Photo caption: Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton (far left) attended the official launch of the Galari Agricultural Company at Lake Cowal on Wednesday. He is pictured with his wife, Robyn Coulton, Ally Coe, CEO of the Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation, the Hon Michael McCormack MP, Member for Riverina, and John Penhall, General Manager of Evolution Mining’s Cowal Gold Operations.
Launch of the Galari Agricultural Company
This week I was pleased to participate in the official launch of the Galari Agricultural Company (GAC), a joint venture between the Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation (WCC) and Evolution Mining.
It was great to catch up with the inspirational Ally Coe, CEO of WCC, my good friend and colleague, Michael McCormack MP as well as Wiradjuri elders and students of both Condobolin and West Wyalong High Schools.
It was fitting that the opening took place in NAIDOC Week 2022, the theme of which is Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! The aim of the GAC is to run a profitable farming operation, while at the same time providing training and employment opportunities for Aboriginal people.
Wonderful music, traditional dancing, and a smoking ceremony were features of a fantastic day.
Tradies breakfast focuses on mental health
I have spent a few cold but worthwhile mornings in Dubbo recently meeting with locals and this week was no different. On Wednesday I had the pleasure of attending the Dubbo Chamber of Commerce Tradies Breakfast at the Tradies inSight shed on Welchman Street.
During the breakfast I caught up with Bruno Efoti of Tradies inSight to discuss his latest work on mental health issues affecting men in rural areas, especially the higher-than-average rates of poor mental health in the construction industry.
Bruno is passionate about letting tradies and men in general know that it is okay not to be okay and is committed to encouraging people who are struggling to reach out for help.
It is great to see organisations like Tradies inSight creating a safe space to address these issues and provide support with the help of their partners in the community.
More information about Tradies inSight can be found at www.tradiesinsight.support/index.html .
Assistance for tertiary students and apprentices
With many young people in the electorate starting to think about their post-secondary school plans, I thought it was timely to highlight the financial assistance available to people who wish to explore tertiary study through university or an apprenticeship.
The costs associated with attending tertiary education in another town or city is often the biggest barrier for students from regional, rural and remote Australia. The former Coalition Government recognised this and implemented a number of improvements to eligibility criteria to ensure more students from regional Australia could access tertiary education without having to face the financial barrier.
A range of assistance is available to students including Youth Allowance for students and Australian Apprentices, Austudy, ABSTUDY, the Student Start-up Loan, the Tertiary Assistance Payment and the Relocation Scholarship. Eligibility criteria for each of these payments varies, so it is important to contact Services Australia before starting a claim.
For more information about financial assistance for tertiary students visit www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/education or call the youth and students line on 132 490.