With state Premiers in Canberra for the latest Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting, the states and territories agreed to sweeping reforms to country of origin food labelling which will give Australian consumers clearer and more meaningful information about the products they buy. This agreement comes after decades of frustration on the part of consumers…
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s announcement to recall Parliament from 18 April has certainly attracted some attention over recent days. The Prime Minister has made this decision in order to provide the Senate with ample opportunity to consider and pass what is known as the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) Bill and the Registered Organisations…
Following extensive sittings of Federal Parliament in Canberra and hours of debate, the Government’s Senate voting reform bill has finally passed through the Parliament. These reforms were vital and are designed to empower voters to have their preferences reflected in any Senate election, by improving the transparency of Senate voting arrangements. The reforms include the…
Over the past few months I have been contacted by many constituents from across the federal electorate of Parkes expressing their concerns about the future direction of superannuation in Australia. The Federal Government recognises that superannuation is, by its nature, a long-term investment and considers it important that people have sufficient confidence in the system…
As someone who currently represents a third of rural and regional NSW, I understand how valuable local news services are to my constituents. They not only keep locals informed but also tell the stories of our regional communities. Because of this I welcome the most significant changes to media laws in a generation that…
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has announced that this year’s federal election will be conducted on new House of Representatives electoral divisions in New South Wales (NSW). This announcement has confirmed that the federal electorate of Parkes will increase in size from 256,000 square kilometres to approximately 400,000 square kilometres. This means that…
Following Warren Truss’ retirement as Leader of The Nationals and other movements in the Coalition Government over the past few weeks, the Turnbull Government Ministry has now been sworn in at Government House in Canberra. These changes have resulted in some significant milestones for The Nationals including a brand new leadership team which, for…
After 26 years in Federal Parliament and more than 8 years as Leader of The Nationals, Warren Truss has officially announced that he will retire at the next Federal election and has consequently stepped down from his leadership position. Warren is one of the most decent men I know. His calm and dignified nature…
Last week marked the first parliamentary sitting week of 2016 and what better way to end the week than with the signing of the agreed text for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP is a landmark regional trade agreement covering some of the world’s largest economies including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico,…
As part of my Parliamentary Committee service in Canberra, I am currently a Member of the House of Representatives Indigenous Affairs Committee. With the Federal electorate of Parkes currently spanning one-third of Western New South Wales (NSW), I am proud to represent more Aboriginal people than nearly any other Member of Parliament in Canberra.…