Photo caption: Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton pictured with one of the murals at the recent Pave the Way to Gular Festival. The mural was painted on one of the three billboards that were constructed thanks to a $39,600 Festivals Australia grant. Round 15 of the Festivals Australia program is now open.
Mourning Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
As the world continues to mourn Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, a National Day of Mourning has been declared in Australia by the Prime Minister for this Thursday 22 September.
The National Day of Mourning will be recognised as a one-off national public holiday and coincides with the National Memorial Service in Australia which will be held in the Great Hall of Parliament House at 11am on Thursday. This will be broadcast live across the nation. One minute’s silence will be observed at 11am. I encourage all Australians, wherever you may be, to take the time to pause and reflect on Her Majesty’s extraordinary life of service during this time.
I will be attending the National Memorial Service on Thursday, followed by the resumption of Parliament on Friday 23 September, when condolence motions for Her Majesty will be heard. Parliament will continue to meet from Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 September.
In the meantime, condolence books remain open in each of my electorate offices, in Dubbo, Moree and Broken Hill, for constituents who wish to pay their respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. These books are available to sign during business hours until this Friday 23 September. Alternatively, people can leave a message of condolence online at pmc.gov.au/condolence-form.
Condolence messages will be sent to Buckingham Palace and archived by the Commonwealth and may be displayed at its national institutions, forming part of the lasting record of Australia’s close relationship with The Queen over many decades.
Shanna Whan attends Queen’s state funeral
Our very own Shanna Whan from Maules Creek in the Parkes electorate was among the 10 everyday Australians chosen to represent Australia at the State Funeral for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Monday.
Shanna was named 2022 Local Hero Australian of the Year in January for her inspirational work in helping to change the conversation around alcohol and our drinking culture in the bush through grassroots charity Sober in the Country.
She attended the State Funeral alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the Governor-General His Excellency the Hon David Hurley AC DSC (Retd), and other Heads of State and government representatives from across the world.
This was an incredible honour for Shanna and I look forward to hearing all about her experience when she returns from the UK.
Apply now for Festivals Australia funding
The latest round of funding is now open for the Festivals Australia program and I encourage all community festival organisations, regional artists or arts workers in the Parkes electorate to submit an application.
The Festivals Australia program provides funding to support individual arts projects at festivals and significant one-off community celebrations.
Up to $150,000 is available for individual arts projects that invite community participation and audience engagement. Projects can include, but are not limited to, a parade, performance, workshop, installation or exhibition.
Two festivals recently held in the Parkes electorate received funding under the previous rounds of the Festivals Australia program. The Broken Heel Festival (held from September 8 to 12) received $60,420 in funding to host dance, makeup and headpiece workshops, to purchase costumes for the parade, and to pay for the SOS ABBA Tribute band. The Pave the Way to Gular festival, which I attended on September 12, received $39,600 in funding through the Festivals Australia program for the construction of three billboards to provide extra space for artists to create murals during this year’s street art festival.
Applications for Round 15 of the Festivals Australia program close on 5 October 2022. For more information and to apply, visit https://www.arts.gov.au/funding-and-support/festivals-australia.