NEWLY-declared Nationals Member for Parkes, Jamie Chaffey, said he was relieved when the Australian Electoral Commission on Tuesday declared the polls, one month on from election day – now it’s time to get on with the work at hand.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of the Parkes electorate,” Mr Chaffey said. “Over the election campaign I met so many incredible people, and I would like to thank everyone who gave me their vote and supported me during the campaign.

“I am now looking forward to getting to work to fight for every single person in the Parkes electorate to make our area an even better place to live,” he said.

Newly-elected member for Parkes, Jamie Chaffey, and his wife Judy with Parkes Divisional Returning Officer Jess Heiler.

“My new role in the Shadow Ministry will also give me a greater voice for the people of the Parkes electorate, which is made up of diverse economies across 20 local government areas, and the Unincorporated Far West Area, with two of the major economic drivers being the agricultural and resources sectors,” Mr Chaffey said.

“I also acknowledge that people are doing it tough, and as I heard during the campaign, people are really concerned about the lack of access to childcare, healthcare and aged care.

“Once you leave the town boundaries, it’s the state of our roads and telecommunications.

“I want to see sustainable investment continue in the Parkes electorate, including the Inland Rail to drive economic growth as well as our population.

“That means the right projects in the right locations across major infrastructure like road, rail, air, processing and manufacturing,” Mr Chaffey said.

“I want to see truly local, small and medium businesses supported, so that our locals are at the heart of our future success.

“That’s my vision for the Parkes electorate, and one I’m keen to start advocating for,” he said.