Photo caption: Shadow Minister for Trade and Touris, Kevin Hogan (left) and Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton (right) met with Green Distillation Technologies’ Dr Farhad Hossain and Trevor Bayley at the Warren tyre recycling plant on Friday.
Kevin Hogan visits Warren
It was fantastic to have Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism Kevin Hogan join me in Warren last Friday to take a look at some of the exciting industries in the agricultural community.
Our first stop was to Green Distillation Technologies’ (GDT) tyre recycling plant which has come up with an innovative solution to deal with the billions of old tyres that end up in landfill. GDT has developed innovative technology that converts tyres back into a valuable and sustainable resource – carbon, oil and steel – without producing emissions.
The company is now in the process of expanding its facility in Warren to recycle 160 tonnes, or 5,000 end-of-life tyres, a week, with plans to open six more plants around Australia. Eventually, these seven plants would have the capacity to recycle 40 per cent of Australia’s old tyres which is a very exciting prospect.
Kevin and I also visited Australian Food and Fibre’s (AFF) Warren gin and warehouse to take a look at the operation and hear about the role AFF plays in the cotton industry before touring Egelabra Stud – Australia’s oldest closed-stud. There we spoke with principal Malcolm Kater about some of the challenges facing the sheep industry including the live sheep export ban, biosecurity and feral animal control.
The economy of the Parkes electorate is underpinned by our agricultural and mining exports and Warren is a great example of the wide variety of industries we have that are playing a significant role in our nation’s prosperity.
Dubbo Regional Council to deliver more housing
I’d like to congratulate Dubbo Regional Council on receiving a total of $1.26 million to deliver more housing under the Australian Government’s Housing Support Program.
Of this funding, Council will use $580,000 to create its Regional and Affordable Housing Strategies to provide a framework for housing over the next 10 to 20 years. This includes an affordable housing policy, large lot residential strategy and a strategic transportation model.
A separate $680,000 grant will be used to facilitate the development and finalisation of Council’s North-West Urban Release Area Master Plan which aims to address the region’s growing housing needs by accommodating up to 5,500 dwellings and a population of up to 15,500.
Dubbo is rapidly growing but to accommodate the increase in people expected to make the city home in the coming years, more housing is needed. This funding will help Council ensure there is an adequate supply of housing to meet future demand.
Applications for Stream 2 of the Housing Support Program are now open to local, state and territory governments. Stream 2 will provide funding for enabling infrastructure and community amenity projects. For more information about the Housing Support Program, visit: https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/territories-regions-cities/cities/housing-support-program
Harvest trail cancelled
Labor is once again making it harder to get food from paddock to plate by axing a crucial backpacker and worker program for farms.
The Labor Government’s scrapping of the Harvest Trail program from 1 July means farmers will now find it even harder to get the workers they need. The Harvest Trail has helped connect farmers with thousands of backpackers and jobseekers during the harvest period, also helping both employers and employees get a background check, enabling confidence in both the job and the industry.
Labor has removed the Harvest Trail Services and Harvest Trail Information Service to save $47.3 million and $11.1 million per year ongoing which won’t even be directed back into agriculture.
The less workers farmers can find, the less they can plant, or harvest, meaning families will pay more for their food at the checkout.
Parliament House Shop National Showcase
Businesses and suppliers from the Parkes electorate have the opportunity for their products to be featured in the Parliament House Shop this September as part of its National Showcase.
The Parliament Shop National Showcase was launched in September last year and highlights the wonderful products that are being made across Australia.
In September, the Showcase will once again feature local products from New South Wales, so I encourage producers in the Parkes electorate to apply for the opportunity to have their products featured throughout the month.
This is a great way for the wonderful producers in the Parkes electorate to gain exposure to new audiences, including all visitors to Parliament House.
Applications must be submitted online by 11.59pm on 31 July 2024.
For more information, visit: www.aph.gov.au/Visit_Parliament/Whats_On/Event/Parliament_Shop_National_Showcase