Protecting regional Australia
It was a big week in Parliament last week, with the Coalition Government announcing its plan to achieve a net zero emissions target by 2050, following the Nationals’ support.
As a result of our negotiations, we have been able to secure a better outcome for regional Australia. We’ve got a range of support, protections and safeguards in place to ensure the goal of net zero does not negatively impact the communities we represent, particularly the mining and agricultural industries.
By coming to the table on this plan, the Nationals have made sure that those we represent are now in a stronger position – that farmers, miners and regional towns are in a stronger position than they otherwise would be had the Nationals not gone in to negotiate on their behalf.
We’re ensuring the Coalition’s plan to achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2050 will create jobs, deliver better access to health services; reduce cost of living pressures; provide better infrastructure and roads; and protect our lifestyle. Regional Australia is central to our plan. It will not shut down coal or gas production or require displacement of productive agricultural land.
Our technology-driven plan sets out a credible pathway to net zero by 2050, while preserving our existing industries, establishing Australia as a leader in emerging low emissions technologies and positioning our regions to prosper.
Grants available to help boost organ donation
There really is no greater gift than that of a life-changing organ or tissue and local groups in the Parkes electorate have the opportunity to encourage more people to sign up to become donors as part of the latest round of Community Awareness Grants.
Grants of between $10,000 and $50,000 are available for community groups, local businesses and not-for-profit organisations to partner with DonateLife to deliver events that raise awareness of organ and tissue donation and increase the number of registrations on the Australian Organ Donor Register.
We know nine out of ten families will agree to organ donation if their loved one is registered and they’ve spoken about it as a family, so these types of grants are crucial in helping us get the message out and ultimately saving the lives of those on the Australian transplant waitlist.
I hope to see a number of applications from the Parkes electorate, and I encourage everyone to talk to their family and register to be an organ and tissue donor at donatelife.gov.au.
For more information about the grants and to apply, visit donatelife.gov.au/grants
First edition of the Narromine Star
I’d like to congratulate Gilgandra’s Lucie Peart and her team on the very first edition of the Narromine Star, the latest newspaper masthead to open in the Central West.
I imagine starting up a newspaper is no easy feat, particularly in this age of social media, so I commend Lucie for taking on the challenge to bring local news to the community of Narromine and surrounds.
This is now the third masthead Lucie owns and the second she’s launched in the past year, having successfully established the Nyngan Weekly in October 2020.
When so many other regional publications have sadly met their demise in recent years, it’s wonderful to see a resurgence of sorts of local independent newspapers in my electorate. The Gunnedah Times is another great example of this, having been established by Narrabri Courier and Wee Waa News owners Ian and Wanda Dunnet last year.
I believe this is testament to the fact that there is still an important place for the local newspaper in our regional communities. There are so many wonderful stories coming out of the Parkes electorate, and it’s great to see there are still avenues for these stories to be told.
Congratulations and best of luck to the team at the Narromine Star!