Photo: Member for Parkes Mark Coulton speaks in the House of Representatives about his concerns for changes to the design of the Wilcannia weir.

Parliament returns for 2024

Last week marked the return of Parliament for 2024. While the first sitting week of the year was only three days, there was still plenty to do both in the House of Representatives and out.

I enjoyed catching up with Keiley and Maddy from Narromine and Mike from Broken Hill as they attended the 2024 Heywire Regional Youth Summit on Tuesday, and it was great to meet with representatives from the Rural Locum Assistance Program, the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia and Mable: Disability and Aged Care throughout the week.

It was also a privilege to attend a joint sitting of the House of Representatives and the Senate on Thursday, as we welcomed the Hon James Marape, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, to Parliament House.

On Thursday evening I took the opportunity to speak in the House of Representatives about my concerns for changes to the design of the weir at Wilcannia and the seeming lack of communication from the New South Wales Government to the Federal Government.

This year we have plenty of challenges ahead, but I look forward to working with my Coalition colleagues as we continue the fight against the reckless decision making of the Federal Labor Government.

As always, it is an honour to represent the Parkes electorate and I look forward to continuing to advocate on behalf of my constituents.

N2N Inland Rail project approved

I was pleased to see the Narromine to Narrabri (N2N) section of the Inland Rail receive environmental approval from the Federal Government recently.

While this approval is a positive step to getting the project back on track, I continue to question the Federal Labor Government’s commitment and understanding of the Inland Rail.

This is a great project, but there has been a lot of uncertainty and unnecessary delay due to the actions of the current Federal Government. The New South Wales Government gave the N2N project its own approval 12 months ago; there has been no need to drag this out for as long as the Federal Government has.

I again urge the Federal Government to signal its commitment to this magnificent piece of infrastructure and provide certainty to residents in the Narromine to Narrabri section.

It’s time to get on with the job.

Have your say: Australia Post

Australian consumers and small businesses are being invited to participate in a public consultation on the Federal Government’s plan to modernise Australia Post.

The consultation comes after the Government announced reforms on 6 December 2023 to enable Australia Post to boost productivity, increase its focus on parcels, and improve long-term financial sustainability.

The implementation of key elements of the reforms require that Performance Standards Regulations be amended to:

• change the performance standards that Australia Post is required to meet regarding the frequency and speed of mail delivery;
• deregulate the Priority Mail service; and,
• update the geographic classification used in the performance standards for retail outlets.

The proposed changes are expected to be implemented in 2025, with draft regulations open for public consultation until 29 February.

To access the draft regulations and have your say, visit https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/have-your-say/amending-australian-postal-corporation-performance-standards-regulations-2019