Photo caption: Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton met with Tait Auto Group General Manager Kendall Tait to discuss Labor’s proposed new Vehicle Efficiency Standard.
Pharmacy agreement reached
Last week the Pharmacy Guild of Australia reached an agreement with the Labor Government to secure Australia’s 8th Community Pharmacy Agreement.
While the full details are yet to be released, the Government will invest an additional $3 billion in community pharmacy and in cheaper medicines, following changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) which included 60-day dispensing.
These ill-thought-out changes to the PBS were always going to have unintended consequences in the Parkes electorate, where the local pharmacist is often the only primary healthcare professional in many small towns. Labor did not think through the ramifications for regional Australia, which threaten the viability of many of our small pharmacies and the health of our communities.
The Nationals launched a media campaign in protest of Labor’s doubling of prescription timeframes announced in last year’s Budget and so I welcome the ‘peace deal’ which will help regional, rural and remote pharmacies and those set to be most impacted by the changes to the PBS.
I’m pleased a deal has been reached and I’m proud to back the pharmacists in the Parkes electorate.
Tax an attack on the bush
I met up with Kendall Tait from Tait Auto Group in Moree last week to listen to her concerns about the impact that Labor’s proposed new Vehicle Efficiency Standard will have on their customers.
The Toyota HiLux and LandCruiser are Tait Auto Group’s biggest sellers, but with these popular cars to face an emissions tax of $14,490 and $25,050, respectively, it will put them well out of reach for many rural families who rely on these vehicles to go about their daily lives. In a cost of living crisis, now isn’t the time to be driving the price of vehicles up by thousands.
This tax won’t just make new cars more expensive, it will also drive up the cost of second-hand cars.
This is an attack on people in the bush and will only see many families keep their current car for longer, resulting in an older and less efficient national fleet.
The Coalition has launched a campaign against Labor’s family car and ute tax because we understand that families need larger cars and there aren’t many hybrid or EV options within most families’ budgets.
To find out more and sign our petition, visit: www.familycar.tax
Qantas Regional Grants Program open
The Qantas Regional Grants Program is back, offering $2 million in support of Australian communities and projects that will directly benefit our country’s regional areas.
I encourage not-for-profit community organisations in the Parkes electorate to apply for this opportunity, for innovative projects that maximise local community benefits and improve their services into the future.
Successful recipients will be offered a combination of cash grants, flights in kind and marketing support.
Applications are open until 10 May 2024. For more information, and to apply, visit: www.qantas.com/au/en/about-us/our-company/in-the-community/qantas-regional-grants.html