Economic boost for our communities

Last week the Coalition Government announced its $17.6 billion economic plan to keep Australians in jobs, keep businesses in business, and support households and the Australian economy.

We’ve been in the thick of drought right for some time now, so the extra stimulus will be most welcome right around the Parkes electorate.

This is about keeping workers in jobs and helping small and medium sized businesses to stay in business. It’s also about providing stimulus payments to households to support growth, including a one-off $750 payment to pensioners and other income support recipients.

The instant asset write off threshold will be increased from $30,000 to $150,000, helping small businesses – including farming businesses – looking to invest in their assets.

I encourage my constituents to head to my website for the full details of the new package.

Photo Caption: Member for Parkes Mark Coulton with Linh, owner and operator of Lotus Cafe in Dubbo, who uses the instant asset write off scheme. As part of the new economic stimulus package, the instant asset write off threshold will be increased from $30,000 to $150,000.

Coronavirus

The world continues to deal with the significant challenges posed by the spread of the coronavirus. It’s a time to be vigilant, but also tap into our common sense.

Everyone should practise good hygiene to protect against infections. Good hygiene includes washing your hands often with soap and water; using a tissue and covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze; and avoiding close contact with others.

We should all remain calm and continue to follow the well-informed direction of our health authorities.

Bringing more doctors to the bush

I recently made an iconic rural health announcement for a region outside of my electorate, which will show how moving to more flexible arrangements can support the training and recruitment of our health workforce in other regions, including in the Parkes electorate.

Trainee rural generalist doctors in the Murrumbidgee region can now work in private practices and local hospitals under a new and innovative employment model that will provide a greater range of care for local patients.

I’m acutely aware of calls from communities to deliver initiatives to attract and retain doctors in rural and remote areas.

There’s no silver bullet solution, but a range of short, medium and long-term solutions over time will deliver more doctors in our regions.

Each rural community is different and requires a local solution.

This innovative employment model will help to fill gaps in rural health care services. Under the model, local regional health services will work together to support rural generalist training in the region.

Supporting local young athletes

We have an abundance of young sporting talent in the Parkes electorate. I’m encouraging all coaches, officials and competitors aged 12-18 participating in sporting championships to apply for the Local Sporting Champions program.

This program provides $500-$750 so that our young athletes can achieve their sporting goals. Successful applicants will receive money towards the cost of attending state, national or international championships.

This is a small grant that can make the world of difference to young sporting champions with big dreams, so if you’re an eligible applicant, please apply at www.sportaus.gov.au/grants_and_funding. Round 4 applications are currently open until 31 March 2020.