Road infrastructure milestone It was wonderful to spend time in my electorate last week including in the Moree, Dubbo, Coonabarabran, Gunnedah and Warialda areas. A highlight was the sod-turn for the Grain Valley Way upgrade, which took place near Mullaley on Friday. The project has been funded by both the Australian and NSW Governments, which…
DetailsSpotlight on drought in Parkes electorate It’s important that my Federal colleagues see for themselves the devastating impact of the drought. That’s why I was so pleased to host the Federal Agriculture Minister, Senator Bridget McKenzie in Moree over the weekend. I introduced the Minister to well-known Moree businessman, Col Thomas of Thomas-Lee Motorcycles. Col,…
DetailsHave your say on Future Drought Fund The Future Drought Fund Consultative Committee will hold public consultations in my electorate this month, to help inform the Committee on the best ways for the Future Drought Fund to invest in drought resilience. The Committee is particularly interested in hearing from farmers, local communities and industry organisations,…
DetailsHot topics in Parliament It’s been another productive week in Canberra which marks the last Parliamentary sitting week before its return in late November. The coming weeks will see me travelling for Ministerial duties, as well as spending as much time as I can in the Parkes electorate. I was pleased to meet with representatives…
DetailsParliament returns I’m pleased the past week has seen the Coalition Government continue to prioritise the drought. The Government is making changes to the Farm Household Allowance (FHA) to help more farmers and has introduced a Bill to extend income support to four years in every 10 years; relax the off-farm income offset and increase…
DetailsSeven days & seven different Parkes electorate communities Throughout last week I spent time in seven different communities in my electorate including Coonabarabran, Tottenham, Lake Cargelligo, Condobolin, Nyngan, Dubbo and Warren, and I managed to fulfil commitments under my Ministerial portfolios as well. It was a great week marking the end of my time out…
DetailsBacking councils to back rural communities Drought and building stronger regional communities were both on the agenda at the Orana Joint Organisation meeting in Narromine early last week. I was pleased to hear from member councils including Bogan, Gilgandra, Mid-Western Regional, Narromine, Warren and Warrumbungle Shire Councils about their local issues and priorities. Member councils…
DetailsNorth West farming success I thoroughly enjoyed spending time in the North West of my electorate last week. Touring around Robert Hoddle’s orange farm near Gunnedah was a highlight. It was great to witness a successful harvest, and to see farmers looking at how innovation can apply to the citrus industry. With water so scarce…
DetailsTough new farm trespass laws Tough new farm trespass laws recently passed both houses of Parliament, which will protect our farmers from the unlawful actions of animal activists. I have heard from a number of farmers and constituents in my electorate who are deeply concerned about on-farm intimidation and attacks by out-of-line activists, including some…
DetailsMore drought funds for Parkes electorate I was thrilled to announce more than $113,000 in drought funding for my electorate last week under the Tackling Tough Times Together program. Communities dealing with drought at Wee Waa will benefit through an upgrade to fire protection at the showground pavilion, while 24 students from Bellata, Bullarah and…
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