Rick Wilson
O'Connor · Liberal Party · Australia
“Instead, it is being used to maintain primary health services that are a Commonwealth responsibility. Last week the Local Government Rural Health Funding Alliance hosted a workshop here in Canberra, with more than 30 councils from across Australia coming together with the Australian Local Government Association, the National Rural Health…”
“For many seniors in O'Connor, the cost of seeing a doctor is becoming almost as painful as the diagnosis. I'm running a survey of constituents aged over 65 and have heard from many people who are doing everything they can just to make ends meet only to find they pay more just to access the health care they deserve.”
“As the federal representative of 47 rural, regional and remote shire councils, I rise today to highlight an inequity that should concern all levels of government and all Australians.”
“These are the very councils least able to absorb those costs. The alliance's workshop revealed many more councils paying out hundreds of thousands of dollars per year covering housing, vehicles, medical premises, staff, locum doctor cover and even utilities.”
“But, in the bush, this Labor government expects some of the smallest and most financially constrained councils to carry a responsibility that lies with them. Meanwhile, these same communities see a Medicare underspend of around 50 per cent per person of what is spent on a city dweller.”
“For seniors in O'Connor, health care is becoming less affordable and harder to access. In regional Western Australia, a hospital is not just down the road, and specialist care can be hundreds of kilometres away, yet today there is still not one single urgent care clinic anywhere in my 1.1 million kilometre electorate, despite the Treasure…”
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“I was a young man in the 1990s—I would have been just out of school—when Peter Walsh released his book C onfessions of a Failed Finance Minister . I remember reading that book and being amazed at the clarity he had about how important fiscal discipline is and how hard it is. And it is hard as a finance minister, particularly in a Labor government that's more inclined to spend money on social programs et cetera. It's an amazing read. I'd suggest that every member of parliament should read that book, because it really encapsulates what's happening to our economy at the moment and the government's mismanagement of the economy. Peter Walsh outlined what would happen without that fiscal discipline, and we're actually seeing that roll out here today. The government is showing no restraint, and we're seeing expenditure reaching record levels.”
“Tonight I rise to speak on Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2025-2026, Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2025-2026 and Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2) 2025-2026. For those watching, these bills are about appropriating funds for the government. These funds are for many worthy projects, no question about that. The coalition will be supporting the bills. However, there are some projects that we don't support and there are savings that do have to be made. Before I start on government expenditure and fuelling inflation and fuelling higher interest rates—the other day I saw a timely newspaper article about the late, great Peter Walsh, the finance minister in the initial Hawke government years. Peter Walsh was a farmer from Doodlakine in the member for Durack's electorate.”
“With the government-driven shortage of sheep for domestic processing, coupled with skyrocketing sheep prices, it is unlikely there will be any shipments going forward, which means the live sheep export ban starting 1 May 2028 is effectively upon us already. This makes the rollout of the government's much lauded transition package even more urgent. Funding needs to be refocused on rebuilding confidence and salvaging the livelihoods of participants throughout the supply chain if the sheep meat industry in O'Connor is to be saved.”
“These are now playing out locally and internationally. Many of our Middle East trading partners are impacted by the conflict unfolding on their doorsteps. Kuwait is our biggest live export destination. They also import huge volumes of Australian wheat, barley and chilled sheepmeat. When I visited Kuwait in 2024, it really hit home when they talked about how much they relied on their trusted and longstanding trade relationship with Australia, saying, 'Throughout the Gulf War it was Australia who continued to deliver food to our country of four million citizens who cannot produce their own.' Sadly the last ship sailed to Kuwait some time ago.”
“My electorate of O'Connor once produced the bulk of the sheep destined for live export by sea, but due to government-induced loss of confidence, farmers have been pivoting from sheep production literally in droves. Our state flock has plummeted from 12.7 million in 2022 to an estimated six million, falling below the critical mass for a sustained WA processing sector. Of this $20 million grant allocation, over $16 million has gone to just five processors. My phone has been burning up with devastated sheep farmers asking me why their applications have been rejected when they are the worst affected by the live sheep export ban. How did this government get it so wrong? It was that they just didn't listen. Industry has long warned of the perverse outcomes of banning a perfectly legitimate and ethical live sheep export trade.”
“I rise today to condemn the Cook and Albanese Labor governments for precipitating the closure of the first of my many O'Connor abattoirs. The announced closure of Beaufort River Meats came just one day after WA Minister Jarvis proudly announced the allocation of $20 million in supply chain capacity funding intended to support those affected by this government's nonsensical ban of the live sheep export trade. These are the first live sheep export trade transition dollars to actually reach affected producers and processors. But after almost two years of uncertainty, WA sheep numbers have collapsed to the point where processors are struggling to keep their doors open. This is a massive case of too little coming too late.”
“Labor claims these individuals aren't welcome, yet officials issue passports while the home affairs minister says his hands are tied. Labor is allowing 'self-managed' returns of Islamic State sympathisers, outsourcing our nation's security to NGOs and third parties. Passports are being hand-delivered into conflict zones while public servants are ushered out of meetings. Labor won't use existing passport and exclusion laws to protect our borders, which is why the coalition has introduced the Criminal Code Amendment (Keeping Australia Safe) Bill. This bill requires express ministerial approval before anyone assists a returnee. If a minister wants these people back, they must sign their name to it—no more hiding behind bureaucracy and no more outsourcing security.”
“My home town of Katanning is one of the most harmonious multicultural towns in Western Australia, where migrants have been welcomed for decades, contributing much to the town's economic, social and cultural fabric. The first Malay Christmas Islanders migrated there in the 1970s, taking up jobs in the local abattoir, and were followed by waves of migrants fleeing conflict in their homelands of Afghanistan, Burundi and Burma. All were keen to integrate into a tolerant community made more vibrant through their contributions. Australia is a great country thanks to generations of migrants and their commitment and allegiance to their adopted home. So I stand here today to challenge Labor on their secrecy when it comes to the ISIS brides and our national security.”
“Training was directly aligned with local employment opportunities, yielding a remarkable 85 per cent positive outcome rate. The success of the Laverton Training Centre is testament to Mac's tireless commitment and the strong partnerships he fostered with elders, industry and the community. I've visited the LTC many times, with former leader Peter Dutton, with Julian Leeser and with Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who, without exception, were impressed by the achievements of the young trainees. The Laverton Training Centre has recently been sold to the local Wangkatja Tjungula Aboriginal Corporation, so I take this opportunity to acknowledge Mac's selfless dedication to remote Indigenous training and convey my best wishes for the future of the WTAC Training Centre.”
“I rise today to acknowledge the outstanding contributions of Mac Jensen OAM and the transformative work of the Laverton Training Centre. Mac, a former NORFORCE major who recruited, trained and led remote Indigenous soldiers for many years, has dedicated over 35 years to the Indigenous communities of Western Australia. As the general manager of the Laverton Training Centre, Mac created a beacon of self-determination for young Indigenous men and women across the northern Goldfields and Western Desert. With the support of Australian Potash CEO Matt Shackleton and local gold mines, LTC has delivered nationally accredited vocational training in mining, civil construction and Indigenous ranger skills. Between 2022 and 2025, 300 remote students completed an incredible 1,200 training units, from heavy machinery operation to feral species control.”
“As summer progresses, Keeva has 1,000 hungry deer to feed, many with fawns at foot, and any prospect of turning stock off is limited by local processing capacity of only eight animals per week. With all these delays, Keeva is looking down the barrel, literally, of having to shoot her herd if this trade does not recommence. I close by commending Keeva on her determination to continue Mark's legacy as Australia's premier producer of quality deer velvet, and I call on Minister Collins and the department to redouble their efforts to restore the trade in Australian frozen deer velvet with China. Our reputation as a reliable exporter of fit-for-purpose deer velvet is at stake.”
“In August 2025, Minister Collins provided a glimmer of hope for producers like Keeva Huisman when she stated, 'I'm hopeful the trade may resume in time for the upcoming harvest later this year,' and, 'The department will continue to prioritise the resumption of this trade.' Well, the 2025 harvest is now complete and producers are now stuck with two years of perishable product, which has devalued by up to 45 per cent, whilst unproductive negotiations continue. For my constituent Keeva Huisman, her future has also stalled. She has an unsellable asset and a business with no turnover. She imports skilled labour from New Zealand to harvest a product with no market, and she has had no income for the past two years.”
“While New Zealand promptly renegotiated new protocols and resumed the velvet trade with China, Australia did not. In my communications with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, it appears any progress in their negotiations with the General Administration of Customs of China has been painfully slow. Questions asked in Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Senate estimates in March 2025 revealed DAFF were actually unaware of the May 2023 Chinese ban until May 2024, but they had been working on an interim solution to secure export of the 2024 deer velvet harvest. Meanwhile, Australia's velvet producers were holding that harvest literally on ice at minus 22 degrees Celsius in expensive freezer facilities. I subsequently made several representations to the Minister for Agriculture.”
“I rise today to give this speech in memory of O'Connor constituent, Mark Huisman, an innovative deer farmer and loving husband of Keeva. Since Mark's untimely passing last July, Keeva has worked tirelessly to maintain his legacy, single-handedly running Premier Deer Farm. I visited the farm when Mark was still alive and was guided through their novel agricultural enterprise: selectively breeding deer with antler and velvet characteristics specific to the traditional Chinese medicine market. Deer velvet is worth around $110 per kilogram, and the Huismans are the biggest producers of velvet in Australia, yielding about 35 per cent of our annual harvest. Unfortunately, in May 2023, China ceased importation of frozen deer velvet from both New Zealand and Australia.”
“A cultural leader, mentor and advocate, his work spans Aboriginal health, land, language and the arts. He has empowered communities and preserved culture for future generations. Mrs Betty Loxton of Kalgoorlie was recognised for her decades of charitable and community service. Her lifelong service to civic organisations and support for vulnerable people has earned widespread respect and numerous community honours. Mr Peter Robinson of Kojonup was acknowledged for exceptional service to conservation and the environment. For more than 40 years, he has led and supported environmental campaigns and shaped policy. Finally, the Australia Fire Service Medal was awarded to Mr John Jonker of Manjimup. With over 55 years of frontline service, his courage, technical skill and leadership have saved lives.”
“Today I recognise outstanding Australians whose service reflects the very best of our nation's values: commitment, compassion, courage and care for community, culture and country. The 2026 Australian honours include four appointments to the Order of Australia and one meritorious award for people in my electorate of O'Connor, acknowledging decades of dedication across Western Australia. Mr William Faahan-Smith of Castletown is recognised for extraordinary service to the community through emergency response organisations. Over 40 years with Esperance sea search and rescue and the state emergency service, alongside leadership in Rotary and community safety initiatives, Mr Faahan-Smith's service has saved lives and strengthened our region. Mr Ezzard Flowers of Gnowangerup was honoured for his lifelong service to Indigenous communities.”
“I can tell you anecdotally—I go to the saleyards, I talk to stock agents, I talk to truckies—that sheep numbers are collapsing. People are selling breeding stock as quickly as they can get rid of them. Ironically enough, the good prices that we're seeing today are leading to growers getting out of the industry. They can get good money for the breeding stock which are going to the local abattoirs and being slaughtered. Those sheep will not be breeding a lamb next year so the processors will find it even harder to find stock next year. Now, if you can't keep a many, many multimillion dollar plant operating five days a week, then the viability of that plant becomes questionable. The two biggest abattoirs in my part of the world will find it hard to keep the 350 staff on.”
“The Western Australian sheep flock has traditionally been based on a self-replacing merino flock and the merino wether. The male progeny has traditionally been sold to the live-export trade. That self-replacing merino, as opposed to a British breed—a crossbreed, as we call them, or a shedding sheep—needs to be shorn. It needs to be crutched. There's quite a lot of animal husbandry that goes into that. That supports the shearing teams in our country towns, which in turn puts a fair bit of money through the local pub. Kids go to school in the small local schools. We predicted that this would decimate those towns, and that's exactly what it is doing. Sheep numbers have dropped in Western Australia from 12.2 million sheep in 2022. The only accurate figures we've got from DPIRD are that they dropped to 9.8 million sheep by 2023.”
“Ironically, that has been good for prices. Prices in the sheep industry at the moment are actually quite good. However, we've seen a dramatic drop in the number of breeding stock, which is now leading to abattoirs and processing plants being short of numbers. Just before we came back to Canberra, I was told by my local processor that they were dropping a day a week off their work schedule because they can't get enough numbers. Now, this is very early days in the impact of the government's phase-out of the live-export policy, and the results that many of us have predicted are starting to be manifested. Confidence in the sheep industry in Western Australia collapsed in 2022, after the May 2022 election, when the current government won with a policy to phase out the live-export trade.”
“That is testament to the production gains that have been made by the industry, whether that be through improved machinery, sowing, seeding and harvesting techniques or whether it be through improved varieties, such as Roundup Ready or GM canola, which has allowed growers to sow early, sow dry and take advantage of every drop of rain. In the case of cereals, some of the new varieties are just phenomenal yielders. To the grain growers of WA: well done. To CBH: also well done. Two of my girls worked on the receival points. It was a big job, with 5,000 volunteers. They did a wonderful job of receiving the crop in record time. As machines get bigger, trucks and transport get bigger. But it's not all good news across the Western Australian wheat belt and the Great Southern. In the sheep industry, we are seeing dramatic declines in numbers now.”
“Tonight I rise to give a big shout-out to the grain growers of Western Australia and also to update the House on the plight of sheep producers across Western Australia. Let's start with the good news. This year—and I had an update from Co-operative Bulk Handling today—the Western Australian farmers and grain growers produced a record crop of 27 million tonnes, roughly. That is the estimate of GIWA. The dominant grain handler in Western Australia, CBH, received 24.2 million tonnes. That is 1.3 million tonnes higher than the previous record receivable, so that is an amazing achievement by our Western Australian grain growers. It wasn't a fantastic season—the rains came just in time in most instances—but the crop production was outstanding.”
“The vests that clay target shooters and other shooters, including pistol shooters, wear as a matter of course as part of their sport will now be deemed to be illegal and punishable by a jail sentence of up to five years. Reloading—which is par for the course for sporting shooters, to reload their own ammunition—will now be punished by up to five years in prison. I conclude today by saying that I strongly oppose the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026, and I will always fight for the rights of law-abiding citizens in my electorate of O'Connor.”
“That would suggest, to me, that it's not the guns or the number of guns that are the problem. An additional factor for Western Australians in this debate is that we have just been through a gun buyback scheme conducted by the Western Australian government. As a licensed gun owner myself, I found that process quite traumatic. My dealings with the police department made me feel as if I was a suspected criminal. Many people contacted me—even though I'm a federal member and this was state legislation—about how intimidating and difficult that process was for them. They are now going to be subjected to that process a second time. This ramps up what the Western Australian government did. I'm very disappointed that the member for Hunter isn't here to talk about what he thinks about making vests illegal.”
“I rise today to point out to the House that law-abiding, gun-owning farmers, sporting shooters, recreational shooters, hunters and people who like to get out in the bush and do a bit of target practice are being scapegoated by this government. In the electorate of O'Connor we have many gun owners. We've heard from government members today that—shock, horror—there are four million guns in this country; that's seven people for every one gun. Well, I can tell you that, in the electorate of O'Connor, that ratio would be far higher. Yet, when I think back on my 13 years as the member for O'Connor and how many terrorist attacks there have been in the electorate of O'Connor, that number is zero. When I think back on any serious gun crimes that have taken place in my electorate of O'Connor in 13 years, the number is zero.”
“Above all, we must all of us demonstrate leadership by condemning antisemitic hate when we see it. We need to demonstrate that as leaders of our communities we will not tolerate hateful slogans and marches targeting our Jewish brothers and sisters, because to do anything less will dishonour the memory of those who died so needlessly on 14 December at our nation's favourite beach. May all their memories live on in the hearts and minds of Australians, and may their legacy be a commitment to peace and tolerance for all fellow Australians without regard for religion or ethnicity. We are all one under our Australian flag, so may this be a watershed moment in our shared history.”
“How did we allow antisemitism to fester and grow to the point where innocent Australian families celebrating a religious festival at one of our most iconic beaches were gunned down in cold blood?' The call for a royal commission to find answers, which rang out across the country, was echoed by the good people of O'Connor. There is a steely determination by everyday Australians that this tragedy should never happen again in this country, and that is why the responsibility falls directly on our shoulders in this place. The condolences that have been expressed so eloquently here today will mean nothing if we do not act to prevent this tragedy being repeated. We know some of the actions that are required already. Other measures will be recommended by the royal commission.”
“Geographically, O'Connor is about as far away from Bondi Beach as you can get and still be within continental Australia, but Bondi holds a special part in the hearts of all Australians, and the people of O'Connor were shocked at the desecration of this most revered place. They were shocked that our Jewish community were singled out and targeted while celebrating the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah. They were shocked that families that had gathered to light candles, to sing and to pray were torn apart in a moment of mayhem and destruction. My office has been inundated with calls from constituents offering condolences and sympathy for the loss. They were heartfelt and sincere. But beneath that genuine sympathy I detected a burning anger. People have asked: 'How did it come to this?”
“As literally the last opposition speaker on today's condolence motions, I've heard many fine contributions on the tragedy that was 14 December: speeches acknowledging the heartache and loss suffered by the families and loved ones of the 15 innocents who were killed on that fateful day in Bondi, and speeches acknowledging the heroism of those who ran towards gunfire to help their fellow Australians—heroes including members of the public, the police, paramedics and the lifesavers who are here in the gallery this morning, performing actions which, for many Australians, have restored their faith in the people of our great nation. These were everyday heroes not afraid to act bravely without thought for their personal safety. I can only add my condolences on behalf of myself, my family and the communities across my vast electorate of O'Connor.”
“Shire president Peter Smith told the West Australian : If we don't have a doctor, we don't have a medical clinic … Then we won't have a hospital … we won't have a chemist … and so the demise will continue. This mantra is echoed by many of the 47 regional shires across O'Connor and was reiterated in the inquiry into local government sustainability currently being conducted by the House Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport. In the committee's interim report, the chair of the committee, the member for Solomon, said— (Time expired)”
“In Esperance, with a population of 17,000, none of the GP practices contacted had taken up the fully bulk-billing option, and only one clinic indicated that they were open to doing so in the future. On the plus side, a constituent from Wagin, with a population of 1,800, responded that their town's only GP was now fully bulk-billing. Unfortunately, for many of our O'Connor towns there is no local doctor. Increasingly it has fallen to local government authorities to secure and sustain medical services for their residents. In 2023 the Wheatbelt shire of Quairading made national headlines when they offered a package of $1 million to secure a GP. On top of a base salary, the shire was providing a four-bedroom house and covering all running costs at the clinic.”
“This year's Cleanbill Blue report states that the average out-of-pocket cost for someone visiting a GP in O'Connor is now at $45.41. That's an increase of five per cent. Last week's West Australian published an article headlined '$8.5 billion bulk-bill baulk'. It stated that, despite the much-lauded commencement of bulk-billing reform, figures across Perth had failed to improve. Citing the government's official health website, Healthdirect, the West found that only two out of 30 GP clinics fully bulk-billed in each of the large Perth metropolitan centres, Joondalup and Midland. In Fremantle and Mandurah, only five out of a collective 60 clinics advertised that they fully bulk-billed. I conducted a quick search for my electorate. The city of Albany, with a population of 40,000, has only one practice advertised as fully bulk-billed.”
“My constituents, like all Australians, treat health care and access to Medicare as a major priority. During the election campaign, Prime Minister Albanese promised on over 70 occasions that Australians would be able to see their doctor with nothing more than a Medicare card, but recently published Medicare data shows that bulk billing nationally stands at 77.6 per cent—unimproved from a year ago. The PM isn't fooling anyone in my electorate of O'Connor, where bulk-billing rates have dropped to 76.1 per cent. Under the previous coalition government, O'Connor's bulk-billing rates were 84.4 per cent, which means bulk-billing rates have actually dropped 8.7 per cent under Labor in my electorate. In 2022, the average out-of-pocket cost for a visit to the doctor in O'Connor was $43.19.”
“I pay tribute to Malcolm Heasman and his leadership of the tight team of locals who had a clear vision for a newspaper that would engage the local community, support local businesses and provide topical local news. To Geoff, Nikki, Greg, Clara and Roslyn: thank you for your dedication to the Esperance community and for producing a paper that delivered on its purpose until the end. I know that your drive and talent will stand you in good stead for the future.”
“In closing, I'd like to say a big thank you to a much valued community asset that closed its business doors last week, the Esperance Weekender . A casualty of COVID, the town's previous local masthead closed in 2020, and the resourceful locals established a new weekly newspaper, the Esperance Weekender , to fill the news void. It was started more as a social enterprise than a business prospect due to a combination of economic uncertainty and what the local appetite for advertising might be. Editor Geoff Vivian had previous experience on another independent newspaper that had folded, the Great Southern Weekender . Geoff was appointed in 2022 and was still at the helm when the final edition hit the newsstands on Friday 14 November.”
“In this, my final parliamentary speech of 2025, I take this opportunity to thank the entire O'Connor community for putting their faith in me by re-electing me for a fifth term. I promise to continue to work hard to represent your interests in Canberra and make sure regional communities like ours thrive and grow. O'Connor is an electorate of great beauty, varied and wonderful people, and boundless opportunity. At this time of year, whatever your faith, I hope Christmas provides you with time to reflect on the year past and make plans for the future. It's an opportunity to appreciate the simple things in life: good food, good friends and the love of your partner and family. I'll close by wishing you a merry Christmas, a blessed holiday season and a healthy, hopeful start to a terrific 2026.”
“I'd like to start this constituency statement with a big shout-out to this year's school leavers as they celebrate the end of their school days and the beginning of summer holidays. You've all worked so hard, and I'm sure I join your parents, siblings and friends in congratulating you on this milestone achievement. I trust you're safely celebrating at the end of your journey through primary and secondary education, sharing your joy with the friends you have made along the way, who will likely be there for you long into the future. I wish you every success for your brave new journey into continuing education, training or employment and what I'm sure will be a bright future ahead.”
“For our mining operations that extract gold, coal, bauxite, nickel, lithium, graphite and rare earths, this will add to the already considerable costs of complying with the safeguard mechanism. An O'Connor miner recently stated that they are investing in solar and wind power at twice the cost per megawatt hour of diesel generation and are installing battery storage at twice the cost per megawatt hour, and they still need diesel generators to back it all up. Climate Change Authority chair Matt Kean recently described the diesel fuel rebate scheme as insane. But what is insane is to further harm the primary producers who feed and clothe our nation and the miners extracting the very minerals on which this government's net zero aspirations rely.”
“My electorate of O'Connor is ground zero for net zero. I've spoken recently about the devastating effects of Labor's safeguard mechanism, capacity mechanism and vehicle emissions reduction scheme on our miners and primary producers. Now they're coming after the diesel fuel rebate scheme. Just to be clear, the diesel fuel excise is designed to fund the maintenance of Australia's public roads, so the fuel credit scheme rebates diesel used for off-road business activities—activities like the seeding and harvesting of grain; the irrigation, mechanised pruning, picking and packing of our fruit and veg; and the fuelling of boats used to sustainably harvest O'Connor's premium finfish, abalone and southern rock lobster.”
“The Albanese government and the Bureau of Meteorology have failed to deliver what is a critical tool for regional businesses and individuals. These people rely on accurate weather reporting that makes sense and is user friendly. More resources should be directed to daily forecasting and fewer to climate modelling and homogenisation of past data. This is the weather forecast that the good people of O'Connor rely on to make everyday decisions, not climate change modelling for COP31.”
“He felt that the previous radar map provided easy-to-comprehend wind speed and direction, temperature and rain information, with a colour gradient that made sense to the colourblind. With grain harvest well and truly underway in WA, farmers want and need accurate forecasts to plan and manage the delivery and storage of grain. The $4.1 million cost of the new website is outrageous if it has not improved the functionality and reliability for users. After spending $866 million across seven years on the Robust project, you would think that the bureau could get the public-facing website right. People want to check the radar and see relevant information at a glance, not click through layers of content or try to interpret what the colours mean. Words and symbols on a map matter and provide meaning.”
“She said she's struggling to read it even with a magnifying glass, and the ability to enlarge text seems to have disappeared. She was also unhappy that the new map coverage did not give her the ability to predict inclement weather. I believe this helpful lady shares this information with her fellow seniors so they can plan to leave their homes on their mobility scooters to shop and to meet up. She now has no confidence as to how long the clear weather will last or when the bad weather will hit. A farmer from Ravensthorpe who flies a plane also said he wanted the colour gradient from the old website to return. He's actually colourblind, an affliction that affects eight per cent of men.”
“The Bureau of Meteorology has just spent $4.1 million creating a new website that delivers net zero benefits in weather information. Social media, particularly rural and regional pages like Farm Twitter, has been burning up with comments like 'epic fail', 'the worst website redesign for many years' and 'improvements that result in less transparency and usability'. There are others who helpfully provide a link back to the old version, particularly for radar observations. My staff have taken calls and had visits from constituents who could not comprehend how the Bureau of Meteorology could get it so wrong. An elderly constituent from Esperance complained that the font and colour scheme were badly designed for those with poor vision.”
“He thought the life of this equipment could be extended and the equipment used in communities in and around Suva through his connection with the Fiji Disabled Peoples Federation. Mobility Devices for Fiji will be collecting wheelchairs, walkers, sticks, crutches, walking frames and shower chairs, with the aim of delivering them to Fiji in the first half of 2026. I'm proud to endorse this practical O'Connor project that will deliver important social outcomes in Fiji and strengthen the links between the people and organisations of our two great countries.”
“I rise today to commend a great community initiative called Mobility Devices for Fiji, which will be launched this Friday at the Albany show in the Great Southern region of O'Connor. Mobility Devices for Fiji is the brainchild of Joseph Raikoti, a disability support worker with Community Living Australia and a proud Fijian-born Australian living in Albany. This project will deliver mobility equipment from the electorate of O'Connor to our friends in Fiji. It's a project I'm proud to support in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Albany City, Scott Leary MLA and the City of Albany. In the course of his work, Joseph noticed that a surplus of mobility equipment was no longer being used or had been discarded or sent to landfill.”
“They've dispensed with the Roads of Strategic Importance program and are abolishing the popular Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program. In contrast, when the coalition was in government, we prioritised funding programs for regional roads and freight routes, accident black spots, bridges renewal and heavy-vehicle rest bays. This is how you keep regional roads safe and the wheels of enterprise and leisure turning, all while reducing driver fatigue, one of the greatest contributors to road crashes and fatalities. A blanket reduction from 100 to 70 or even 80 kilometres an hour across our regional road networks simply makes no sense. Labor's go-slow will only increase travel times and driver fatigue and impede the delivery of critical goods and services to regional electorates like O'Connor.”
“I rise today to stand with the people of O'Connor, whose lives will be negatively impacted by the Albanese government's proposal to lower the default regional road speed to as low as 70 kilometres per hour. Thankfully, the coalition noticed that the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts' public submission process was not open for the requisite 42 days and secured an extension. Now regional residents, tourists, transporters, farmers and business owners have a proper opportunity to have their say on the cost and inconvenience of this bad policy. O'Connor's 20,000 kilometres of regional roads are already badly neglected, following the 2023 government review which led to Labor cutting regional road funding.”
“The Grattan Institute modelled similar effects on the costs of agricultural chemicals, up five to 15 per cent, and lime and on-farm diesel, also up five to 15 per cent. Just this weekend, climate czar Matt Kean floated the removal of the diesel tax rebate. For a 4,000-hectare WA wheat-sheep farm, this could add more than $200,000 per year in additional costs by 2030. So, to achieve these net zero goals, we're already decimating the mining industry across my electorate, inflicting serious damage on our agriculture and transport industries and hitting the hip pockets of everyday people living in O'Connor, all for a climate goal that most of the international community is coming to realise will never be reached. The only thing we're on track for is impoverishing our great country, for no gain to the global climate.”
“At the end of the day, for my electorate it's the hardworking businesses and taxpayers of O'Connor underwriting these projects. These imposts effectively constitute a carbon tax. Treasury recently referred to the cost per tonne of carbon—which is effectively the same as a carbon tax—as around $65 per tonne to achieve targets of 43 per cent emissions reduction by 2030, and then up to $323 per tonne to reach net zero by 2050. People may recall—and I'm sure people on the other side will recall—that when the Gillard government was unceremoniously dumped in 2013 the carbon price was $23 a tonne. Now to the impact on agriculture. The CSIRO recently modelled that a carbon cost of $70 per tonne of CO2 would add $150 to $200 per tonne to the cost of urea.”
“Landowners and volunteer firefighters who have lived through raging bushfires know a wind farm makes agricultural land and adjacent wildlife havens indefensible by air. Where are the guarantees for environmental restoration at the end of the life of these renewables? Will farmers and shire councils be left with the environmental remediation burden after cashed-up multinationals have cut and run? But the renewable energy fallout doesn't stop here for the good people of O'Connor, where the most popular vehicles for work and leisure are the Toyota HiLux and the Ford Ranger. Labor's vehicle emissions reduction scheme will drive up the price of these vehicles, as electric vehicles are simply not suitable in my electorate, where people can drive up to 600 or 700 kilometres just for a doctor's appointment.”
“Meanwhile, the capacity mechanism is incentivising renewable energy projects across the agricultural areas of my electorate. Under the capacity mechanism, taxpayer dollars are underwriting the profits of largely multinational or international companies to build wind and solar farms across some of the most productive farmland in the country, where this year's grainyards will potentially be the highest ever and stock prices are at record highs. These wind and solar projects are creating considerable community division. Last week I visited Narrogin, which will soon host three wind farm projects. There is open tension between those who accept the wind farm windfall and those who want to continue farming as their forebears did. Some residents are concerned about visual and noise pollution or are fearful of potential adverse health effects.”