Mary Aldred
Monash · Liberal Party · Australia
“It's a privilege to rise for my 100th contribution to this place. In doing so, I want to address a barbeque-stopper of a conversation topic in my electorate of Monash, and that is homeownership. I'm deeply concerned. Building approvals dropped in May for the third consecutive month. This is an impact of the budget's housing tax changes.”
“You can measure the budget deficit of this government in numbers, but nothing compares to the deficit of trust it has created in Australia. We need to unlock supply and enable local infrastructure like Weebar Road in Drouin, in my electorate of Monash, which I've been fighting very hard for.”
“This Friday is 3 July, and it is the 12-month anniversary of the swearing-in of the class of 2025. It is a momentous occasion for that class among us.”
“I've got a constituent right now who's living with her abuser in fear because leaving means she will be separated from her special needs son and pets, and she cannot afford to move out. There are a couple living in a tent in a stranger's driveway in my electorate, and they cannot afford anywhere to rent on their $450-per-week budget.”
“Our wonderful CFA volunteers in Victoria answer the call in the middle of the night and step away from their work in the middle of the day to protect our community year round. As the daughter of someone who was a CFA volunteer, I know this very well.”
“For all the smirking and the back-patting and the preening that this prime minister carries on with, Australians right now deserve so much better from their government. Look at health.”
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“As a result, Victorian government schools are now the lowest funded in the country outside of the Northern Territory. This has real consequences. This has a lasting impact, and my fear is that it will have intergenerational consequences for young people, families and people seeking to get the skills and qualifications they need to attain a job or a career and stay within the Gippsland region that they grew up in or, indeed, have moved to. In 2026, Victorian students will receive hundreds of dollars less per student than their peers interstate. This could be up to $1,700 less than students in Tasmania. This is not a theoretical gap; it is a gap in resources, in support and in opportunity, and it is Victorian students who are paying the price for the failure of both the Albanese and Allan Labor governments.”
“In fact, it nearly doubled, from around $13 billion in 2013 to over $25 billion in 2022. The coalition support investment in education. We support lifting standards. But what we do not support is a narrative that rewrites history, because what matters is not just how much is spent but what is actually happening in our schools today—where that money goes, how it's spent and the objectives that it seeks to support. Right now, particularly in my home state of Victoria, we have serious problems. The Prime Minister has claimed every state and territory is on a pathway to full funding. This is simply not correct. Victoria remains the only jurisdiction without a clear pathway to reach the Schooling Resource Standard. There is no certainty. There is no long-term agreement.”
“May I add we've got some wonderfully gifted teachers and some dedicated teacher support aides and staff in the Monash electorate who I'm very proud to represent. I want to commend their ongoing work to lift and strengthen education outcomes. But this statement, I really have to say at the outset, deserves a resubmit, because what we've heard in the statement provided is a story and it's riddled with inaccuracies, omissions and a fundamental failure to level with the Australian people and, indeed, face up to the challenges that I and families across my electorate deal with every single day. Let's deal with the first central claim that seems to be on repeat by the government, and that is that the coalition cut funding to public schools, which is just not true. Under the coalition, school funding increased. It increased every single year.”
“I rise today to respond to the ministerial statement on the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement. As the daughter of a primary school teacher, I've been raised in a family that appreciates how important better educational outcomes are, and improving education outcomes in my region is something I, as someone who was proud to serve on the inaugural Gippsland Tertiary Education Council some 15 years ago, am particularly passionate about. I strongly believe that your postcode should not determine your educational outcome in life. In my region, at that time, we dealt with a number of challenges, including having little more than half the state's average for higher education participation rates.”
“Last night, with the member for Paterson, Meryl Swanson, I had the great privilege of co-hosting Just a Farmer , a film about mental health, resilience and regional communities. I am very grateful that the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry attended. This film is incredibly important to regions right across Australia, and I encourage people in a regional community to have a look at the website justafarmer.com.au if they'd like to host a screening in their local community. Thanks to the production team.”
“Despite fuel and fertiliser crises, almost 30,000 people attended across the three-day event, and this underpins the importance of Farm World in connecting farming to our broader community and, indeed, to many visitors from Melbourne and further afield. Farm World is a celebration of our region, our produce and our people. It starts conversations about new technology, global trends and peer-to-peer support right here in our community. Farm World brings not only Gippslanders together; it invites people from city areas as well. I want to commend Craig Debnam, the board and staff, as well as volunteers from right across the community, such as Ellinbank footy club and the Lions club.”
“I've been for a few spins on the bike around Darnum with her since that time. She handed the reins to Yvette. Yvette joined the paper in 1990 and now leads the award-winning editorial team with integrity, innovation and an incredibly strong work ethic. I congratulate Yvette and Carolyn on their well-deserved lifetime achievement awards. There's a plaque that hangs above the editor's desk at the Warragul & Drouin Gazette which says: A good local newspaper is one of the best public assets that any district can possess. That's a quote from Albert Harvey, the founding editor and owner. I think that sums up the dedication of Yvette and Carolyn so very well. Last week I had the great privilege of attending Farm World at Lardner Park. I've only missed a couple of farm worlds in 20 years. It is the hottest ticket in the Monash calendar.”
“I rise to congratulate both the editor of the Warragul & Drouin Gazette , Yvette Braddon, and former editor of the Warragul & Drouin Gazette , Carolyn Turner, on being presented with lifetime achievement awards by the Rural Press Club of Victoria last week. Yvette and Carolyn were both just 17 when they started their careers as cadet journalists at the Warragul & Drouin Gazette . These two women have risen through the ranks from cadet to editor while displaying an unwavering loyalty to the G azette , journalism and our broader community. As journalists and editors, Yvette and Carolyn have both made significant and lasting impact on the west Gippsland community. They've told the stories of triumph, of grief and of crisis, ensuring local voices and issues are heard. After almost 50 years at the Gazette , Carolyn retired in 2022.”
“It's a powerful reminder that generosity starts early and grows. On Phillip Island, the community has also stepped up. What started as a single fundraiser—a PJ party and disco bowling night that raised nearly $7,000—has grown into the Phillip Island Good Friday Festival, which is quite incredible. I also want to acknowledge Leongatha, where this year local rock-and-roll groups will come together for a five-hour fundraising event at the Dakers Centre. I'm going along. I'm not sure whether I'll be rocking and rolling, but I'll certainly be supporting that fantastic effort in aid of the Royal Children's Hospital appeal.”
“In Yarragon, the community's Good Friday Appeal has grown into something truly remarkable. In 2025, they raised more than $41,000, placing them 31st on the regional tally board, ahead of much larger towns. But what makes this effort so special is how it has grown. It began in 2015 with a simple goal: to get Yarragon back on the map—raising $6,000 in its first year. Now, 11 years later, it has become a whole-of-town effort, with a monster raffle, an Easter egg hunt, events at the pub and the bowls club and local businesses all playing their part and getting involved. Even the youngest members of the community are involved as well. Last year, our students from Yarragon Primary School and Early Learning Centre raised $1,470 through their Coins for a Cause Day, creating an incredible 149-metre line of coins.”
“The same spirit of generosity and community is on full display through the Good Friday Appeal. Across our towns, volunteers have been out shaking tins, organising events and giving their time, all in support of the Royal Children's Hospital. This is an appeal that raises vital funds to ensure world-class care for our children in Victoria. It's hard to find someone in Monash who has not in some way been touched by the work of that hospital, whether as a patient, a parent or a friend of someone who needed care in a moment of crisis. That is why people give, it's why they volunteer, and it's why they care so deeply. Last year, Australians donated a record $23.8 million to the Good Friday Appeal. I want to acknowledge the incredible efforts of local communities in Monash who contribute so much to that result.”
“Last year, more than 200 people gathered to take part. It is a simple but powerful moment: a community coming together in reflection, in faith and in shared purpose. Across the electorate, many of our local schools also mark this time through the stations of the cross. Students, teachers, families and parish members gather to watch young people bring these moments to life. Opportunities are there for young people to reflect on who they are, who they are becoming and who they wish to become and what they wish contribute to our community. There are opportunities to develop empathy, to consider those less fortunate and to take action in that spirit, and many do. Throughout Lent, students across Monash come together to raise funds for those in need, learning not just about compassion but what it means to live it.”
“At its heart, Easter is about hope, and this year that message of hope feels more important than ever. In a world facing uncertainty and challenge, church leaders across Australia have reminded us not to lose sight of the bigger picture. Yes, we face immediate pressures, but we must also look ahead towards long-term solutions, towards renewal, towards building something stronger for the future. And that responsibility does not sit with leaders alone. Each of us has a role to play, and each of us can contribute to building stronger, more connected communities. In Monash, we see that spirit in action. Each year, the combined churches of Warragul mark the beginning of the Easter period by raising a wooden cross at the Warragul Cenotaph. It's a tradition with more than 50 years of history.”
“It's actually a real privilege to follow such a beautiful contribution by the member for Barton. Across Australia, and especially in communities like mine in Monash, this time of year carries deep meaning. Lent and Easter are profoundly important for many Australians, particularly within Christian communities. Lent is a time of reflection, of sacrifice and of spiritual growth. It is a time when people pause, step back from the busyness of daily life and focus on their faith, on compassion and on self-discipline. It's also a time of fellowship, of coming together in our churches and our schools and our communities. And it is a time of preparation—preparation for Easter, a period marked not just by church services but by family gatherings, shared meals and moments of connection.”
“That should concern every single one of us because every dollar lost to fraud is a dollar taken away from Australians who genuinely rely on this scheme. The answer cannot be to squeeze participants and providers who are doing the right thing. The answer must be to front up and fix this system. What we're seeing instead is red tape exploding, operating costs climbing and a system that's become more complex not less. Australians deserve better. People in my electorate deserve better, and people with a disability deserve far better.”
“I've got constituents who are too afraid to even request a plan review, because they've seen others ask for help only to receive less support in return. I have families who are spending hours—indeed, sometimes days—navigating administrative processes and resubmitting documents that have already been provided not once, not twice, but three times or more. This is not what the NDIS was meant to be about, and it's no surprise the scheme's reputation is at an all-time low. Public confidence is shifting, driven by concerns about rorting, bureaucracy and spiralling costs. Let's be clear, fraud must be addressed. The government's own Fraud Fusion Taskforce has said that up to 10 per cent of NDIS claims may be inappropriate, mischievous or outright criminal.”
“Emergency services were called and a hospital bed in an already stretched system was taken up, and all of this could have been avoided. All of this happened because the system failed that person, that family, that provider and our community. I've spoken with a family who had to take out a loan to urgently purchase medical equipment—equipment that was later denied by the NDIS, leaving them $15,000 out of pocket. These are not isolated stories. These are becoming far too common. I know I'm dealing with those stories in my electorate of Monash. I know my colleague the member for McPherson is dealing with them in his electorate, and I know that members across the chamber and across the parliament are dealing with them every day of the week.”
“Families are contacting my office about delayed plans, reduced support, unpaid invoices and a system that is becoming harder and harder to navigate. These are not just administrative inconveniences. They're not just paper deficiencies. These are real-world consequences impacting real people. When the NDIS invoices go unpaid, providers are left with no choice but to act, and it's participants who are bearing the brunt. I've heard of equipment providers threatening to remove essential mobility equipment because invoices have not been paid. I've seen cases where $100,000 unpaid invoices have forced a care provider to send a participant home—a participant who was stable, supported and safe. That same individual later ended up in hospital following a psychotic episode that put both themselves and their family at risk.”
“I have to say that, whether it's fuel or the NDIS, this prime minister is allergic to responsibility. He is afraid of accountability. Right now, there are a number of examples in the NDIS that deserve attention and need responsibility. It's a scheme that supports nearly 800,000 Australians, including 200,000 Victorians and many people in my electorate of Monash. Labor's failure to properly address the structural problems within the NDIS is leaving some of our most vulnerable Australians in limbo. Instead of fixing the system, we're seeing a heavy-handed attempt to rein in costs, and those attempts are hurting the people that this very scheme is designed to protect and support and help. In my electorate of Monash, I'm hearing this every single week from local families, carers and people with a disability themselves.”
“I have a deep respect for the member for Macarthur. I knew of him before I came to this place. I respect his service here and before he entered this place for his contribution to medicine and particularly his paediatric experience. But I do take a different view to him on a number of points raised in this debate. It was the Gillard government that set up the NDIS, but it seems that it's all acclaim and no care with Labor when it comes to fronting up to some very significant challenges that the NDIS has right now. My good friend and colleague the member for McPherson raised a number of those points, including that this federal Labor government have been in power for four years now, and so it is important that they take responsibility for parts of the NDIS running very significantly off track.”
“My question is to the Prime Minister. The CEO of Ageing Australia, Tom Symondson, has said that due to the national fuel crisis, we are seeing an increase in workers not taking up shifts. Why is the Prime Minister always the last to lead in a national crisis?”
“A lot of our farmers are struggling right now, and they need the benefit of the doubt, which this government's not giving them. But that is the reality of regional Australia right now. It's not the behaviour of Australians. It's a failure of leadership. If this government is serious, then it needs to act to move fuel to servos where it's needed and provide immediate relief by slashing the petrol tax. The Victorian government's announced free public transport. That's great if you live in the city, but you can't get a train to your tractor and those people that are doing it tough in towns like Wonthaggi are cross-subsidising that relief.”
“Australians are doing the right thing, but this government is not. Australians are watching what happens at the bowser, and they are rightly concerned. But let's be clear: not every Australian is panic buying fuel. Most people are doing the right thing. They are getting on with running their businesses, getting to work and keeping their farms going. I'll give you an example. Over the weekend I was at Farm World, the best agricultural field days in Australia, and I had a farmer come up to me and say: 'Mary, I'm about to get on with sowing. I took a fuel can to my local petrol station so I could fill up my tractor, and I was actually turned away because they thought I was panic buying that fuel.' It's an important message.”
“When we're looking at free trade, sovereign capability or jobs and investment in Australia, it is not a good deal that the government have cut here with the EU, and on a day-to-day basis they are not doing a good deal in the interests of dairy farmers, beef producers and small businesses right across our economy. Australians deserve better.”
“But I did speak to my dairy farmers at Farm World on the weekend, and they are dealing with rising fuel costs, with fertiliser pressures and with increasing imports that are squeezing margins that were already compressed. Their concerns go to farm profitability, processors and regional jobs. On fertiliser, I've got to say that we had the opportunity to have a coal-to-fertiliser project in the Latrobe Valley, but what has taken six years to get up in Victoria, under the Victorian state Labor government, took six months in New Zealand. That project proponent said: 'You know what? Victoria and Australia are just too hard to do business with, so we'll go somewhere else that will welcome us with open arms and that wants to welcome jobs and investment and sovereign capability.' They've just done that in New Zealand.”
“A lot of dairy farmers will say to me, 'We are not price-makers; we are price-takers on the international market,' and this deal puts them at a significant disadvantage. The government are calling this a win for beef, but for Monash farmers it doesn't stack up. The 35,000-tonne beef quota falls well short of expectations and is less than what other countries have secured. I've got to ask: Why has the Prime Minister allowed that to happen? Why has he put dairy and beef farmers at a disadvantage to other farmers around the world who seem to have gotten a far better deal? This is a big issue for my electorate. It's a big issue for South Gippsland, where there are seven dairy cows to every one resident, so you can see just how much of a significant issue this is.”
“I was at Farm World on the weekend, which is one of Australia's best agricultural field days, and I said to my dairy farmers, 'What do you think of this free trade agreement?' They said: 'Mary, it's no good for us. Mary, we've been sold a pup.' It is no good for dairy farmers in Monash. It's no good for dairy farmers in the Gippsland region, and I dare say it's no good for dairy farmers across Australia. For regions like ours, dairy is the backbone of industry and it really matters. It's not just an industry, though; it's jobs, it's families, it's small businesses—it is an ecosystem that's interconnected, and they are all relying on our dairy farmers to do their very best. This free trade deal is a bad deal dressed up as progress. I've got a number of issues with it.”
“I belong to a coalition that have a proud record of winning free trade agreements, from India to Japan, Korea, China and the United States. I commend Prime Ministers Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison. In fact, before entering this place, I was in New Zealand and I listened to a speech by the then opposition leader and now prime minister of New Zealand, Christopher Luxon. He said that, through COVID, what Australia did so well was go around the world—and that was under a coalition government—and sign up to free trade agreements. He said to the audience I was in that, if he were elected to government, that is something he would very much want to do on behalf of New Zealand, and I note that he's going ahead and doing that very, very well. But I have a few issues with this free trade agreement.”
“I'm proud to represent a region that grows, makes and manufactures things the rest of our country rely on. From protein to pellets, our products—and they are world-leading products made by world-leading people—are sought after from the Middle East to South-East Asia. I'm proud that our region produces 23 per cent of Australia's milk output. I'm proud that our region produces about 26 per cent of Victoria's beef production. These are very high-quality products. I also believe that opening access to international markets is good for my region because it gives it access to countries around the world. We just can't eat everything we produce in my region. We export about two-thirds of what we produce in this country, and that's a good thing.”
“Victoria Police are already under-resourced, underpaid and overworked, dealing with rising youth crime, home invasions, domestic violence and mental health callouts. Now we are asking them to pick up the pieces of fuel supply failure as well. This is what happens when governments lose control of supply, cost pressures and law and order. Australians deserve better.”
“Right now in regional Australia, something is happening that should stop us in our tracks. Farmers—the people who feed this country—are being forced to guard their fuel like it's cash. Diesel is being siphoned from tanks, equipment is being drained overnight and, instead of sleeping, farmers are staying up, patrolling their own properties and trying to protect what little supply they have left. This is not normal, and it is not acceptable. When a farmer has to become a security guard just to keep their operation running, something has gone seriously wrong. It doesn't end at the farm gate: in Victoria, police are now increasing patrols across farming communities, tracking hotspots, monitoring rural roads and diverting already stretched resources to deal with fuel theft—this in a state that has become the crime capital of Australia.”
“My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. I refer to the fact that around 500 service stations have now run dry. This morning, Premier Chris Minns said, 'There was a willingness from the states to say to the Commonwealth, look, we need to make sure that, if there's going to be demand management measures that are put in place, they need to be done on a national level.' When will the minister take action to ensure fuel gets to where it's needed?”
“Where is the action to deal with offshore illegal gambling websites? If we continue down this path, regulating Australians while leaving the back door open to illegal operators, we are not solving the problem at all. In fact, we are making it worse. We are sending it offshore, and we are leaving vulnerable Australians at risk. The Murphy report was tabled in 2023. It is time for action.”
“When a household name is used to promote them, it gives these platforms a false legitimacy that they do not deserve and that they should not have, and it is putting all Australians, particularly young Australians—teenagers and children—in harm's way. At the same time, regulators like ACMA are doing what they can, but they simply don't have the powers or resources to keep up. These websites are blocked only to reappear the next day under a new name. It is like a game of whack-a-mole. Content is reported but remains live, and enforcement is always one step behind. It's no longer an abstract risk. It's happening right now, every day, and it's targeting young Australians. After a thousand days, the question is simple. Where is the government? When will the government act? When will it take this seriously?”
“Here is where it becomes especially concerning. We are now seeing high-profile Australians like former elite athlete David Warner promoting offshore gambling platforms—former elite athletes like David Warner who should know better and who shouldn't be engaging in this. These platforms operate outside Australian law. They do not have the same consumer protections. They are platforms that Australians, including people under 18, are being driven towards through social media platforms. They are not doing it for free. People like David Warner are receiving significant financial kickbacks to promote the illegal offshore operators, and this is simply not acceptable.”
“It's been more than a thousand days since the release of the Murphy report into online gambling. That's 1,000 days of recommendations sitting on a shelf, 1,000 days of delay, 1,000 days in which the government has failed to act. In that time, the problem hasn't stood still. It's evolved, it's grown and it's moved offshore. While Australia has an imperfect but well-regulated online gambling system—where identity checks are required, credit card payments are banned and safeguards like BetStop are in place—illegal offshore operators are exploiting the gaps left by government inaction. These operators are not bound by Australian laws. They offer credit card payments, they offer sign-on bonuses, they target Australians directly and, increasingly, they are targeting young Australians who are under the age of 18.”
“Grain is at the centre of this. Grain feeds livestock. Grain feeds supply chains. Grain feeds Australia. If crops do not go into the ground now, there will be less production later—less wheat, less feed and less supply—and that means higher prices at the checkout, not because farmers are profiting but because they are being squeezed. They deserve better. Australian families deserve better from this federal government.”
“You don't get a second chance at sowing. You don't get to press pause and come back later. If you miss the window, the opportunity is gone. Global instability might be a factor, but the failure of this government to secure adequate fuel supply is making it worse, and that is a fact. It is a reality. It's exposing just how fragile our supply chains have become. It is leaving regional communities like Shepparton, Warragul and Leongatha in my electorate at the back of the queue, and it is pushing up the cost of living across the entire community. Fuel does not just power tractors. It powers freight, it powers production, and it powers the movement of every single good across this country. When fuel becomes scarce and expensive, guess what? Everything becomes more expensive. That cost flows through to Australian families on everyday products.”
“I spoke to a number of farmers last week who have had holes drilled in their fuel tanks. I've got farmers sleeping on their property to guard what little supply they have left. Think about that—the people who grow our food are being forced to act as security guards in the middle of the night just to protect the fuel they need to do their job. The pressure is not just physical; it's mental and emotional because farmers are being forced into impossible decisions at the worst possible time. This government is not acting with urgency, understanding or empathy. Do you plant the full crop and risk not having enough fuel to finish the job? Do you cut back on fertiliser and risk your yield? Do you delay and miss the window entirely? In agriculture, as the member, my good friend the member for Nicholls, knows well, timing is everything.”
“Farmers are telling us plainly, 'We need fuel to plant the crop, we need fertiliser to feed the crop, and right now we can't be sure we'll have either.' I am talking to farmers every second day who are having to make a choice between buying fertiliser and fuel, and the ramifications of either choice are profound and will be long term. It's not just a farming issue. It's a national risk because, if farmers cannot plant, Australia cannot produce. When Australia cannot produce, every Australian pays the price. In my electorate of Monash, this is not abstract. This is not a debate. This is not theoretical. This is real life, and it is having profound consequences every day. Farmers are paying through the roof for diesel, if they can get it, and incredibly they're dealing with fuel theft as well.”
“Australian farmers have been hit at the worst possible moment, and this government is not helping. After years of dry conditions and uncertainty, many grain growers across southern Australia finally caught a break. Early autumn rain delivered what should have been the foundation of a strong winter cropping season. The soil has moisture, the paddocks are ready, and the opportunity is there. But, just as farmers move in to sow their crops, as the tractors roll and as the seed goes into the ground, they are being hit with a double blow that they cannot control—fuel shortages, fertiliser shortages, and, in some cases, no supply at all.”
“While we're on the topic of jerry cans, I'll tell the House a story about a dairy farmer I was speaking with last week who's in dire straits. He's a dairy farmer with a herd of about 800 cows, and he's got a regular fuel order for his farm. It wasn't being delivered, so he was making about six trips with his jerry can into town every day. Do you know what happens when you run out of fuel on a dairy farm? You can't feed your animals, and that invites really serious animal welfare concerns. This guy was seriously stressed to the max. This crisis is not just exhausting the fuel reserves and the financial reserves but exhausting the mental and emotional reserves of farming and regional communities like mine. They do not need a lecture right now. They need empathy, and they need action. This is a tale about timing.”
“But since COVID, with flood, drought and bushfire, with operating costs increasing up to 300 per cent and with a reduced capacity for sponsorship, a lot of these field days are under great strain, and that's why I'm standing up on their behalf.”
“That's why I'm backing calls from the Association of Agricultural Field Days of Australasia for the federal government to step up and recognise events like Farm World in my electorate as essential regional infrastructure. We know these events are key to Australia remaining a world-class provider and producer of food and fibre, and I want that contribution to be recognised, understood and supported at a federal government level. Collectively, those 35 national field days represent over a million visitors annually, 20,000-plus participating businesses, $2 billion plus in facilitated trade every year and $120 million in regional economic output, and they have over 50 per cent farmer attendance. Many of these events have operated continuously since the late 1800s and remain a critical economic driver for federal electorates like mine.”
“I want to acknowledge Krowera farmer Shane Uren, who had 250 litres stolen from a tractor at 2 am on Friday; Nyora farmer Russell Follett, who last week discovered a drill hole in his tractor's fuel tank; and Krowera farmer Andrew Thomas, who's also had some concerning incidents on his farm. I want to say also that I am a huge supporter of agricultural field days across Australia, along with Farm World. There are around 35 agricultural field days across our country, and they play an incredibly important role in sharing best practice, availing farmers of the latest technology and providing that really important peer-to-peer support.”
“I know that is causing a lot of mental and emotional stress for local farming families in my electorate of Monash right now. I want to say to them I stand with you, I'm standing up for you and I'm doing everything I can to back our community through this fuel crisis. Added to this stress, a number of farmers from my electorate have also reported diesel thefts from their properties. These farmers are already paying through the roof for fuel, and now they're facing thieves on their farms. I know of a number of situations where farmers are sleeping next to machinery or driving all the equipment off farm, as far as 30 minutes away, to guard against thieves drilling into tractor fuel tanks and siphoning diesel.”
“All visitors can browse an array of stalls, showcasing items from lawn mowers to plants and clothing, and enjoy the equestrian showcase, rodeo action and motocross, and see a number of working animals in action. It educates people from the city on regions like Monash—electorates like Monash—which grow and make things the rest of our country rely on. I will be sad to miss the women in ag lunch this Thursday, due to parliamentary commitments, but I know it will be a great success. I've been working with local farmers who are waiting on fuel orders to arrive. I'm speaking with dairy farmers who have been forced to make several trips a day into town with jerry cans while they're waiting on those fuel orders, because without fuel they can't operate machinery to feed their herds, harvest or irrigate.”
“Farm World is a celebration of our region, the produce and the people that are behind our agricultural sector, and this year it's going to celebrate 59 years. I think, give or take maybe three or four years, I've attended every Farm World event over the last 20 years. This year it'll run for three days and draw more than 40,000 visitors to our region. We'll see close to 500 exhibitors showcasing 700 brands across 100 acres. It never fails to draw a big crowd, providing an opportunity for local farmers to browse machinery, share best practice, look at the latest technologies, talk with experts and, most importantly, have that peer-to-peer connection which is so important for our regional and agricultural communities.”
“It's a pleasure to follow my colleague the member for Paterson, with whom I'm pleased to be co-hosting a screening of Just a Farmer , a really important film, next week in this parliament to promote the importance and understanding of mental health in our farming communities. In the Monash electorate I'm proud to represent a community that grows, makes and manufactures things the rest of our country relies on. When my region does well, the rest of Victoria and Australia succeed. So this week I'm really looking forward to the annual Farm World event. It's one of our largest field days in Australia. I think it's the best field-day event in Australia, and it's the hottest ticket in West Gippsland this week.”
“I pay tribute to their efforts. Headspace is a great organisation. We've got a headspace in Wonthaggi and another one in the Latrobe Valley. I am desperately fighting for a new headspace facility in West Gippsland to meet the needs of the growing population. I commend the member for Bowman and this motion.”