After 26 years in Federal Parliament and more than 8 years as Leader of The Nationals, Warren Truss has officially announced that he will retire at the next Federal election and has consequently stepped down from his leadership position. Warren is one of the most decent men I know. His calm and dignified nature…
DetailsLast week marked the first parliamentary sitting week of 2016 and what better way to end the week than with the signing of the agreed text for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP is a landmark regional trade agreement covering some of the world’s largest economies including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico,…
DetailsAs part of my Parliamentary Committee service in Canberra, I am currently a Member of the House of Representatives Indigenous Affairs Committee. With the Federal electorate of Parkes currently spanning one-third of Western New South Wales (NSW), I am proud to represent more Aboriginal people than nearly any other Member of Parliament in Canberra.…
DetailsAustralia Day has become a day of great national significance which is embraced by Australians regardless of where they have come from or how long they have been here. No matter where you live in Western New South Wales (NSW), you won’t have to look very far to find a community or family event…
DetailsIn the lead up to this year's Federal election the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has determined that New South Wales (NSW) will lose one federal electoral division while Western Australia (WA) will gain an extra federal electoral division. As part of the AEC’s redistribution of federal boundaries in NSW, the augmented Electoral Commission has…
DetailsThe Federal Government has released the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO). The purpose of the MYEFO is to provide an update on the economic and fiscal outlook for Australia. It also provides an update on the Federal Government’s budgetary position. It doesn’t come as any real surprise that the Government’s budgetary position…
DetailsI am very pleased to confirm that the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) will enter into force on Sunday, 20 December 2015 opening up fantastic opportunities for our local exporters. This announcement by the Minister for Trade and Investment, the Hon Andrew Robb AO MP follows the ‘exchange of notes’ between both countries in…
DetailsFollowing the Paris climate talks last week, local governments throughout the electorate of Parkes now have the opportunity to cut their energy bills and reduce emissions as part of a new a $250 million loan package under the Australian Government’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC). Local councils could invest in clean technology across their operations,…
DetailsWith only one parliamentary sitting week left for 2015, the Coalition Government is working very hard to address some of the key issues facing our communities. One of these is mental health. Last week the Coalition Government released its response to the National Mental Health Commission’s Review of Mental Health Programme and Services. The…
DetailsI was very pleased to see the results of the independent evaluation of the Work for the Dole pilot, which ran from 1 July 2014, released to the public last week. The Evaluation of Work for the Dole 2014-15 showed how the programme is enabling more Australians to get work-ready by helping programme participants…
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