Photo caption: Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton and Dubbo Regional Council Chief Executive Officer Murray Wood and Mayor Mathew Dickerson pictured at the site of the Wiradjuri Cultural Tourism Centre and Keeping Place.

Projects still waiting on funding

The Labor Government continues to starve regional Australia of much-needed economic development funding with its failure to deliver on successful grant applications announced in May.

Five major projects in the Parkes electorate were approved for funding under the Growing Regions Program, including the Brewarrina PCYC Youth Hub and Indoor Sports Centre, the Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre Redevelopment, the Wiradjuri Cultural Tourism Centre and Keeping Place, Gunida Gunyah Community Cultural Hub, and the Narrabri Shire Tourism and Cultural Precinct stages two and three.

After waiting more than 40 weeks to find out if they were successful, recipients have been forced to wait a further three months for a funding agreement, which is particularly insulting given they were given just 20 working days to prepare and submit their applications. These projects can’t start until a contract has been signed, and yet the program guidelines required organisations to commence projects no later than 15 May 2024.

This is just the latest insult to our regional communities which are now into their third year of a funding drought imposed by the Labor Government. Labor promised programs to support the regions, but after more than two years there is nothing to show for it. Labor is all talk, and this is further proof that this city-centric Government can’t deliver for our regional communities.

Time to get inflation down

After two years of high interest rates, along with skyrocketing energy bills and grocery prices, many people in the Parkes electorate are struggling.

Labor’s broken promises and failed policies have done nothing to ease the hip pocket pain. The Government’s $315 billion of additional spending has caused interest rates to be higher for longer, putting more pressure on working Australians.

The only cost of living relief that helps all Australians is to get inflation down. But inflation is staying higher for longer under Labor, and there is no relief in sight.

A Coalition Government will tackle inflation as an absolute priority by cutting wasteful spending, reducing red tape and delivering affordable energy.

The Select Committee on the Cost of Living has made recommendations for sensible policies that will get the cost of living down by addressing key pressure points like housing, grocery prices, energy bills, and supporting the charities sector.

The Committee now wants to hear from people who have been impacted by the rising cost of living. You can make a submission at: yourcostofliving.au.

3G shutdown extension

Last week Telstra and Optus announced they would extend the closure of their 3G networks until 28 October 2024 to provide extra time for all Australians to be ready to move to 4G and 5G. This extension will enable the two telcos to conduct one last public safety awareness campaign to ensure anyone who still depends on the 3G network for connectivity is aware of the actions they need to take to stay connected ahead of the network closure.

I think this is a sensible move. It’s not just about the telcos being ready, but there’s still a large number of people who will be impacted who have not yet upgraded their own handsets and devices. There are many non-mobile devices that use the 3G network, including medical monitors, EFTPOS machines, baby monitors, tracking equipment and more. If you’ve got older equipment you need to be proactive and upgrade it now, or you risk losing connectivity from 28 October.

If you are unsure if you’re impacted, text ‘3’ to ‘3498’ and the response will let you know if you need to take action. For more information about the 3G closure, visit: https://amta.org.au/3g-closure/

ABC Heywire competition open

The Parkes electorate has produced some outstanding ABC Heywire winners over the years, and now entries are open for the next cohort of young storytellers to share their experiences of life in regional Australia.

I encourage young people aged 16 to 22 across the Parkes electorate with a story to tell about life in our neck of the woods to enter now for a chance to be featured on the ABC. Winners get an all expenses paid trip to the Heywire Summit in Canberra to develop ideas to make regional Australia a better place for young people.

Entries close on 1 September 2024. For more information, visit: https://www.abc.net.au/heywire/competition