future’.

A clean energy future is part of a long term plan to reshape our economy, cut carbon pollution, drive innovation, and help avoid the increased costs of delaying action on climate change.

The comprehensive plan will:

Cut pollution and drive investment in clean energy
Make big polluters pay, not ordinary Australians
See all money go to jobs, clean energy, and household. Our tax cuts and increased payments are targeted at those who need it most.

Under the plan, Australia’s annual emissions will be reduced by at least 159 million tonnes in 2020 from where they would have been – the equivalent of taking over 45 million cars off the road.

The carbon price will change Australia’s electricity generation by encouraging investment in renewable energy like wind and solar power, and the use of cleaner fuels like natural gas.

Households will be looked after with tax cuts, higher family payments and increases in pensions and benefits, to help meet the costs passed through by some businesses. The household assistance estimator provides further information about what sort of assistance you might be eligible for.

Individuals, businesses, industry and governments around the world are already taking action to reduce carbon pollution. By acting now, Australia can look forward to long term prosperity for ourselves and future generations.

View the documents that form the Clean Energy Plan. Or call my Ballarat office on (03) 5338 8123 for more information.

Catherine

Follow me on:

Pricing Carbon

Pricing carbon is the right thing to do, it is an essential economic reform. Australians are the biggest polluters per capita in the developed world. Our climate is changing - we need to reduce carbon pollution now. If we delay pricing carbon now, we risk losing the jobs of the future and threaten our long term prosperity. This is the best way to stop businesses polluting and get them to invest in clean energy. Now is our time to build a clean energy future.

Julia Gillard
Prime Minister of Australia

Electorate office
5 Lydiard St North
Ballarat, VIC 3350
(03) 5338 8123/1300 131 743
Fax: (03) 5333 7710
Catherine King MP

Bacchus Marsh
(open every Friday 10am - 3pm)
156 Main St
Bacchus Marsh, VIC 3340
(03) 5338 8123/1300 131 743
Fax: (03) 5333 7710

Ready to Govern

Prime Minister Gillard has announced that with the support of Independent MPs Rob Oakeshott, Tony Windsor and Andrew Wilkie, and with Adam Bandt from the Australian Greens, Labor is prepared to govern Australia. And I am delighted to add my support for this new government.

This election was one of the closest our nation has ever seen. It told us that the next government would be held more accountable than ever before and that there would be higher expectations of transparency and reform.

The new Gillard government will have one key purpose – to serve the Australian people. It will be true to its principles and beliefs, but it will also be pragmatic in developing effective policies and programs on the major issues that we face.

And we are very keen to get on with the job of governing this nation.

For the people of the Ballarat electorate, this term of government offers some exciting opportunities. The agreements reached with Mr Oakshott and Mr Windsor have put regional Australia firmly on the government's agenda, and will ensure that it remains a key focus for the future.

Under the new Gillard Government, regional Australia will benefit from an investment of up to an additional $10 billion to deliver:

· Better health and hospital services

· Better education services

· Important infrastructure for local communities in regional areas

· High speed broadband to all of regional Australia.

Follow the link to get more detail on recent announcements concerning regional Australia.

Finally, I want to say thank you to the people of the Ballarat electorate, for their patience and support as our democracy has been tested over the past two weeks.

It is an honour for me to have the opportunity to again represent the people who choose to live and work in this great place.

Thank you.

- Catherine

Building our region

Across the electorate, the Labor Government has invested in major projects to create jobs today, and provide the infrastructure we need as we head into the future.

Major infrastructure projects include:

Click here for a full list of local achievements.

Standing up for the Ballarat electorate

Schools and tertiary education, health reform, the care of our elderly, the environment, housing, infrastructure, supporting volunteers and jobs.

These are the issues Catherine continues to work on.

Since her election to the seat of Ballarat in 2001, Catherine has been a tireless campaigner to make life better for local families.

Following the election of the Labor Government in 2007, Catherine has:

1. Secured capital funding for schools across the electorate as part of the Building the Education Revolution.

2. Led a campaign to improve health services in Ballarat, Ballan, Creswick and Bacchus Marsh. This included a $42 million Federal Government investment in cancer support and treatment in Ballarat.

3. Worked with the City of Ballarat and shires of Hepburn, Moorabool and Golden Plains in achieving funding for more than 50 community infrastructure projects.

4. Lobbied for more affordable housing across the electorate.

5. Secured funding for major Western Highway roads projects including the Deer Park bypass, the realignment of Anthony's Cutting and the duplication of the highway between Ballarat and Stawell, as well as for dozens of small roads projects.