It was fantastic to welcome leader of the Nationals David Littleproud back to the Parkes electorate this week.
On Thursday David joined the Nationals candidate for Parkes Jamie Chaffey and myself in Narromine to meet with members of Macquarie River Food and Fibre (MRFF), as well as other local supporters.
I’ve recently been contacted by MRFF and others in the lower Macquarie region about the Federal Government’s review into the Macquarie Marshes’ conservation status.
There is a lot of uncertainly and very little information out there, so I have committed to taking the concerns raised with us back to Canberra.
The farmers and primary producers of the Parkes electorate are the backbone of this country – they should not be kept in the dark on matters that will affect them directly simply because the Labor Government only cares about winning votes based on feel good ideology.
During David’s visit, we also met with Narromine Shire Council to discuss the status of the Inland Rail and how the Coalition’s housing strategy may help fulfil Council’s future plans.
Disaster declared in Far West
Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) have now been activated to provide support to Far West NSW communities impacted by a severe storm cell earlier this month.
Under DRFA, the Australian Government may fund up to 75% of the government assistance available to individuals and communities. The relevant state or territory government then decides which areas get assistance and the type of assistance available.
For more information about available assistance, visit: https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/services/emergencies-and-natural-disasters.
Big wins at Country Press Awards
I was delighted to attend the Country Press NSW Gala Dinner in Dubbo last week.
Our locally owned newspapers understand the importance of local journalism and are committed to ensuring their communities can access strong local media. Well done to all the nominees from the Parkes electorate – your hard work has not gone unnoticed.
Special congratulations goes out to:
The Courier – Best Front Page Over 700 Copies Weekly; Best News Coverage; Conscientious Service to Country Newspapers (Ian and Wanda Dunnet);
Gunnedah Times – Best Advertising Feature; Best Paid Newspaper;
Dubbo Photo News – Best Sports Coverage; Best Print Advertisement (equal best); Best Free Newspaper;
Cobar Weekly – Best Technical Innovation;
Narromine Star – Best Small Publisher; Journalist of the Year (Sharon Bonthuys); and
Coonamble Times – Young Journalist of the Year (Lily Plass).
Services Australia tours electorate
Services Australia’s ‘Golden Wattle’ mobile service centre has been travelling around the Parkes electorate throughout the month of October to provide customers with face-to-face support for Centrelink, Medicare and DVA matters.
This week the Golden Wattle will be visiting:
Gilgandra, near Hunter Park on Warren Road – 29 October, 9:30am to 4:00pm;
Gulargambone, near Bullocks Monument on Coonamble Street – 30 October, 9:30am to 4:00pm;
Coonamble, in front of the visitor information centre on Castlereagh Street – 31 October, 9am to 4pm; and,
Baradine, near the rural transaction centre on Wellington Street – 1 November, 9:30am to 4:00pm.
More dates and locations in the Parkes electorate will be added to the itinerary for November, so check out Services Australia’s website for more information here: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/when-and-where-to-find-mobile-service-centres
Commentary by Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton
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