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The Weekend Neos Kosmos : 9 July 2016
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DIGITAL.NEOSKOSMOS.COM THE WEEKEND NEOS KOSMOS | SATURDAY 9 JULY 2016 3 NEWS PM enjoying some Greek delicacies with Julia Banks at Vanilla cafe, Oakleigh. PHOTO: AAP VIA AP/DAVID CROSLING. Julia Banks wins Chisholm Liberal candidate Julia Banks (née Lolatgis) is to be the new member for Chisholm, ending 20 years of Labor control MICHAEL SWEET Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull goes for a street walk with Julia Banks, the Liberal candidate for the federal seat of Chisholm in Melbourne’s southeastern suburbs. PHOTO: AAP VIA AP/DAVID CROSLING. the first Indigenous female lower house MP winning for Labor. Ms Burney secured 45,059 votes in comparison to Mr Varvaris' 32,259 votes. No way back for Sophie Mirabella Sophie Mirabella's political career may have finally run its course, with independent MP Cathy McGowan strengthening her hold on the former Liberal frontbencher's seat of Indi. Ms McGowan scored a 4.4 per cent swing against her, according to the 81 per cent of votes counted. Ms McGowan secured 42,970 votes against Ms Mirabella's' 35,709 votes. Vamvakinou retains Calwell Veteran Labor MP Maria Vamvakinou has easily retained her seat of Calwell with a 4.5 per cent swing. With 72 per cent of the vote counted, Ms Vamvakinou held 69 per cent of the preference count compared to the Liberals’ John Hsu on 31 per cent. Ms Vamvakinou told Neos Kosmos she was "thrilled to have been returned", adding that she looked forward to "a productive new term". "Labor performed strongly and we have shown that the Australian people will not tolerate attacks on their way of life or their standard of living," she said. Team Xenophon set for Senate threesome Nick Xenophon's NXT party has picked up three seats on the Senate crossbench and in the Lower House, NXT's Rebekha Sharkie has unseated former Liberal minister Jamie Briggs in the seat of Mayo. Downplaying earlier expectations that his party would be the decisive crossbench element in a new parliament, Senator Xenophon said: "There will hopefully be three senators from the Nick Xenophon Team, as well as Rebekha Sharkie in the seat of Mayo, and that's a pretty good set of numbers for (me) to have a fairly powerful say (in parliament)." Speaking to Neos Kosmos during election campaigning, Julia Banks was upbeat about her chances. She talked of voters' desires "for a fresh change and new energy", and while Labor's resurgence at this election has put the Coalition on the back foot, Ms Banks' imminent victory - likely to be the only Liberal gain from Labor in the country - is all the more remarkable. Ms Banks gained pre-selection last year after transferring her "real life experience and skills" as a senior business executive and lawyer to the po- litical arena. "I'm not a career politician. I've been a working mum for more than 20 years and experienced first-hand the challenges of balancing home, children, work and community life." She's spoken often of the pride she feels in her Greek heritage, and of the obstacles the first generation of Greek migrants, particularly women, faced when they arrived in Australia. Her mother's experience was central to her own political outlook. "Mum's passion for making the world a better place for me is what drove me, underpinned by the value of education and financial inde- pendence," says Ms Banks, who says her priorities as Chisholm's MP will include delivering on the government's commitment to individual enterprise, and particularly small business, childcare and aged care programs. "People in Chisholm want investment. They want growth and jobs and opportunities. They want to embrace innovation, new technology and small business development. It's those things that our government is supporting." Julia Banks will replace retiring Labor MP Anna Burke after a 2.6 per cent swing in her favour. Koutsantonis puts SA ‘back in the black’ South Australian budget to deliver $258 million surplus The South Australian government has pledged to deliver a surplus for the first time in seven years, after Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis handed down his budget on Thursday. "Over the next four years we're projecting another $1.5 billion worth of budget surpluses," Mr Koutsantonis said following his budget speech. "We're back in the black. South Australian finances are sound." The budget sees a return to surplus for the first time since 2009 and more than $500 million extra for health to address federal health funding cuts. "We were disappointed that during the [federal] election campaign, neither major party promised to overturn the 2014 health cuts," Mr Koutsantonis said. "The ongoing nature of the Common- wealth/state health funding partnership is something I hope a new gov- South Australian Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis. PHOTO:DAN CRONE. ernment grapples with as one of its first priorities. Mr Koutsantonis promised more for job creation, schools and public services. "We can make sure that we can tackle those head winds that hit us hard from international forces — whether it's Brexit, whether it's uncertainty in the financial markets, or whether it's a hung parliament in Canberra," he said. "All of that uncertainty impacts jobs here in South Australia. It's important that we have the capability to be able to intervene in our economy if we need to, and that's why those budget surpluses are there." Despite the extra investment in health, Mr Koutsantonis warned that with activity levels in SA hospitals increasing by three per cent in the past year "there is still a significant hole in our health budget".
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