Now is the time to fix up the confusing issue of country of origin labelling. Consumers should be able to tell by a simple and clear labelling system where produce comes from. Australian farmers also deserve the opportunity to clearly present their proudly Australian grown products to the market. The Prime Minister has charged senior…
The importance of biosecurity has been highlighted over the last week following the linking of consumption of frozen berries with several cases of Hepatitis A across the country. The Australian Department of Health is coordinating a national health response to this issue after cases were reported in Victoria, News South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.…
The Federal Government has listened to concerns from the community about the amount of oversight for foreign purchases of agricultural land. Addressing this issue was a key election commitment at the last election and The Nationals are delivering on this issue. The threshold for screening foreign investment in agricultural land will be reduced from $252…
Last week the Federal Nationals Party Room convened in the regional centre of Albury-Wodonga for our first meeting of 2015. With Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss and the rest of the Nationals team, we have established the key areas of policy that will continue to be a priority for us as elected representatives of regional…
Prior to the Federal Election in 2013 the Coalition made a commitment to hold a review of the Fair Work Laws. The Productivity Commission will undertake this review and has now called for submissions from the public. This independent review will assess the operation of the Fair Work framework and consider options for improvement before…
Businesses in the Parkes Electorate are able to apply for support to boost the skills in their workforce with applications now open for the new $476 million Industry Skills Fund. The fund will provide up to 200,000 training places and skills advice for businesses over the next four years. The Industry Skills Fund is a…
The benefits stemming from Australia’s Free Trade Agreement with Japan will be felt right across regional Australia with local businesses and consumers set to reap the rewards of the deal. The landmark Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (JAEPA) entered into force last week. This means more than 97 per cent of Australia’s goods exports to Japan…
In December last year, Minister for Small Business, Bruce Billson issued a new direction to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to increase efforts to monitor pricing and profits in the fuel industry over the next three years. These monitoring reports will be useful evidence for identifying where fuel pricing has not responded to…
At the end of 2014 I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. There have been many tragedies over the last 12 months both at home and abroad. The recent Sydney siege has shown that the world can indeed be a dangerous place. Christmas is a time when we…
The Coalition made a commitment to restore order to border protection after years of failed and erratic policy measures under Labor. When the Labor party formed Government in 2007, the Howard Government had made the tough decisions to prevent people from taking the risky route to Australia by sea. Kevin Rudd, and then Julia Gillard,…