The Federal Government has listened to concerns from the community about the amount of oversight for foreign purchases of agricultural land. Addressing this issue was a key election commitment at the last election and The Nationals are delivering on this issue. The threshold for screening foreign investment in agricultural land will be reduced from $252…
TODAY I welcome the much-needed upgrade to local bridges under the Australian Government’s new $300 million Bridges Renewal Programme, said Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton. The Abbott/Truss Government is committing $28.5 million matched by proponents to 29 projects across New South Wales as part of Round One of the Bridges Renewal Programme.…
Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton has met with two of the winners from the 2014 Heywire competition in Canberra this week. Mr Coulton said that the annual ABC Heywire Summit is an event that he always looks forward to. “For the past several years I have had the opportunity to meet with young people…
Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton has spoken in parliament about the decision by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) to not oppose the takeover of Australian Consolidated Food Holdings Pty Ltd. Mr Coulton said that he believed comments made by the ACCC chairman Rod Sims indicated that the ACCC only had a limited…
Last week the Federal Nationals Party Room convened in the regional centre of Albury-Wodonga for our first meeting of 2015. With Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss and the rest of the Nationals team, we have established the key areas of policy that will continue to be a priority for us as elected representatives of regional…
You are invited to attend a community information session on the Australian Government’s major new environmental programme the Green Army. The Green Army supports practical, grassroots environment and heritage conservation projects across urban, regional and remote Australia. The Green Army provides young Australians aged 17-24 with the tools they need to help them enter…
Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton has welcomed the release of journalist Peter Greste. Mr Coulton said that Australians were pleased that Mr Greste would be able to come home after spending more than 400 days in an Egyptian jail. “Peter Greste’s family were tireless in their efforts to secure his release,” said Mr Coulton.…
Prior to the Federal Election in 2013 the Coalition made a commitment to hold a review of the Fair Work Laws. The Productivity Commission will undertake this review and has now called for submissions from the public. This independent review will assess the operation of the Fair Work framework and consider options for improvement before…
REGIONAL Development Australia (RDA) will greatly benefit from new appointments to each of its committees. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss said the three-year appointments will provide leadership to RDA organisations to develop a model where all three tiers of government work together. “The RDA committees can play a…
Businesses in the Parkes Electorate are able to apply for support to boost the skills in their workforce with applications now open for the new $476 million Industry Skills Fund. The fund will provide up to 200,000 training places and skills advice for businesses over the next four years. The Industry Skills Fund is a…