This week I had the pleasure of officially opening the new and improved Trangie-Nevertire Irrigation Scheme. The opening took place on the Macquarie River at Gin Gin and represented more than half a decade of hard work by the Scheme board and members. The scheme will provide long-term water efficiency and crop productivity gains for…
DetailsAustralia is a country which is lucky enough to have a safety net. If we want to continue to have a country which can support all its citizens then we need to ensure that our welfare system is sustainable. For our system to be sustainable we need to ensure that any person who is capable…
DetailsI am pleased to announce that I have been re-elected as the Federal Member for Parkes following the election held on Saturday 2 July 2016. I am absolutely humbled that the people of the Parkes electorate have thrown their support behind me for a fourth time. I would like to thank the people of the…
DetailsWith state Premiers in Canberra for the latest Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting, the states and territories agreed to sweeping reforms to country of origin food labelling which will give Australian consumers clearer and more meaningful information about the products they buy. This agreement comes after decades of frustration on the part of consumers…
DetailsThe Abbott Coalition Government is cutting red tape to make life easier, help small business, strengthen our economy and create jobs. For the first time in history, the Government is dedicating two days of Parliament each year to removing red tape. During the Spring Red Tape Repeal Day on 29 October, nearly 1,000 pieces of…
DetailsLast week the Australian Government completed an intergovernmental agreement between all jurisdictions on the Murray Darling Basin Plan. This Agreement included a commitment to cap water purchases at 1500 gigalitres and prioritise water infrastructure programmes. Both are key to binging balance back to the Murray Darling Basin discussion. Many of the valleys in the Parkes…
DetailsI have been a supporter of “work for the dole” for a long time. When I was Mayor of Gwydir Shire Council I had significant exposure to work for the dole programs that were successfully implemented under the Howard Government. The people that took part in work for the dole often expressed to me their…
DetailsI was very pleased to host the Regional Higher Education Forum in Narrabri last week alongside the Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Education and Employment, Senator Bridget McKenzie. The meeting was attended by parents, students and people interested in education from a range of different locations within the Parkes electorate. Representatives from…
DetailsNothing is clearer to Australians during a drought than the importance of water in sustaining us. I am very pleased that areas of the Electorate have received some rain over the last several weeks but I am still conscious of those areas that have missed out. Our hopes are with those families, that they find…
DetailsWhilst our Prime Minister, the Hon Tony Abbott spent last week visiting Indigenous communities in the Torres Strait and on the tip of Cape York, I too spent the week meeting with some organisations undertaking significant work with members of Indigenous communities across the Parkes electorate. I had the pleasure of attending two events…
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