Abbey Kiley of Portland North Primary School was the winner of my 2011 Christmas card artwork competition with this beautiful picture of a Christmas Koala.

Christmas time is upon us already and, along with my wife Sarah, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I sent out a call to local grade 2 primary school students to help create my Christmas cards – with the theme “Christmas in Wannon”.

It was extremely difficult to choose the final winners from over 200 wonderful entries. Not only have they helped me with my Christmas cards this year, but they have made a fantastic contribution to my offices in Warrnambool and Hamilton, as my front windows are covered with the entries.

One of the Honourable Mention winners was a great picture of a tractor loading hay bales with presents sitting on top. I liked this artwork because it really did remind me of Christmas time in Wannon. There are so many farmers out there working hard at this time of the year and this young student clearly aspired to be out there on the tractor this Christmas.

This Christmas we all need to make road safety our priority. I’d like to encourage people to slow down on our roads, plan travelling time including breaks, be patient and drive carefully.

I’d also like to remind everyone to shop locally and support Australian products. Our local retailers do a fantastic job and they are competing in a global market due to the rise of internet shopping so please give them your support as they are a vital part of our country communities.

My Hamilton and Warrnambool Electorate Offices will close at 5pm on Friday 23 December and will reopen at 9am on Tuesday 3 January 2012.

Volunteer Award recipients pictured at the awards ceremony held at the David Hawker Function Centre in Warrnambool.

Earlier this month it was a fantastic honour to host the National Volunteer Awards and the Australian Government Sports Awards for Wannon. At the awards, volunteers, community organisations, local athletes, coaches and sporting clubs from across Western Victoria were recognised for their outstanding commitment to volunteering or sport.‪

I was overwhelmed by the quality of the nominees, there are so many people in our local communities who are deserving of these awards and it is a great tribute to the community spirit in Wannon.‪

Vicki Jellie, the founder of Peter’s Project was the guest speaker for the volunteer awards while former Geelong and Melbourne player, and former South Warrnambool football coach, Nigel Kol, was the guest speaker at the sports awards. Both gave inspiring speeches on what motivated them to get involved in their respective fields.‪

These special awards promote the benefits of volunteering or participating in sports in our local community. They recognise people who contribute to their community which hopefully will encourage others to get involved.

Congratulations to all of the award winners from across Wannon.

Research by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) has confirmed what farmers have been saying all along: farming enterprises will be severely impacted by the Labor Government’s Carbon Tax. The research shows that not only will the carbon tax affect farms that rely on electricity for production, but it will also mean higher freight costs and lower prices for their produce.

And sadly for our dairy farmers in the South West, it also confirms what they have been saying - dairy will be hit the hardest. The Report which is into the possible short-run effects of a carbon pricing scheme on Australian agriculture confirms that due to their reliance on electricity for production, on average dairy farmers will be $4000 a year worse off due to higher electricity charges and lost revenue.

Dairy and meat processors in particular have made it very clear to the government that due to the fact they trade internationally they have no other option than to either absorb or pass on their increased carbon tax costs to farmers.

When you’ve got a high Aussie dollar, families already tightening their belts due to cost of living pressures, and farmers facing difficult seasonal challenges, it is not the time to put extra costs on farmers. 

Julia Gillard needs to listen to ABARES about the real threat of her Carbon Tax, and make sure farmers are protected against her ill-conceived Carbon Tax.

The report found that the value of dairy farm production on an average farm would drop by up to 4.3 per cent, or $4200, in 2012-13 and by up to 4.7 per cent, or $4580, in 2014-15. The report also found that beef farmers would also be hit with an expected loss of up to 1.8 per cent, or $1100, in 2012-2013, rising to as much as 2.5 per cent, or $1540, in 2014-15.

Re-discovering the water - a beautiful day sailing on Deep Lake in Derrinallum.

Along with Yachting Victoria, Derrinallum Yacht & Power Boat Club and Derrinallum P-12 College, I enjoyed a 'Learn to Sail' day earlier this month on Deep Lake.

We have many lakes in Wannon that were dry for long periods during the drought and it is easy to forget the opportunities they offer. It's great to see people once again participating in the varitety of recreational activities the water provides.

Deep Lake was dry for 12 years during the drought, so now that it is full, it's a great opportunity for people to get out and enjoy the lake again and promote the benefits of outdoor activities like sailing to younger students.

Students who participated in the sailing days gained a Level 1 in Sailing certificate and I hope that these students continue to enjoy this great sport. I would also like to thank the organisers Phil and Fiona Noone for a great fun day.

With my daughter Eleanor at HILAC in Hamilton promoting the Keep Watch Around Water program.

During Water Safety Week I attended the Hamilton Indoor Leisure & Aquatic Centre (HILAC) to help Lifesaving Victoria promote the 'Keep Watch Around Water' program which aims to increase water safety at venues such as HILAC.

This program encourages parents to ensure that their children are supervised around water at all times. Children under five must be kept within arms reach and children under 10 must be supervised at all times.

An important message from the program is that 'Parents supervise, lifeguards save lives'.

Supervision is the most important factor in keeping your children safe around water and this summer holiday season I would like to remind everyone that they should never let their children out of their sight around water.

While this time of year is normally associated with bushfire danger, nearly a year has passed since devastating flooding hit Beaufort, Skipton and other rural communities in Western Victoria.

Being prepared and having a plan are the most important things you can do to ensure you and your family are safe in the event of a bushfire or flood. The CFA website has a wealth of information on creating a bushfire plan and I urge everyone to visit www.cfa.vic.gov.au to help make your plan. Remember we all have a role to play when it comes to dealing with bushfires, floods or other natural disasters.

An important way of being prepared is to ensure that you are adequately insured. Many of the victims of last year’s flooding were unaware that they were not covered for flooding under their insurance policies. Many were confused by the complex ‘definitions’ of flood which varied widely from insurer to insurer.

Following strong community feedback, I called for greater clarity around how the word “flood” was defined and I hope this year we will see the Federal Government address this by creating a standard, common sense definition of ‘flood’, and by requiring insurers to provide a simple ‘Key Facts Sheet’ about their policy so that it is clear what a person is covered for.

Please also ensure that you are able to be contacted in the event of an emergency. Update family and firends with your contact details. In country areas in particular we have to ensure that we look after each other in times of crisis as assistance might not be immediately available.

Pictured clockwise from top left: with students Daniel Howell and Kade Lusby on a tour of the vegetable garden at Amphitheatre Primary School; discussing the impacts of the new federal Government 'Universal Access' policy with Raelyne Barnes and Chrissy Hawker from Jaycee Kindergarten in Portland; finally getting rid of the Mo at Fringe Benefits Salon in Hamilton with hairdresser Tim Cogger and The Spectator 'Movember' Competition winner Jo Smith; checking out the great cars at 'Show Us Your Toys' in Hamilton; presenting Rose Gaussen from St Mary's Primary School in Hamilton with her Honourable Mention certificate for the Christmas card artwork competition and presenting Abbey Kiley from Portland North Primary School with her certificate for overall winner of the Christmas card artwork competition.