Last week I returned to a rather icy cold Canberra for the first week of Federal Parliament sitting since the winter break. As anticipated, it was a very busy week with the appointment of a new Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon Tony Smith MP and a special joint Coalition party room…
It goes without saying that when Federal Parliament returns from its Winter break, there will be many issues on the table for extensive consideration and debate. Before this occurs, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge my colleague, the late Don Randall MP, who sadly passed away last month. Don was…
I was very pleased to host the Regional Higher Education Forum in Narrabri last week alongside the Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Education and Employment, Senator Bridget McKenzie. The meeting was attended by parents, students and people interested in education from a range of different locations within the Parkes electorate. Representatives from…
With Parliament’s winter break still in full swing, I have enjoyed having the opportunity to get out and about and visit more towns across the Parkes electorate. Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting Coonabarabran, Warren and Nyngan as well as spending time in Moree and Dubbo. During my visits, I was…
Last week, I was pleased to be given the opportunity to tour the northern NSW Murray Darling Basin with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment, the Hon Bob Baldwin. Also joining us on the tour was the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder together with representatives from the Department of the Environment and…
With Federal Parliament currently on what is known as its “winter break,” you would be forgiven for thinking that I am currently lounging around on a tropical island enjoying the sunshine and warmer weather. Sadly from a weather point of view, like most of the residents of the Parkes electorate, I too have been…
Over the weekend, the Coalition Government released its much anticipated Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper. This White Paper delivers on a key Coalition election commitment and sets the future direction of agricultural policy to drive long-term growth and prosperity across rural and regional Australia. For the first time, Australia has a long-term plan to…
Rural and regional Australia are once again benefiting from significant funding announcements from the Coalition Government. Last week’s Mobile Black Spot Programme announcement was of enormous importance to local residents. Mobile phone coverage is no longer a luxury and this Government is committed to making sure that the people of rural and regional Australia…
The 21st National General Assembly of Local Government (NGA) was held in Canberra last week. At the NGA, the Australian Rural Road Group (ARRG) held its Annual General Meeting. I was pleased to be invited by the ARRG to speak at their meeting. The ARRG is a non-political organisation of over 100 rural…
Last week, I attended the NSW Nationals Annual General Conference in the Hunter Valley. The Nationals have 24 Members in the NSW Parliament. All of these Members attended the conference, including Deputy Premier and Leader of the NSW Nationals, the Hon Troy Grant. The conference was also attended by some of my Federal Nationals…