The Clontarf Foundation is making a difference in communities right across the Parkes Electorate. The Foundation operates through Academies which are associated with local schools and engages young aboriginal boys to keep them in school. Academies have been operating in Moree, Bourke, Coonamble and Brewarrina for the past couple of years and this year a…
The safety of regional and rural students will receive a boost of $1.1 million through the Federal Government’s Regional School Busses programme. This programme will upgrade over 61 buses across the country to enable kids to buckle up on their way to and from school. Sadly around 25 people are killed in bus crashes each…
The annual Pollie Pedal has succeeded in raising over $700,000 for Carers Australia. This is a great achievement and I am pleased to have been involved in the ride. Tony Abbott founded the Pollie Pedal in 1998 with a group of enthusiastic riders and since then the event has grown to be a significant charity…
It is important for Australia to be united if we are to deal with the challenges that we will inevitably face in the future. Australia is a country which shows a remarkable ability to pull together in times of crises and the sense of community is especially strong in country areas. Tragedies like the loss…
Australia is a country which is lucky enough to have a safety net. If we want to continue to have a country which can support all its citizens then we need to ensure that our welfare system is sustainable. For our system to be sustainable we need to ensure that any person who is capable…
In August community information sessions will be held around the country to offer communities the opportunity to learn more about the National Landcare Programme. The National Landcare Programme is designed to deliver simple, local and long-term solutions to environmental challenges. It is important that farmers, environmental groups, local Landcare bodies and natural resource management organisations…
The Federal Government has allocated $35 million over 5 years for research into juvenile diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong auto-immune disease that usually occurs in childhood but can be diagnosed at any age. It is one of the most common chronic diseases in children and most newly diagnosed cases are in children under…
Last week we saw another attempt from the activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to disrupt an agricultural industry. The footage was strategically released and designed to sensationalize the mistreatment of sheep during shearing. PETA have shown their aggressive tactics before and the footage cannot be taken at face value. There…
An alarming study commissioned by Woolworths earlier this year showed some shocking statistics when it comes to knowing where our food comes from. According to the study of over 1600 children aged between six and 17 year olds more than 60% did not know that mint grows from the ground and 92% didn’t know that…
The Coalition recognises the important part that General Practitioners play in delivering health services in regional Australia. In the 2014/15 Budget the Coalition Government has allocated $52.5 million to rural and regional areas across Australia for general practices to build facilities needed in order for GPs to take on more trainees. This funding will be…