Photo caption: Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton pictured on the Newell Highway, where there are many sections of road in need of repair. This month is Rural Road Safety Month.

Worrying censorship laws

The Coalition will strongly oppose Labor’s new Misinformation Bill which is an attack on free speech.

The Bill would impose huge fines on digital platforms, if the Government decides that they have not removed enough of what they consider to be “misinformation”. To avoid these fines, it’s likely the digital platforms will resort to censoring a large amount of free speech of everyday Australians who want to have their say online. Under this Bill, something can be considered “misinformation” even if it is the honestly held opinion of an Australian. Unintentionally misleading statements about elections, referendums, the economy or stock market will also be considered “misinformation”, and the Communications Minister will be able to personally order Misinformation Investigations and Misinformation Hearings which are extraordinary powers for a Minister to hold in a democracy.

I’ve already been receiving correspondence from my constituents about this Bill which has no place in Australia. Free speech is fundamental to our democratic society and the Coalition will always defend it.

Supermarket reform needed

Last week the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released its interim report from its Supermarket Price Inquiry, accusing Woolworths and Coles of operating within an “oligopoly” and engaging in practices which disadvantage both their customers and suppliers.

This came just days after the ACCC announced it had commenced separate legal proceedings against both Coles and Woolworths for allegedly misleading consumers through discount pricing claims on hundreds of products.

The Nationals have been calling for supermarket reform since 2022 and in 2023 we called for the ACCC to be directed to start an urgent price inquiry before Christmas. Labor repeatedly ignored our warnings for more than 12 months before finally announcing powers for an ACCC inquiry in late January this year. This interim report vindicates our calls for greater penalties on Australia’s supermarket sector.

Introducing divestiture powers, $2 million infringement notices and a Supermarket Commissioner is what’s needed to change the supermarkets’ culture.

Labor fails on road safety

This month is Rural Road Safety Month which aims to highlight the additional risks associated with driving on rural, regional and remote roads across Australia.

Sadly, two thirds of road fatalities occur on rural and regional roads despite less than a third of Australia’s population residing in the regions. New figures show that the number of deaths on Australian roads has increased by 9.2 per cent in the past 12 months. Deaths have been steadily increasing over the past two years, following a decade of decline.

This shows that our roads are not up to scratch. The Labor Government has cut, cancelled or delayed $27.9 billion worth of infrastructure projects, including vital road funding and the impacts are being felt by road users.

I was travelling up and down the Newell Highway – one of our busiest highways – last week and there are many sections that are in need of repair. I don’t think any funding has been allocated to the Newell since Labor has been in Government.

Positive post office news

Great news last week that Central Darling Shire Council has reached an agreement with Australia Post to ensure ongoing delivery of the Licensed Post Office in Ivanhoe.

The loss of these services has been a massive worry for the community, with many constituents contacting me to raise their concerns. I was happy to play my part by raising this issue with Australia Post, so I’m pleased with this fantastic outcome for the community.

Meanwhile, two organisations in the Parkes electorate have received Australia Post Community Grants. The Barkandji Native Title Group Aboriginal Corporation has received $10,000 to establish a fortnightly men’s yarning circle to improve support for local Indigenous men. This includes three volunteers undertaking culturally-appropriate peer-to-peer suicide prevention training in Adelaide. And the Murdi Paaki Regional Rugby League Council has received $2,000 for its Dulili Project which will support elderly Aboriginal women in Dubbo through weekly yarning circles.