Andrew Gee
Calare · Independent · Australia
“She also plans to engage medical, nursing and allied health students, giving them a unique opportunity to assist local patients while gaining invaluable 'community credits' for their participation. This initiative proves once again that the spirit of community care is alive and well in Bathurst.”
“There just aren't as many providers in country areas, and participants and providers often have to travel long distances in order to meet and get those services delivered—and to help country Australians on the ground. So I will be supporting these amendments. I think they are very important for the modern Australia that we live in.”
“I wish to support the amendments moved by the member for Fowler. They are important amendments not only for the member for Fowler's electorate but for all electorates across this country.”
“I rise today to celebrate a wonderful new community initiative in the Central West, the official launch of the Friends of Bathurst Hospital. Hospitals can be daunting, confusing and stressful places for anyone to navigate.”
“I want to say a big thank you to outgoing Rotary Club of Bathurst Daybreak president, Craig Ronan, for his leadership over the past 12 months and offer my congratulations to incoming president Erik Mol.”
“Volunteer coordinator Sylvia Gore so beautifully put it: Our health service and its staff do such important work caring for our community every single day, and the Friends of Bathurst Hospital is an opportunity for people to support that work but also help look after one another too.”
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“We are very grateful for the formation of this community group, and we wish Sylvia and the volunteers all the best for their work ahead.”
“She also plans to engage medical, nursing and allied health students, giving them a unique opportunity to assist local patients while gaining invaluable 'community credits' for their participation. This initiative proves once again that the spirit of community care is alive and well in Bathurst. I encourage anyone with a bit of spare time and a passion for helping others to answer the call, step forward and volunteer for this brilliant cause. Thank you, Sylvia, and thank you to the Friends of Bathurst Hospital. The Bathurst community is lucky to have you. We also thank all of those who are supporting the Friends of Bathurst Hospital, including our wonderful friends at the Rotary Club of Bathurst Daybreak and, as I have previously mentioned, the team at Bathurst Health Service, led by Joe Holden.”
“I want to say a big thank you to outgoing Rotary Club of Bathurst Daybreak president, Craig Ronan, for his leadership over the past 12 months and offer my congratulations to incoming president Erik Mol. The members of the Rotary Club of Bathurst Daybreak generously donated $1,000 to the Friends of Bathurst Hospital, which will help provide uniforms and other essentials and will get the Wayfinders on the hospital floor. Looking ahead, the long-term vision for the Friends of Bathurst Hospital is incredibly inspiring. In the future, Sylvia hopes to see the program expand to offer dedicated support, care and accommodation for dementia patients and their families.”
“Volunteer coordinator Sylvia Gore so beautifully put it: Our health service and its staff do such important work caring for our community every single day, and the Friends of Bathurst Hospital is an opportunity for people to support that work but also help look after one another too. Sylvia's tireless passion and dedication have truly brought this vision to life. Of course, great community movements require a strong team, and Sylvia has been brilliantly supported along the way by Bathurst Health Service general manager, Jo Holden, along with Jen Coote and Gabrielle Nicholls. They have been a brilliant support to the formation of this group.”
“I rise today to celebrate a wonderful new community initiative in the Central West, the official launch of the Friends of Bathurst Hospital. Hospitals can be daunting, confusing and stressful places for anyone to navigate. This fantastic new group has been established to completely change that experience, bringing a warm, welcoming and deeply local touch to the health service for patients, staff, visitors and families alike. Their very first initiative is the rollout of the Wayfinder program. Wayfinders will act as a friendly face, helping people find their way through the busy corridors, answering simple questions and, crucially, easing the anxiety that so often comes with a hospital visit.”
“We should be doing anything that we can be doing to bridge that tyranny of distance—that Great Dividing Range that we call the sandstone curtain divides us in so many different ways. It divides us in health outcomes. It divides us in education outcomes. It divides us in wages and how much people earn. It also divides us in the delivery of services such as the NDIS. The member for Fowler has my backing 100 per cent on this, and I would urge all members to support these important amendments.”
“There just aren't as many providers in country areas, and participants and providers often have to travel long distances in order to meet and get those services delivered—and to help country Australians on the ground. So I will be supporting these amendments. I think they are very important for the modern Australia that we live in. They encompass situations that affect all of our electorates, including the member for Fowler's, and they also have an element that recognises the barriers to accessing NDIS services that country people face. They are serious barriers, I will be supporting the amendment for those reasons, and I commend it to the House. I would ask all members to support this because they cover not only city electorates like the member for Fowler's but also country electorates too.”
“I wish to support the amendments moved by the member for Fowler. They are important amendments not only for the member for Fowler's electorate but for all electorates across this country. I think all members here want the NDIS to be as effective as possible and to actually ensure that participants have effective access to the services, and that's why these amendments are so important. They speak to the NDIS being linguistically and culturally accessible, and that is something that all of us should be supporting. But they also speak to a person's geographical location, and I commend the member for Fowler for raising that issue in this House. In country electorates, we face the tyranny of distance in so many different ways, and that includes delivery of services like the NDIS.”
“That report said on page 8: No Commonwealth or state intelligence or law enforcement agency has suggested that it was prevented from taking prohibitive actions before or on 14 December 2025 by the then current legislative and authorising framework. In these respects, no issue requiring urgent or immediate action has been identified. That's what we're worried about: that law-abiding gun owners are going to bear the brunt of these laws for political reasons, and we're not actually going to get to the bottom of what happened and we're not going to be dealing with the genuine issues out there that this country needs to address.”
“You've got political parties using these laws to deflect from the failings of government, which, quite frankly, could and should have prevented these attacks, and our streets are awash with illegal firearms. I recently spoke to a police officer and had this conversation with him. What we need to be doing is getting those illegal firearms off the street, not penalising law-abiding firearm owners, who are doing the right thing and continue to do the right thing, and also the small-business owners who are going broke because of these laws. What we want is for the government to get to the bottom of what went on that day. But the interim royal commission report which was released was very concerning.”
“One of the other things that law-abiding gun owners are asking is: who exactly should these laws be targeting? They're not targeting criminals at the moment. Criminals and terrorists do not obtain firearms, generally, through legal channels, they do not comply with licensing regimes, and they are not going to be the ones to hand in illegal weapons as part of a buyback scheme. It's going to be the law-abiding gun owners that hand in their guns, and the simple truth is that these laws do not address the core issue of illegal firearms and the networks that supply them. Instead, they penalise those who are already doing the right things. The crooks and the terrorists are not going to be handing in their guns.”
“The biggest requirement that has slowed sales is the permit process. I am taking more people through the Firearm Safety Training course, but everything stalls after they complete the course because of the permit process. The biggest thing for people is the uncertainty of it all, what do we do? It's very stressful. He then adds: Being in Mudgee and having to deal with the closure of the Great Western Highway has also compounded these issues because people simply stop … coming out to the Central West. Firearm retailers across the country are reporting dramatic downturns in sales, some by as much as 75 per cent. These businesses are being destroyed. These business owners have put their lives into these businesses and made massive financial investments, and these businesses are literally being destroyed.”
“Ray said: You have to make significant cuts to keep things going. We were already locked into rent and other bill payments when reforms were introduced, so there is no way out. For now, Ray and Matt struggle with no direction. He added: It's frustrating, you just have to try and keep people in jobs and pay your bills. These are small businesses that are going out of business because of these gun laws, both state and federal. Shane from Mudgee Firearms has had to take up other work to keep his staff employed and his shop open. Shane said: Since the laws were passed trade is down … 80%, he said speaking with some other local businesses trade is down to 85%. Like Glenn from Bullets & Bits, Shane said: We have to now heavily rely on the sale of ammunition to keep things afloat.”
“Matt said: In the last six months we've sold 15 firearms, when before we sold between 3—5 firearms per week. When you're not selling firearms, you're not selling the accessories like scopes sand mounts— that should be 'scopes and mounts'— the only real turnover is ammunition. Ray and Matt have also had to pull stock off the shelves and remove clothes racks out of the store, because they can't afford to restock them. Ray said: Before the gun laws were passed, we ordered a lot of stock for 2027 and now we simply can't sell it. It's had a significant impact on my staff with hours being reduced and cut back. They said the ability for people to purchase a firearm permit is up from 28 days to 120 days, averaging around 90 days. All of this combined has had a big flow-on effect to wages and employment.”
“These sentiments are widely shared. He says: In regional communities, firearms are part of everyday life. They are used responsibly in farming, pest control, and sporting activities. They are tools of trade and tradition, managed under strict licensing and regulation. Yet he feels that, under these new laws, these same law-abiding individuals are being unfairly affected and unfairly treated. He adds: Small businesses, like his, are bearing the brunt of these changes. I know of a local gun shop owner that usually sold between 15 and 20 firearms per month, he is now lucky to make a single sale every three or four months. Ray Hawkins and Matt Shirm from Bullets & Bits in Orange shared Glenn's view and said the new gun laws are having a hugely adverse impact.”
“In the aftermath of that, law-abiding gun owners in regional New South Wales and Australia have been shocked that the law turned to them rather than asking these key questions in the first instance. This is not good governance, and it's not respectful policy-making that engages and consults with regional Australians. In the electorate of Calare, the impacts of these reforms are far reaching. They are hitting our small-business people and genuine, licensed firearm owners. Take, for example, the story shared with me by Glenn Floyd from Canobolas Hunting Club. Glenn, like many others, has expressed deep concern about not just the substance of the laws but also the process. He spoke about the complete lack of transparency and the growing sense of uncertainty and of everything being up in the air with too many unanswered questions.”
“Instead, the first impulse was to immediately push for tighter gun laws, and that decision left many people asking, 'Why the reluctance to fully examine the circumstances that allowed such an act of terror to unfold?' There are serious questions that remain unanswered—questions like how individuals with known links to extremism, dating back years, were able to get access to licensed firearms in circumstances where at least one of them was on a watch list. How was it that alarm bells weren't ringing when these people visited high-risk regions or extremist hot spots? Where were the gaps in our intelligence-sharing systems, and why were they not closed earlier? How did these terrorists slip through the net? These are not abstract questions.”
“Above all, it's to ensure that we are seeking to prevent future harm and, in doing so, that we do not unfairly penalise those who have done nothing wrong. Unfortunately, what we've seen from the state and federal governments has fallen short of that standard. From the very beginning, many country Australians observed that the government's first instinct was not to call a full and transparent royal commission into the causes of this terrorist attack.”
“I rise today to speak on an issue that has caused deep concern, frustration and real distress within communities and country communities right across our nation, particularly those communities in regional Australia. I speak of the recent state and federal gun law reforms and the way they have been introduced, rushed through and ultimately imposed upon law-abiding Australians. Let me begin by stating clearly that every single one of us in this chamber condemns without hesitation the horrific acts of violence that occurred on 14 December 2025. These acts of terror were evil, they were shocking, and it shook our sense of safety as a nation. In the face of such tragedy and such terror, our responsibility as lawmakers is to respond carefully, transparently and based on evidence.”
“My question is to the Infrastructure minister. The New South Wales government's recently announced fix for the 'convict bridge' on the Great Western Highway merely replicates an 1832 one-lane-each-way bottleneck and locks in a hopelessly inadequate business support package. It's all second best while Sydney gets billions. Has the New South Wales government approached you or the federal government for funding for either the roadworks or the support package, and will your government now stump up funding to get us some decent highway access and a support package that genuinely helps our businesses that are dying because of government negligence?”
“The hall's energetic committee don't look for recognition but are highly deserving of community appreciation, so today I'm very pleased to thank President Deirdre Molloy—Deirdre has been involved in the Mandurama Public Hall since she was 17 and has been the president for an incredible 54 years; Secretary Tanya Molloy; Treasurer Johanna Richardson; and committee member Christine Hepplestone. I sincerely thank the Mandurama Public Hall Committee for the fantastic work its members do. Our country halls bring people together in good times and bad. They help keep our communities strong. Mandurama and its districts would not be the same without its iconic community hall, and I again thank and congratulate the committee members of the mighty Mandurama Public Hall. Our community is very grateful for all that they do for us.”
“As a member of the Rotary Club of Blayney shared with me recently: 'We work as a team, we do everything we do to make our community stronger and better, and we'll rise up to take any challenge.' As the late, great Slim Dusty once sang: … let me sing where the rafters ring In an old time country hall … and Mandurama Public Hall is over 100 years old, and it continues to be the cornerstone of the community. From hosting christenings to council meetings to weddings to working bees, it's a vital place for the community to come together and connect.”
“Their current projects include providing domestic violence escape bags, which are placed around the community for people experiencing physical and emotional domestic violence to access; and a toy library—this initiative has been running for 1½ years, with over 1,000 toys borrowed. Recently, Blayney Rotary celebrated an incredible 70 years of service to the community, at its local annual Changeover Dinner. I'd like to congratulate those members who received Paul Harris fellowships on the night, including Michael Baker, Della Baker, Frank Akehurst, Greg Hooper and Graeme May. Well done and thank you to outgoing president Rohan Hoadley and his team for a great year, and a hearty congratulations to incoming president Heather Ferguson. We wish her and the new executive team the very best for the year ahead.”
“I rise today to acknowledge and recognise the great work of the Rotary Club of Blayney. Since 1956, the Rotary Club of Blayney has made a significant difference to the Central West through countless community projects, including fundraising efforts and providing support to local initiatives and organisations, with compassion, kindness and generosity. The Rotary Club of Blayney is a small club that punches well above its weight. It has delivered and supported key projects in the region, including a palliative care ward at Blayney Health Service, the community bus, the establishment of the local swimming pool and Church Hill Rotary Lookout, and is delivering projects for young people, including the model United Nations, youth exchange, leadership awards and driver awareness courses.”
“There don't appear to be any consequences for their vandalism. I'm talking about the killing and orphaning of native Australian baby birds, the mowing down of centuries-old wildlife corridors and now the wanton destruction of Wiradjuri cultural sites. If anyone else was doing this, they'd be up before the courts and in the slammer in a heartbeat. The Minister for the Environment and Water did not take any action on the destruction at Merotherie Road, and we haven't heard anything about any action being taken on the cultural heritage damage either. They investigate, but nothing ever happens. ACEREZ should not be above the law or above scrutiny and accountability. It needs to change its ways and be brought to heel.”
“Transmission line developer ACEREZ has put out a statement about its recent destruction of a Wiradjuri rock shelter in the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone. This is all just damage control, spin and crocodile tears. This was no accident. This site was clearly marked. They knew it was there, and yet a deliberate decision was taken to destroy it. Where's the explanation as to what actually happened here? Two months went by until they told Wiradjuri groups, and ACEREZ continues to stay dead silent on the other cultural sites that Wiradjuri representatives say have been damaged, including grinding grooves on Merotherie Road, at least one scar tree and other artefacts. People hate the hypocrisy of this. Because this is a NSW government project in a Renewable Energy Zone, ACEREZ and EnergyCo seem to think that they are above the law.”
“We've had a gutful. It's the oldest rule in the book: you break it, you buy it. You knew the bridge was crumbling. You failed to upgrade it. Your neglect broke our economy, and now it's time to pay up. Do your jobs. Start governing for people west of the Great Dividing Range.”
“Meanwhile, our communities on the other side of the sandstone curtain are left with empty words and small change. This is an absolute fiasco. Offering tiny, one-off grants that businesses can't even access until late June, forcing them to jump through bureaucratic hoops for a drip-fed pittance, is an insulting disgrace. We don't need more phone numbers and helplines. We want economic justice. We demand an ongoing, structured support package, a JobKeeper-style lifeline that matches the scale of the damage that this government has inflicted upon us. We want the Convict Bridge fixed and we want new, genuine high-speed access to Sydney. How many more shops and businesses need to close before you wake up? How many more families have to lose everything before this government steps up, takes responsibility and pays for its own failures?”
“Well, I've got news for you: we shouldn't need to wait for a bushfire, flood or act of God to get access to government support. This is a government made disaster. Government inaction caused it. They've admitted it and they just need to take responsibility, open the coffers and spend the money, but they won't do it. They won't do it, because they're too busy hoarding billions of dollars for their gold-plated vanity projects in Sydney and Newcastle, such as $7.4 billion for the Western Harbour Tunnel, $2.1 billion for the expressway to the new Sydney airport, $3.1 billion for the M6 Motorway in Sydney's south, $2.2 billion for the M1 extension to Raymond Terrace, $440 million for Windsor Road and up to $90 billion for high-speed rail to Newcastle.”
“The regular customers from the Blue Mountains can't reach them. Rod's words should haunt this parliament. He told me: 'We have got to the stage where we really need to just move out, lock up and go. We've got no choice.' After 30 years in business, they have been forced to shut down. There are many others who are simply going broke. The impacts are felt across the Central West. Tourism is down right across the region. This is the heartbreaking reality on the ground. And how does the New South Wales government respond? With a pathetic business support package that is woefully, hopelessly inadequate, which barely extends past Hartley and completely abandons Lithgow and beyond. We're told that we can't get disaster relief, because this isn't a natural disaster.”
“The best the government can offer our struggling business owners is a pat on the head, a few crumbs and a recommendation to call a helpline. It's an insult, a sick joke. Are we seriously at the point where we need to sue our own governments just to get them to fix a disaster that they admitted that they created? Main Street Lithgow is being bled dry and businesses are going broke. I've been out on Chifley Road talking to hardworking business owners who are staring down the barrel of financial ruin. Greg Nelson from Lithgow Tyre Service told me the drive-in trade has almost completely vanished, because people are terrified of being trapped in traffic gridlock for hours. Rod and Anne Gurney from R&A Chainsaw and Mower Supplies are watching cars and trucks shake their building every single day, but no-one can stop in.”
“We are now more than 100 days into the catastrophic, indefinite closure of the Great Western Highway at Victoria Pass. This is no longer a short-term disruption. It's a drawn-out economic execution of our region, and it's happening because of sheer, unadulterated government neglect. Let's be real about this. If a private corporation had caused this closure and shut down a major economic artery for over three months, starving our towns of customers and destroying local livelihoods, we wouldn't just be angry; we would be suing them into oblivion. Yet, when the government admits this disaster was a failure of government because of their inaction and negligence, what do we get? Accountability? Real compensation? No.”
“We wish you many, many more years of wonderful community service and thank you all for your extraordinary contribution to Gulgong, our region and our country. We cannot do without our CWA.”
“In Gulgong's CWA Hall, there was a wonderful centenary display, which reflected both the organisation's rich history and its contribution to the community. Gulgong CWA are a small but mighty group of women, hosting a market on the fourth Saturday of each month and providing catering for coach tours and other key tourism activities. In the words of President Robyn Jones: The proceeds from these activities helps keep the hall open and keeps us on our toes! Gulgong is our main priority and so is keeping our CWA going for another 100 years! Congratulations to the Gulgong CWA members: President Robyn Jones, who is an outstanding leader; Treasurer Penny Pinnock; Secretary Lorraine Richards; Margaret Reid; Janette Lewis; Natalie Buckle; Liz Rowden and Linda Howard. Happy birthday, Gulgong CWA!”
“I'd like to thank and recognise Bill Murphy and his hardworking team of volunteers for bringing us this wonderful celebration of our history and 50 years of magic. They included Simone Grundy, and also Heath Atchison, Stephen Hunter, Craig Ryan, Brigid Glover, Simone Sheridan, Margi Jackson, Corey Andrews, Christina Thomlinson, Janelle Hasler and Alan Walker. During the Henry Lawson festival, we also celebrated 100 years of the Gulgong Country Women's Association. It's been a remarkable century of service, resilience and community connection. Founded to support women in rural and regional areas, the CWA has long played a vital role in strengthening communities through advocacy, friendship and practical support.”
“I recently had the honour of opening the 50th Henry Lawson festival in the historic goldfields town of Gulgong. Honouring one of Australia's most iconic writers, the festival brought together locals and visitors to recognise Henry Lawson's enduring contribution to poetry and storytelling. He spent his formative years in the Gulgong area. The festival drew a massive crowd, and the ongoing success of the festival is a testament to the power of the Gulgong community. Some of the highlights included helping to present our young artists with their medals—congratulations, Sierra, on your first place; taking my 1962 Falcon ute in the huge street parade; and watching old Henry Lawson cut his 159th birthday cake!”
“This game-changing program trains doctors in the bush for practice in the bush. There are only 47 students at present, and more are desperately needed. Government changes to distribution priority areas saw a great movement of overseas-trained doctors away from the bush. My Doctors for the Bush Bill remedies this, and the government should get behind it. It restores the priority that country areas should have in accessing a GP. Country people demand and deserve nothing less than equality in access to doctors, medical services and affordable health care. We are sick and tired of city-centric health policies. The government must address the rural doctor shortage crisis on the double.”
“The further away you live from a city, the shorter your life expectancy—that's the shocking truth about Australian health care. The fact is that people in remote areas are dying 15 years earlier than their city cousins. The sandstone curtain of the Great Dividing Range doesn't just divide city and country; it divides us on our life expectancy and our access to health care. Last week I met with Mudgee doctors Rebecca Devitt and Tim Jones. They informed me of the immense difficulties in attracting doctors to the bush. The rural doctor shortage crisis is getting worse, and the government needs to act. One thing the government can do right now is give Charles Sturt University an extra 10 places for its medical school. There's an application in with the health minister as we speak.”
“Even though there are diversion roads in place, the number of tourists coming from the Sydney area and beyond has dropped dramatically, and this is having a major impact on cellar doors and tourism, and it is a major crisis facing our whole region. We have this issue with our wine industry, which is being made a lot worse by what's happening with government inaction, both state and federal, on the Great Western Highway. I would urge the state government and the federal government to show some leadership on this issue. The Premier of New South Wales needs to come out to our part of the world and see the impact that this highway closure is having on our businesses, and we need government support to sort out our wine industry as well.”
“Right across the region, there are great innovators and great winemakers. At the 2025 Orange Wine Show, Printhie Wines again took out the award for best wine of the show, with their 2016 vintage sparkling. Over at Mudgee Wine Show, Robert Stein won the Champion Wine of Show award, with their 2019 dry riesling. You can see the great things that are happening across our region in terms of winemaking. But this is a major challenge for our region, and we need support. Another challenge that our industry is facing is the closure of the Great Western Highway. A bridge built by a convict chain gang in 1832 has unsurprisingly failed, and this has meant that tourism numbers across the region have drastically decreased.”
“As I drive around our region, I can see the wineries and the vines being taken out literally before our eyes. They're being removed from paddocks. It is a very concerning situation, and this is why we need to get support for our wineries and get a program in place which deals with this issue. To give you an example of some of the great things that are happening in our region, at the 2025 NSW Wine Awards Printhie Wines won the trophy for the best sparkling wine, for their 2016 vintage. There were a number of other winners as well. For example, Tamburlaine took out the award for best organic wine, and they were actually very successful in a number of categories. Gooree Park, near Mudgee, won the trophy for best pinot noir. Tamburlaine also won trophies for the best cab sav and the best other red wine varietal.”
“In 2024-25 alone, it contributed to the overall gross production of wine in New South Wales, which was valued at $209 million. So it's a very important part of our region. But, beyond the numbers, it's an industry that is under threat and under real pressure. The wine sector is facing structural challenges. In the past year, production outstripped sales by 52 million litres. That's not a temporary aberration; it's a sign that demand has shifted. Globally, wine consumption has dropped to its lowest level in decades, and, over the next five years, the market is expected to shrink by around eight per cent. That's the equivalent of 1.5 billion litres. These are not just statistics. They translate to real impacts for growers, winemakers, businesses, families and their employees across communities like ours.”
“I'm very pleased to support this motion, because the wine industry has a long and proud history in the Central West of New South Wales. It's part of the fabric of our communities. In places like Orange, Mudgee, Molong, Bathurst, Cargo and Canowindra, wine isn't just a product; it's part of who we are—the identity of our region. It's jobs, small businesses and tourism. It's a great source of pride for our region, and it's a vital part of our region. Our wines are exported all over the world. Across Calare, there are thousands of hectares under vine, more than 200 wineries and close to 100 cellar doors. From growers in the vineyard to cellar-door staff and everyone in between, hundreds of locals and businesses depend on this industry.”
“My question is to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. As you know, our veterans deserve the very best care our country can provide. Bathurst RSL Sub Branch have submitted a proposal for a veterans' and families' wellbeing hub in Bathurst, which would serve as stage 1 of a Central West regional hub. They've got the land, they've got the building and they're willing to make a financial contribution to it. Will your government support it, and when will you fund it?”
“I know that Bathurst RSL sub-branch President Barry Parsons, vice presidents Darlene Macri and Norm Pattison, the committee members and the whole sub-branch are committed to making this veterans' centre a reality. We will not be giving up. The voices of our local veterans will be heard. Our veterans have put their lives on the line for our nation. Their welfare and the welfare of their families should be an absolute priority. I call on the government to fund a veterans' and families' wellbeing centre at Bathurst, on the double. You will be hearing from us.”
“I rise today to voice the disappointment of the Central West veteran community following the recent budget. The budget did not deliver any direct funding for any new veterans' and families' wellbeing centres, or hubs, across Australia, including in the Central West of our state. Working with our local veterans, Bathurst RSL sub-branch submitted a comprehensive proposal for stage 1 of a Central West veterans' and families' wellbeing centre at Bathurst. Our local veterans stepped up. They did the work and they put forward a solution. The sub-branch even offered a site, a building and co-funding. Andrew Fletcher from the sub-branch did an extraordinary amount of work on the proposal. Yet the government has, to date, not supported these proactive efforts, leaving the fate of the project uncertain.”
“When coalition governments broke promises, they were rightly condemned for it, including by those on the opposite side of the chamber. So you shouldn't expect anything different to happen to you. There is no mandate for this. For us, this budget was a budget of broken highways and broken promises—and you can't build public trust on broken promises, and you can't run a regional economy on broken highways.”
“This is not an issue of left versus right. This is an issue of national interest versus vested interests. It's the vested interests of the big gas companies, which are winning out at the moment, and we're forgoing revenue. We've got overseas countries making more out of our gas than we are. It's an outrage! I would urge the government to bring in a gas export tax. I would also urge the government to be upfront and transparent about its dealings with the public. Regardless of what you think about these tax changes, if the government had wanted to bring them in, it should have had the integrity to go to the Australian people and ask for a mandate for them. It's very simple. I'm a crossbencher, but I have seen this happen before.”
“Another glaring omission from the budget was the failure to impose a 25 per cent tax on gas exports. Since 2022, this equates to $70 billion in lost revenue. Imagine how many great western highways we could have built with $70 million, how many convict bridges we could have replaced, how many business support packages we could have put out there for our struggling businesses being smashed to pieces by that closure? That's $17 billion a year, $2 million an hour and $577 per second. Why hasn't it happened so far? The answer is: follow the money. It's these big gas companies that are major donors to the major political parties. They're just buying influence. That's the cold, hard truth of the matter. That's why the major parties don't want to go here, because they're basically in league with these gas companies.”
“They're asking, 'Well, what is the point in taking risks, what is the point in fostering enterprise, what is the point in employing people and what is the point in following your dreams and building something if the government is going to take almost half of it at the end of the day?' It's a great point. If we want businesses to drive the economy, and everyone says, 'Yes, small business is the engine room of the economy,' well, let's support them and give them some tax measures that actually support what they're doing rather than penalise what they're doing. It's a huge issue out there, and I don't think it's going to go away for the government. So I would urge the government to rethink what it's doing with its tax changes. There is widespread concern out there, and there will be a price to pay for this at the next election.”