Albany welcomes PM

It may have been a Labor Prime Minister visiting a coalition heartland but Albany residents didn’t miss their chance to welcome Julia Gillard with open arms when she made the first visit by a Prime Minister in almost half a century last Thursday.

Picture by Laurie Benson: Activ employee Wade Ford shakes hands with Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Albany on Thursday, flanked by Member for O’Connor Tony Crook.

Excitement about Ms Gillard’s visit had been building for several days after it was announced she would be the first Prime Minister to visit Albany since Sir Robert Menzies in 1964.

Ms Gillard received a rock star reception as she walked down York Street, shaking hands with onlookers, signing autographs and posing for photographs.

She attracted a crowd of onlookers when she stopped at the York Street Café for coffee with Albany MP Peter Watson, South-West MLC Colin Holt and Federal O’Connor MP Tony Crook.

Even the teenagers looked on in awe, with one saying it was “pretty cool” to have her in town.

Ms Gillard had earlier visited the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial on Mt Clarence, a site unveiled by Sir Menzies 47 years ago and expected to be a key focus of the Federal Government’s Anzac centenary commemorations from 2014.

“The government has already made some resources available so the plan (for the Anzac commemorations) that is being contemplated can be worked up to a greater level of detail,” Ms Gillard said.

“I am pleased that we have been able to make those initial resources available and I did want to come and see it for myself and talk to people directly.”

Ms Gillard also visited an Activ Foundation workshop, where she chatted with employees and spoke about the Productivity Commission’s proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Ms Gillard said the reforms were imperative.

“I think this is an issue of interest to all Australians… whatever our family circumstances,” she said.

“I believe our nation wants to do the right thing to make sure that anyone with a disability is not robbed of the chance of a decent life.”

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