Aged care beds and funding 
I am delighted to announce 60 new aged care beds and more than $3.8 million in funding for two aged care facilities in Dubbo and Coonabarabran.
Coonabarabran’s Cooinda Nursing Home will receive $3,830,000, which will go towards a major refurbishment and an extension of facilities.
I rang Cooinda’s General Manager, Leanne Redfern, to pass on the good news and congratulate her on the organisation’s success with the grant.
Cooinda has a wonderful reputation for quality aged care for the residents of Coonabarabran and the district. I congratulate them on their success.
Dubbo’s RSL Lifecare in Champagne Drive will be popping the corks at the news of their success in receiving funding for 60 new aged care beds including 15 dementia beds.
With our rapidly ageing population, the Australian Government is committed to providing a sustainable aged care system that meets the needs of our older Australians.
The announcement is part of the Government’s provision of an additional $649 million per year to create 9,911 new residential aged care places.
The Electorate of Parkes is one of many rural and remote regions across Australia that will benefit from this funding announcement, with 27.4 per cent of all residential places allocated to non-metropolitan areas.
 
Roos to Peru could be a winner
Negotiations to open new markets, including expanded kangaroo meat trade opportunities to Australian farmers, have been launched by the Coalition Government through a free trade agreement with Peru.
Having recently driven back from a conference in Broken Hill it is plain to see there are massive numbers of kangaroos in the far west of the Electorate of Parkes. In fact the Local Lands Service delivered a presentation to the Pastoralists’ Association of West Darling annual general meeting which projected the population of ‘roos in NSW in 2016 was 17.5 million. The Western Plains population was estimated to be 12.7 million.
A key message from the Association was the impact of unsustainably high populations of kangaroos in the Western Division. 
Peru presents a growing opportunity for exporters in the Electorate of Parkes, that the Peru-Australia Free Trade Agreement (PAFTA) will help unlock. Over the past decade, Peru has been one of the fastest growing economies in Latin America, and the world, with annual GDP growth averaging 5.9 per cent (2005-2015).
The Electorate of Parkes has tremendous agricultural exporting strengths, such as beef, sheep meat and dairy. These products are currently facing tariffs imposed by Peru of 17 per cent for beef, nine per cent for sheep meat and up to 29 per cent for dairy products. 
A working group which includes the Association and Local Land Services is seeking to increase the number of wholesale licences for commercial harvesting. The current limit, capped at 11, has been stifling growth and the resurgence of this important industry.
 
Reconciliation Milestones to be celebrated in the Electorate of Parkes 
I would like to encourage residents in the Electorate of Parkes to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum and the 25th anniversary of the Mabo High Court decision as part of National Reconciliation Week activities (27 May – 3 June 2017).
The Coalition Government is supporting these celebrations through a range of activities and programmes including a local council grant funding round. I am pleased to announce that Brewarrina Shire Council, Cobar Shire Council, Gunnedah Shire Council, Lachlan Shire Council, Moree Plains Shire Council, Narrabri Shire Council, Narromine Shire Council, Walgett Shire Council, Warrumbungle Shire Council and Gwydir Shire Council have each received a one-off $5,000 grant to support anniversary celebrations during National Reconciliation Week. 
These Councils will partner with groups like the Maranguka Muda Aboriginal Corporation, Brewarrina Local Aboriginal Lands Council, Cobar Local Aboriginal Lands Council,  Gunnedah NAIDOC Committee, Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation and Condobolin & Lake Cargelligo Land Councils, Moree's Reconciliation Week Committee, the Land Councils of Narrabri and Wee Waa, Narromine Local Aboriginal Land Council, Trangie Local Aboriginal Land Council, Ngarru Mayin Elders Group, Mudyigalang Group, Walgett Local Aboriginal Land Council, Coonabarabran Local Aboriginal Land Council and the Friends of Myall Creek Massacre Memorial Site Antwan Land Council to commemorate two of the most significant events in our nation’s history. 
The 1967 Referendum achieved an unprecedented 90.77 per cent ‘yes’ vote to recognise First Australians in the Census and provide the Australian Government with the power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.