The second week of the March Parliament sittings was another busy one.
A 90,000-signature ePetition calling for proportionate, evidence-based and a consultative firearms policy was debated in Parliament this week.
Unfortunately, Labor refused to let me speak.
The ePetition was one of the most popular in Parliament history and addresses the rushed changes to gun laws which Labor implemented before Christmas.
I opposed the changes at the time as the they unfairly penalise law-abiding firearm owners.
It is incredibly disappointing Labor denied myself and my Nationals colleagues the opportunity to contribute to the debate.
My Private Members Statement and Notice of Motion were on fuel security in regional New South Wales.
The impacts across communities are huge, particularly in agriculture.
The cost of running machinery and vehicles is rising every day and our farmers will take a massive cut to their bottom line.
Fertiliser prices have risen as well, which will impact our food supply. Retailers are being hard hit with fuel being hard to source. They are being refused fuel at their normal terminals.
Then the effects of that are further widespread in our communities. If a town can’t get fuel, then the emergency services struggle as well.
I have called on the NSW Government to prioritise fuel supply to regional and rural areas, recognising that fuel supply is essential for the state’s food and fibre production.
I delivered Community Recognition Statements on Vale Lone Petrov, Inverell Probus Club, Armidale Rugby Annual Knockout Carnival, Mungindi Progress Association, Inverell Basketball Association, Bingara Anglers Club Easterfish Competition, Woolbrook Stampede and Bushman’s Challenge, Inverell Meals on Wheels, and the Armidale Running Festival.
I tabled Questions On Notice were on funding for BackTrack, funding for community preschools, drought assistance, on-demand bus services, transmission line infrastructure, fuel crisis, Parkinson’s NSW, firearms laws and water security.
Armidale Autumn Festival
The annual Armidale Autumn Festival was held on Saturday and it was another great event where the community turned out in droves. The air show was popular while thousands of people lined up to view around 50 floats and the multicultural displays in the street parade. Well done to Armidale Regional Council for putting on a fantastic Autumn Festival.
Brendan Moylan and president of the Upper House, Ben Franklin, hosted school leaders from across the Northern Tablelands at Parliament recently.
School leaders in Parliament
Leaders from Uralla Central School, Bingara Central School, Armidale Secondary College, Inverell High School, Walcha Central School, Glen Innes High School, Guyra Central School, Macintyre High School Inverell, Moree Christian School and Moree Secondary College visited NSW Parliament last week. President of the Upper House, Ben Franklin and I hosted the leaders and engaged in meaningful discussions about what leadership means.
Bingara Show
The 95th Bingara was held at the weekend and it was great to see the community out and about supporting it.
There were rides, a pet show, dog high jump, show stock classes and much more. Well done to the show committee.
Drought
Regional New South Wales is copping it from every angle right now, and I’m hearing the same story everywhere I go.
Farmers are battling sky-high fuel costs, fertiliser shortages, dry conditions and feral animals ripping through crops and livestock.
And what’s the Government doing? Not much. Sitting on its hands while hoping the problems will eventually go away.
While farmers are out there trying to keep their businesses afloat, the Minister seems nowhere to be seen. Instead of real action, we’re getting more reviews, more talk, and zero urgency.
Enough is enough. Farmers need support. That means fixing fuel and fertiliser supply, getting serious about feral animals, and delivering real drought assistance.
Active Regional Communities Package
A new round of funding for communities in regional NSW has been unveiled.
A total of $50 million has been allocated into three streams and applications for the Regional Events and Partnerships stream is now open. Grants of $750,000 to $2million are available.
The funding is for regional communities to attract or develop new events, increase accessibility of existing events, boost local economies or upgrade infrastructure. For more information and to apply, visit Regional Events and Partnerships.
Have your say on Local Land Services Regulation remake
The Local Land Services Regulation 2014 is the regulation that supports the Local Land Services Act 2013.
This regulation enables Local Land Services to deliver essential services across areas including biosecurity, emergency management, primary production, and natural resource management.
The current Local Land Services regulation will be repealed on 1 September 2026.
It is proposed to remake this regulation with minor amendments, with it to come into effect on September 1, 2026.
A draft Local Land Services Regulation 2026 and supporting Regulatory Impact Statement have been prepared for consultation and can be viewed HERE.
Have your say by Tuesday, April 28, 2026 by either email [email protected] or post to LLS Policy, PO Box 63, Berry NSW 2535.
What’s On
March 28-29: Seasons of New England at Uralla
April 10-11: Moree Show
April 11: Warialda Races
May 7-10: Warialda Show
May 9: Moree On A Plate at Moree Racecourse
Commentary by Brendan Moylan, Member for Northern Tablelands
How democratic is our system? Why did Labor gag our local members from speaking? How often does that happen?