Photo caption: Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton inspected the new seating and shade sails at Binnaway Showground with Binnaway Show Society president Harry Powell.

$30 million Inland Rail signalling contract awarded

I was pleased to announce that the $30 million signalling and rail systems contract for Inland Rail has been awarded to global company Arcadis Australia Pacific Pty Ltd.

For the next six years, the Rail Systems project from Arcadis will manage and complete the signalling work for the Inland Rail sections north of Illabo.

Arcadis will design and deliver physical trackside infrastructure, including new sites where rail does not yet exist, and upgrades which may include retrofitting additional infrastructure on Parkes to Narromine.

While the core design team will be located in Sydney and Brisbane, its regional resources will expand to Bathurst, Orange and Mudgee to support signal sighting and various site works.

Arcadis will create 20 new positions, and at the peak of construction, this contract will provide work for 80 Australians, with the majority of these located in New South Wales.

This partnership between the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) and Arcadis is about creating new jobs in the local region, building the local economy, and investing in Australia’s future prosperity.

Binnaway Showground facilities upgrades complete

It was a pleasure to attend the official opening of the Binnaway Multipurpose Arena last week, where I had the opportunity to inspect the upgraded facilities at Binnaway Showground.

The Binnaway Show Society last year received $88,763.25 through the Federal Government’s Regional Agricultural Development Grants program which they have used to complete a range of projects to improve seating and shade facilities.

The works included new timber decking and a fresh coat of paint for the existing grandstand, upgrades to the poultry pavilion, the installation of permanent outdoor seating, the purchase and construction of portable picnic tables and a portable grandstand, and the installation of a shade sail and solar panels.

These upgrades have made a significant difference to the showgrounds and I believe they were very welcomed by visitors to the 2021 Binnaway Show over the weekend.

New online safety bill introduced

I welcome the new Online Safety Bill that was introduced in Parliament last week by the Morrison Government to better protect Australians from online harms.

As more of us connect online to stay in touch with friends and family, particularly during COVID-19 when catching up in person is often not possible, it’s vital that we have protections in place for when things go wrong in the digital sphere.

While there are many benefits offered by the online world, there are also risks and this new Bill will help mitigate some of these.

The Bill sets out a modern regulatory framework for online safety, strengthening the powers of the eSafety Commissioner to counteract cyberbullying, toxic online abuse, harmful content and image-based abuse (the non-consensual sharing of intimate images).

It includes a world-first cyber-abuse scheme for adults that will assist victims of seriously harmful online abuse to have the material removed, when online platforms fail to act.

Civil penalties will apply to services that fail to comply with a written notice from the eSafety Commissioner.

For further information about the new Online Safety Bill, go to www.communications.gov.au/online-safety