The 21st National General Assembly of Local Government (NGA) was held in Canberra last week. At the NGA, the Australian Rural Road Group (ARRG) held its Annual General Meeting. I was pleased to be invited by the ARRG to speak at their meeting. The ARRG is a non-political organisation of over 100 rural…
DetailsThe Australian Government Mobile Service Centre ‘Golden Wattle’ has hit the road to give people in the Walgett and Narrabri Shires convenient, local access to essential government payments and services in late June and early July. The Mobile Service Centre will visit Rowena, Burren Junction, Pilliga and Wee Waa to offer Centrelink and Medicare…
DetailsFederal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton has welcomed the signing of Australia’s Free Trade Agreement with China which was signed by the Minister for Trade and Investment, the Hon Andrew Robb and Chinese Commerce Minister, Gao Hucheng. Mr Coulton said the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) provides unprecedented access to what is already the…
DetailsLast week, I attended the NSW Nationals Annual General Conference in the Hunter Valley. The Nationals have 24 Members in the NSW Parliament. All of these Members attended the conference, including Deputy Premier and Leader of the NSW Nationals, the Hon Troy Grant. The conference was also attended by some of my Federal Nationals…
DetailsPrimary schools across the country have less than two weeks to benefit from the first funding round of the Abbott Government’s $100 million Sporting Schools programme. Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton, urged all local primary schools who haven’t already registered for this programme to do so and importantly, apply for funding to join…
DetailsLocal business, Maverick Biomaterials Pty Limited, will receive a grant to propel their bright ideas into the marketplace under the Australian Government’s Accelerating Commercialisation programme. Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton announced the grant as part of the $10.6 million Accelerating Commercialisation element of the Australian Government’s $484.2 million Entrepreneurs’ Infrastructure Programme. “These Accelerating…
DetailsLocals can now have their say on clearer country of origin food labelling in an online survey that will help design the Australian Government’s new labelling system. The Government has been consulting with industry, including growers, processors and retailers, to implement a clearer, more direct system for food labelling that will give consumers the…
DetailsRenewable energy was on the agenda again in Parliament last week, with the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Amendment Bill up for debate. The proposed legislative amendments contained in the bill restore some balance in the Renewable Energy Target (RET) Scheme. They also bring the RET back to a more achievable level. Renewable energy plays an…
DetailsLast week in Canberra, I had the pleasure of meeting the students from the current Indigenous Police Recruitment Our Way Delivery (IPROWD) program. During their visit to Parliament House, the students were treated to a special meeting with Prime Minister, the Hon Tony Abbott MP. The students also met with some of my other…
DetailsThe NBN will begin construction in areas covering an additional 3,400 premises in the Gulgong and Wellington areas in coming months as the company expands its multi-technology mix rollout. The company is expanding the rollout of its fibre to the node network, with an additional 168,000 premises due to start construction nationwide between July and…
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