300,000 small businesses benefit from instant asset write-off

Almost 300,000 Australian small businesses have taken advantage of the Nationals-Liberal Government’s instant asset write-off according to 2015-16 tax office data.
The instant asset write-off is directly helping small business bottom lines and improving cash flow for small business which means more investment in local communities, higher wages and more local job opportunities.
In 2015-16, the number of claims increased by 50,550 and the average amount claimed increased by $4,065 to $9,000. This means more money in the pockets of small businesses so they can grow their businesses, employ workers and pay them more.
As I travel around the Electorate of Parkes, I am hearing first-hand that the instant asset write-off is the shot in the arm that small business needs.
That is why the Government increased the per-asset threshold of the instant asset write-off from $1,000 to $20,000 and extended the program in the Budget until 30 June 2018.
Small business is a major contributor to our economy and employs almost half of our workforce. Creating the right conditions for the sector to thrive will create local jobs, build communities and continue to grow the economy.
The extension of the instant asset write-off is just one part of the Government’s plan to boost the economy and help small businesses invest and grow.”
Small businesses are reaping the benefits of lower taxation after the Coalition Government recently secured tax cuts for around 3.2 million small and medium Australian businesses employing. You can find out more about the Government’s small business measures at business.gov.au/smallbusiness 

National Energy Guarantee set to deliver 

A new National Energy Guarantee aims to deliver downward pressure on electricity prices while meeting our international commitments.
The National Energy Guarantee will also give certainty to investors and encourage investment in all forms of power. 
The Guarantee is made up of two parts that will require energy retailers across the National Electricity Market to deliver reliable and lower emissions generation each year.
Unlike previous approaches, the Government is not picking winners, it is levelling the playing field. Coal, gas, hydro and biomass will be rewarded for their dispatchability while wind, solar and hydro will be recognised as lower emissions technologies but will no longer be subsidised.

Celebrating Australia’s rural women

Australia’s regional, rural and remote women play an essential role in enhancing food security, eradicating rural poverty and improving agricultural and regional development.
Women make enormous contributions to the development of regional communities throughout Australia and too often don’t get the recognition they deserve.
The Coalition Government is committed to investing in the leadership and skills of rural and regional women so they can continue to bring about positive change in their communities.
The Government has also partnered with the National Association of Women in Operations to provide women’s leadership programs to regional women, including professional development, via live streaming.
For more information on the Australian Government’s Women’s Leadership and Development Strategy see: https://www.pmc.gov.au/office-women/grants-and-funding

$30 million to boost Australian grain productivity

The Australian agricultural sector has never had a more important role to play in national and global food security with world food demand set to rise by 75 per cent by 2050 from 2007 levels.
World Food Day was marked by announcing an additional $30 million in Coalition Government and grain grower levy funding, through the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), to better support crop research.
There has never been a more crucial time to back crop research, which is one reason the GRDC is committing an additional $6 million each year to 2022 to the Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM), to ensure Australian crops reach their full yield potential. This funding will allow the Centre to continue its work for improved crop production and productivity through research excellence in fungicide resistance, molecular genetics and farming systems.
In the next 50 years, the world will have to produce as much food as has ever been produced in the history of humanity. Food and water security—with access to safe, high-quality, clean and green produce—is now emerging as the cornerstone of well-being and prosperity in the modern global economy.

For more information about World Food Day, visit http://www.fao.org/world-food-day/2017/home/en/ 

Veterans’ Health Week
Community members can join in the fun and get healthier during Veterans Health Week, which runs from Saturday 21 to Sunday 29 October.
The theme for this year’s Veterans’ Health Week is ‘physical health’.
During Veterans Health Week, our local veterans, war widows, widowers, current and former Australian Defence Force (ADF) members and their families are encouraged to participate in events celebrating the importance of healthy living.
For information about Veterans’ Health Week 2017, including details of events around Australia, visit http://www.dva.gov.au/health-and-wellbeing/health-events/veterans-health-week