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Welcome to my
Official Website. I was elected to South Australian
Parliament as an Independent Member of the Legislative
Council in 2006.
On this site you will find my parliamentary speeches,
media releases, Private Members Bills as well as
detailed information about myself and my key policies,
which include Drug Treatment Reform, Child Protection,
WorkCover, Polygraph Testing for
Family Law, the establishment of an individualised
Disability management plan, and the removal of
fluoride in our drinking water.
As an Independent Member
of Parliament, I am committed to working with as many
people and organisations as possible to develop policies
which will deliver the best outcomes for South
Australians, and I am interested in hearing your views.
To watch an extended
interview with Ann in which she discusses her policies,
views and her life prior to becoming a Member of
Parliament, please
click
here.
This Website will be
constantly updated so check back regularly to see what's
new.
Select Committee Inquiry into
Families SA
Following numerous complaints of mistreatment and abuse of
process by Families SA staff, in 2007 Ann established a
Parliamentary Select Committee into
Families SA, which heard from
professionals, both within and outside the system, parents,
extended families, and foster carers. The report, which was
rightfully damning of Families SA, was handed down late in 2009
and can be accessed
here or via the
South Australian Parliament website.
Latest News and
Updates
Shark Fishing on Populated Beaches
As you may have seen, late last year
the Normanville community expressed its anger that
anglers had been fishing for sharks from their local
jetty. Of particular concern was the use of significant
amounts of berley to attract sharks to an area in which
people, including young members of the local Surf Life
Saving club, regularly swim. Due to the inability of
authorities to act, there were even reports of community
members taking matters into their own hands resulting in
a violent altercation.
Early this year, the Sunday Mail
reported in the article
Anglers Lure Sharks Close to Beaches (8/1/2012)
that anglers had also caught sharks off of the
Henley Beach Jetty during daylight hours amongst
swimmers enjoying the popular metropolitan beach.
Currently the law does not
prevent anglers attracting sharks to populated beaches.
The only control is exercised by regulation 23 of the
Fisheries (General) Regulations 2007, which reads:
23—Berleying
(1)
A person must not use blood, bone, meat, offal or
skin of an animal as berley (otherwise than in a rock
lobster pot or other fish trap) within 2 nautical miles
of—
(a)
the mainland of the State; or
(b)
any island or reef that forms part of the State
and is exposed at the low water mark.
Maximum penalty: $2 500.
Expiation fee: $210.
(2)
A person must not deposit or use in marine waters
of the State the body, or part of the body, of a mammal
or bird.
Maximum penalty: $2 500.
Expiation fee: $210.
While reports of the use of lamb
shanks as berley to attract sharks is clearly an
offence, for obvious reasons fisheries officers have
interpreted the offence to not apply to fish products.
Given that this offence does not take into consideration
the amount of or the manner in which permitted berley is
used, attracting sharks to populated beaches using
entire tuna carcases or large quantities of tuna oil
sufficient to create a visible slick is not prohibited.
For this reason, Ann intends on
introducing her
Fisheries Management (Attracting Sharks) Amendment Bill
2012 that will create an offence of attracting
sharks to prescribed waters. The key element of Ann’s
proposed offence is the angler’s
mens rea or
intention, which will in part be assessed
by their equipment, such as the weight of line or the
size of hooks, and the amount and type of berley used.
For instance, the use of relatively small amounts of
tuna oil to attract fish or offal in a crab net is
clearly not intended to attract sharks to the area.
As you will note, the offence will
only apply to prescribed areas, which initially will be
anywhere within 2 nautical miles of the coast, but is
intended to be narrowed by regulation to populated areas
and beaches regularly used by swimmers. Further, the
offence enables the Director of Fisheries to provide
exemptions where appropriate.
It is Ann’s hope that this offence
will protect and reassure beachgoers whilst enabling
recreational anglers to still fish for sharks where safe
to do so. However, simply stating that the ocean is the
shark’s domain does not justify actively attracting
sharks to areas in which beachgoers swim. Swimmers
safety should not be compromised by the actions of a
minority, nor should the majority be forced to stick to
swimming pools for fear of sharks.
Prior to introducing her Bill in the
Legislative Council, Ann is keen to hear from the
community on her proposal. For this reason, Ann invites
your comments on the
Fisheries Management (Attracting Sharks) Amendment Bill
2012 and asks that you send it to her by Friday, 3rd
February 2012.
Minimum Sentencing for Child Sex Offenders
On Thursday, 15th September, Ann along with the FaceBook
group
Keep Mark Trevor Mashall in Jail held a protest
on the steps of Parliament calling for mandatory
imprisonment of child sex offenders.
Several victims and their family members spoke out
against the lenient sentences too often imposed on
paedophiles. As an example, victims spoke of Mark Trevor
Marshall recieving suspended sustences, only to be
released into the community and reoffend. They spoke of
their anger at Mark Trevor Marshall again being
released, despite being 'indefinitely detained' in 2009
for being 'incapable of controlling, or unwilling to
control, his sexual instincts'. To download the flyer
about Mark Trevor Marshall, click
here.
Ann is calling on everyone who supports her Bill for
mandatory imprisonment for child sex offenders, which is
currently before Parliament, to sign the petition, which
can be downloaded
here.
Ann recently wrote to the Director of Public
Prosecutions, Stephen Pallaras expressing Mr Marshall’s
threat to the community and her desire for him to remain
incarcerated. A copy of Ann's letter and the DPP
response can be found
here.
Ann Stands Up for Worker's
Rights
Ann recently spoke
at a rally in support of Public Service workers who are
having their long service leave rights arbitarily
slashed by the Labor Government, despite their existing
conditions being part of their industrial award. Below
are photo's taken on the day:
WorkCover in the Spotlight
The mismanagement of WorkCover and EML, the
monopoly claims agent, has again been raised in the media, with
David Nankervis from the Sunday Mail exposing that interstate
Doctors are being used to do 'Independent Medical Examinations'
at far greater expense than South Australian Doctors.
These Doctors were described by Dr Andrew Lavender, President of
the South Australian Branch of the Australian Medical
Association, as "hired guns", adding that "(claims
managers)
are trying
to seek someone who, instead of giving an independent opinion,
is giving the opinion they want"
For those who missed the Sunday Mail article by David
Nankervis, it can be read by following this link:
Outrage at $439 an hour medicos
from interstate.
Following the
Sunday Mail article, this and other issues were raised by Leon
Byner on 5AA 1395 on Monday 31st May 2010 and Tuesday 1st June
2010. The complete transcripts can be found
here.
In the next
sitting week of Parliament, Ann moved a motion calling for a
ministerial investigation into the allegations made by the AMA,
other medical and legal professionals and inured workers. The
Hansard of Ann's speech when introducing the motion can be found
here.
Ann's Question in Parliament results in seizure of 5000
illegal adult magazines and DVD's
On Tuesday
the 27th October 2009, Ann asked a
question in Parliament about the
adequacy of the policing of adult
bookstores. Earlier in the month, Ann was provided by a
concerned citizen publications that, while displaying an 'R18+'
sticker, were unclassified and hence illegal to sell. On further
investigation, Ann learnt that the practice of adult bookstores selling unclassified material is common, with stores
marking up prices to reflect the risk. Ann subsequently reported
her concerns, the unclassified publications and the address of
the store from
which they were purchased to the South Australian Police.
On the same
Tuesday, the South Australian Police acting off of the information
provided by Ann raided the adult bookstore concerned, resulting
in the seizure of approximately 5000 adult magazines and DVD's
and a male being charged for breaching the
Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995
(SA)
To read the question asked by Ann, please click
here.
Fluoride in our drinking water?
Have you been led to believe that fluoride is added to our
drinking water to improve dental health? Are you aware that
there is extensive research linking the intake of fluoride to
numerous health conditions, including
osteoporosis, hormone disruption and
has been confirmed as a neurotoxin? Are you aware that the
fluoride
added to South Australia's drinking water by SA Health
is
fluorosilicic acid, which is a toxic waste product of the
superphosphate (fertiliser) and alumunium industries? To learn
more about what we haven't been told,
click here.
To read a recent a speech Ann made in the Legislative Council in
which she provided an overview of this research, please
click
here.
To read three key statements by Dr W. Hurzy Phd, Dr A. K.
Susheela PhD and Dr P. Mullenix Phd,
click
here.
Mount Gambier Residents: Did you
recieve the letter from Dr Tony Sherbon, Chief Executve of SA
Health, and Dr Anne Howe, Chief Executive of SA Water, on
Saturday, 9th October, in your Junk Mail? Are you angry that
your request to be heard was brushed aside by the statement
"after some years of public discussion and consultation" or that
your concerns about fluoride being linked to
the onset of
osteosarcoma (bone cancer), impairment of the thyroid and the
pineal gland, and dental and sekeletal fluorosis, amongst other
health conditions, were ignored in the Fluoridation Fact Sheet
provided?
Ann has drafted a suggested response to Dr Sherbon and Dr Howe,
that can be download as
a
Microsoft Word Document.
A guide has also
been prepared by
Choice Mount Gambier which can be downloaded
here.
To C.c the letter to Ann, please address it to:
Hon Ann Bressinton MLC
Parliament House, North Tce
ADELAIDE SA 5000
Advertiser Article: Yet another example of a
serious issue being trivialised by the media is Tory Shepherd's
article on Ann's advocacy of removing fluoride from our water
supply, entitled
Be Afraid, There's Something Lurking in the Water. To
read responses to this article by Ann and other prominent
professionals, including Professor Paul Connett, click
here.
Uraniam in our drinking water? The recent results of
an Freedom of Information request that sought the
Certificates of Analysis of the fluorosilicic acid used
in South Australia have revealed numerous contaminants,
including concerning amounts of aliminium, heavy metals
and even uranium. To see an example of the Certificates
of Analysis recieved, click
here.
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