Jamie Chaffey
Parkes · National Party · Australia
“If these services go, people in communities like White Cliffs, Condobolin, Peak Hill, Bogan Gate and Eumungerie will be forced to drive for 60 minutes— A division having been called in the House of Representatives— Sitting suspended from 10:17 to 10:31 People will be forced to drive 60 minutes, 80 minutes, two hours or up to six hours to…”
“These days we can let someone on the other side of the world know what we're thinking almost before we've thought it. But, sadly, it has become harder and harder to send a simple letter. Many people in my electorate prefer to do their banking, post parcels and letters to their loved ones, and pay bills face to face rather than online.”
“It is part of our role as decent human beings to shed light on human rights where they are being violated, even if that's not in our own nation. Today, I voiced my concerns about the case of barrister Syed Sayedul Haque Suman, who is being held in custody in Bangladesh.”
“They have listened to life stories, have helped elderly people with their complicated paperwork, have been the only break in the day for busy farmers, have signed important papers as justices of the peace, and have assisted people to pay their bills. As one licensee said: 'This is not just a commercial concern.”
“There are also concerns about the treatment of Barrister Suman and other political figures facing charges while they're in custody. There are reports of people dying in custody following allegations of torture, extreme malnutrition and denial of adequate medical care.”
“The leaked business case, Post Office Network & Licensed Post Office Reimagined, dated June this year, envisages widespread changes to regional and rural post offices that could see them become nothing more than a parcel locker. I know that's the same for my colleagues in the room the member for Dawson and the member for Cowper.”
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“But what loss is this when a Labor government can rip money out of regions and give it to Melbourne, with another $3.8 billion for the Suburban Rail Loop. (Time expired)”
“Now years of funding, years of planning, years of families and businesses going through the extended process of acquisitions, are wasted. People like the Roberts family in Narromine, who had been advised that their land would be acquired, now are left without the ability to make any plans for their future. Years of new precincts, new businesses, new jobs and years of hope—all wasted. There is not only the economic cost but there is a human cost as well. With this announcement, 200,000 trucks will stay on the road annually, transit times will not be cut, freight costs will remain high, emissions will not be reduced, and—last and apparently least in the eyes of this government—jobs, investment and economic growth will suffer in regional Australia.”
“They are bewildered and they are angry. The Mayor of Parkes, Neil Westcott, says the announcement was like having his arm cut off. Dubbo mayor Josh Black says the decision shows the raw deal regional Australians get. Narrabri mayor Daryl Tieman said, 'It is a wasted opportunity to create a nation-building project.' These councils and many more have worked with the federal government for decades to make this project a reality. Narromine Shire Council has supported the development of a materials distribution centre and a major industrial estate in Moree. The Moree special activation precinct, a major logistics and agribusiness hub specifically for the Inland Rail project, is now in doubt. On 2 March this year, the Inland Rail announced that every New South Wales section of the Inland Rail had been approved.”
“Specialised Civil Services has invested more than $25 million in a quarry business, primarily to service the Inland Rail project. This is just one town. Jobs have been lost, millions of dollars have been lost, and there has been not a word of support from this federal Albanese Labor government. Nick McClure has a message for this government. He said: I would like the Federal Government to explain why regional communities don't get any attention. We are the backbone of this country. This is where the money comes from—not the city—we are the exporters, we do the farming and we have the resources. It is frustrating. No warning, no consultation and no consideration—the economic landscape has gone from one of promise and prosperity to uncertainty. I've spoken to mayors, business owners, families and farmers.”
“Instead, the 960-kilometre stretch from Parkes to Brisbane has now been axed, and thousands of people and businesses have been left in limbo. This, the Labor government tells us, is an economic decision. But, in the scramble to find money, this Labor government is not only further limiting the sovereignty of our nation; it is devastating livelihoods, slashing employment, destroying generational businesses and sticking the knife in the backs of regional communities. This is not economics; this is metro-centric selfishness. Nick McClure, from a Narrabri based business called Specialised Civil Services, tells me the announcement came as a massive shock to his community of Narrabri. This business went from 85 full-time employees plus subcontractors to just 40 full-time staff after the announcement.”
“For 10 years, families, businesses, organisations and councils have planned their lives and their futures around a project called the Inland Rail. I'll quote from the Inland Rail website. It says: Inland Rail will enhance our national freight network and supply chain capabilities, connecting existing freight routes through rail, roads and ports, and supporting Australia's growth. The project was first proposed in 1998 as a nation-building initiative to take trucks off our roads and to build our freight capacity and to help the progress of regional towns along the route. About 10 years ago, the project became a certainty. Farms have been bought, businesses have been formed, and industrial parks have been planned and created. Dreams have been built around the Inland Rail.”
“I move: That this House: (1) notes that Inland Rail was conceived as a nation building freight rail project connecting Melbourne and Brisbane through regional Australia; (2) recognises that Inland Rail was designed to: (a) reduce freight transit times between Melbourne and Brisbane from around 33 hours to under 24 hours; (b) remove up to 200,000 truck movements from Australian roads annually; (c) improve national fuel security by shifting freight from road to rail; (d) reduce freight costs for Australian producers and consumers; and (e) support jobs, investment and economic growth across regional Australia; (3) further notes official modelling shows Inland Rail could: (a) reduce freight transport costs by approximately $213 million annually; and (b) significantly increase rail freight capacity between Melbourne and Brisbane; (4) condemns the Government for: (a) cutting and delaying Inland Rail funding; (b) abandoning the original vision of a completed Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail corridor; and (c) failing regional communities, freight operators, farmers and exporters who were promised a completed national freight corridor; and (5) calls on the Government to: (a) commit to completing the full Inland Rail corridor connecting Melbourne to Brisbane; (b) restore certainty around project delivery and funding; and (c) recognise Inland Rail as a critical national productivity, fuel security and regional development project.”
“In some cases, this is beyond neglecting to provide the basics of life; it is a matter of survival. It is a matter of eating, of showering, of seeing loved ones and getting to a medical appointment. We can, and we must, do better. Our older generation deserve dignity, they deserve respect, and they deserve the best quality of life that we can give them.”
“Back in Gunnedah, an 88-year-old man has been approved for aged care. His wife has contacted nine aged-care providers without success. His wife, who can no longer care for him, tried providers from as far away as Newcastle. This shows not only a lack of care but a severe lack of respect for the generation who has given so much to our nation. It is frightening. These are people who the government agree need care, and yet here they are waiting for further assessments, stuck in a hospital bed for months at a time, struggling at home by themselves or with loved ones who might themselves, indeed, need care. There are people in every community who are dealing with this issue. It is time the federal government took a long, hard look at what's happening to older people who need daily care.”
“In Gunnedah, a 90-year-old woman who has volunteered at an aged-care facility for many years was herself last year approved for care services after undergoing major surgery. This woman lives alone and cannot walk. Her daughter was given a list of six providers. All six have said that they can't provide services due to the limited funding available. To date, this 90-year-old woman has been unable to receive any services other than meals on wheels. She has now been advised to be assessed for a Support at Home package shell will have to wait several months for this to even happen. A 98-year-old community member from the small community of Neilrex who is almost blind has not been approved for her necessary medical trips to Coonabarabran once a fortnight or to Dubbo once a month.”
“Let me tell you a little bit more about what's happening to these people. A Warren community member with early-onset dementia who has dedicated more than 40 years of service to the Warren hospital has been waiting in Dubbo base hospital for an aged-care bed since the middle of September last year. Her family have asked that she be transferred back to Warren, the community which is her home. That's more than five months waiting in a hospital for the appropriate care. Also in Dubbo, a grandson has written to tell me of his grandmother who has had several falls in the last month and will have to wait another six to nine months for an assessment for care. In the meantime, she's been denied a mobility scooter and charged $900 for the assessment.”
“1 issue was the cost of living. I'm sure that's no surprise to anyone in this House if they've been talking to their communities. The second issue was the axing of the inland rail north of Parkes, and this is having devastating impacts on many regional communities. The third was aged care. We've heard a lot of talk in this place about hospital beds and bed availability, but I'd like to talk this evening not about beds but about people. Our older generation are a generation who have done so much for this country and have helped to build it. They have worked hard, they've volunteered, they've raised their families and now they deserve a measure of care and of respect. Many of them have saved all their lives, never having any idea of just how expensive a loaf of bread or a tank of fuel would soon be.”
“It becomes more apparent every day that there are people this Labor government has forgotten. Across the country, people are more anxious, more stressed and more worried about how they're going to pay their bills. They are worried and they are tired of being consistently disincentivised to save, to invest, to start a small business and to buy a home. Among the people who feel forgotten are older people and regional people—and, if you're both older and living in a regional area, then you're in serious trouble. Anyone with an elderly friend or a relative in a regional area who needs care is fully aware of this. At the Dubbo Show on the weekend, I asked people to list their main concerns. I've never seen more engagement at an event such as this one, with more than 550 people who just wanted to be heard. The No.”
“The Inland Rail project north of Parkes was cut, leaving my regional communities shell-shocked. Communities, businesses and families have factored this project into their life decisions for the last 10 years. The Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program has gone, under this budget, and there's no new funding for the Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program either, in the years to come. This budget is a nail in the coffin for local government's trust, is the final blow for local government's respect and is the latest in a litany of broken promises. This government needs to remember that state governments can't deliver without local government and that the federal government can't deliver without local government. Councils should be our trusted partners to deliver the services Australians need.”
“Despite shifting costs and responsibilities onto the tier of government that can least afford it, the federal government is asking them to do more with less. The statistics show that councils are struggling financially. They are forced to resort to seeking special rate variations or other methods to raise more funds for their communities, with massive increases of up to 100 per cent. No-one can afford that massive bill shock. Once again, it is the local ratepayer who ends up footing the bill; cuts to councils are cuts to our ratepayers. There are almost 10 million Australians who choose to live in regional Australia. That's 10 million Australians who have been left out in the cold with this budget. Alongside the cuts to financial assistance grants, there is minimal spending in regional infrastructure.”
“Now, as shadow assistant minister for local government and territories, I know that the struggle to make ends meet is real for our councils, and I know that this federal budget has left councils right across Australia devastated. After fighting for the financial assistance grants they rely on so much to be increased to one per cent of Commonwealth taxation revenue, they have been cut instead. This week the Albanese Labor government announced a financial assistance grants that are now currently sitting at 0.51 per cent of Commonwealth taxation revenue will now drop to 0.49 per cent. This is absolute proof that councils have not been heard—or, even worse, that they've been totally ignored by this Labor government.”
“Today I rise to stand up for local government right across Australia. As a former mayor of a New South Wales regional town, as a former board member of Local Government New South Wales and as a former chairman of the Country Mayors Association of New South Wales, I know the challenges of local government. I have lived with the struggle of stretching limited dollars further than they were ever meant to go. Councils provide essential services Australians can't do without—water services, waste services, animal services—and they are responsible for the roads, for the planning, for the sporting fields, the public pools, the libraries, the playgrounds, weed control, sometimes even aged care, child care and disaster planning and resilience and much, much more.”
“This budget is kicking Australians when they're down, and no-one knows more or better than the people who represent Australians in local government. Some of my mayors are here today in the gallery—and I'd like to acknowledge Darrell from Narrabri, Marg from Parkes, Kathryn from Warrumbungle shire and Doug from Gilgandra. They are here to try and move past the chaos that is the axing of the Inland Rail north of Parkes in this budget. It's another day, another blow and another absolutely devastating budget from a Labor government.”
“After last night's budget debacle, hardworking Australians are waking up to the realisation that the harder they work the more this Albanese Labor government takes from them. In this misguided attempt to address intergenerational inequity, they have achieved the complete opposite, and they have managed to do this while delivering another kick to the older generations, who've worked hard, done without, saved, paid off their homes under high interest rates and then been able to invest. This generation has been taxed on its wages, taxed on its savings, taxed on its super, and now it's being absolutely gouged on its investments. This might have been the legacy that they left for the next generation. Now this has all become more difficult, more expensive and less possible.”
“Cut by cut, brick by brick, this government is cutting the legs out from under the people who have made our country. In the past year alone, we have seen their rights and their services undermined through changes to water law, devastating cuts to the NDIS, a rapidly rising cost of living and a lack of planning for or even recognition of the fuel crisis, backward-sliding telecommunications and hasty changes to the gun laws without any consultation. These are just some of the ways in which the Labor government is targeting regional Australians through a thousand cuts. In tonight's budget, you can bet your bottom dollar there'll be another thousand more.”
“They are struggling to fund the infrastructure our communities need. Where is the money to help them with the facilities Australians use every day for water security, community halls, emergency airstrips, libraries, public pools and roads? They ask, but they're not being heard by this government. They ask, but they're being ignored by this Labor government. This is from a government that claims it's putting regional Australia at the centre of its plans for prosperity and a resilient future. The government's promises to local government ahead of the 2022 election are being broken. There is no respect and no trust, just broken promises. Cut by cut, brick by brick, this government is bringing down the foundations of regional Australia that have been built by hard work over many generations.”
“Councils, the very organisations that provide so many essential services to Australians, are experiencing severe financial stress. They're facing higher and higher costs. Their grant funding and funding streams have been cut, and they're being handed more and more responsibilities by both state Labor and federal Labor governments. This is the No. 1 priority for councils, not only in the electorate of Parkes but right across regional Australia. As the shadow assistant minister for local government, I have heard this message time and time again. Local government is hurting. Local government is hurting from announcements such as axing the Inland Rail and cutting road infrastructure. Councils have more responsibilities in aged care, child care and health care, where the state and federal governments have let them down.”
“It would cut emissions, build jobs and ensure that we have the capacity to increase productivity. Have you heard that word, 'productivity', as well as 'population' and 'economy'? I'll now quote from the ALP website: … the Albanese Government continues to deliver the infrastructure, skills, jobs and services that will stimulate regional economies and build thriving communities. How does axing one of the single most important infrastructure projects drive regional economies, and how does it build thriving communities? It doesn't. This is just one of a series of betrayals by this government. Earlier this year, I asked councils across the Parkes electorate what they needed from the federal government in the budget.”
“As the member for Parkes, I am aware of what this means to Australia, and I'm acutely aware of what it means to the electorate of Parkes. Businesses, organisations and families have been planning around this landmark project for many years. This is not a new project. There has already been significant money spent on this freight route between Melbourne and Brisbane. Some of it has been built, including 160 kilometres of upgraded track between Narrabri and North Star—that's passed—to the north of Parkes. Now this is a rail line to nowhere. Businesses have invested and relocated for the Inland Rail. Families have planned their lives around it, and whole communities are now facing a different future. This project is critical to the growth of our nation. It would take hundreds of thousands of trucks off the road every single year.”
“Today we're on the brink of what looks like yet another brick being kicked out from the foundations of our nation. Australians know that anyone can front the camera ahead of an election and make promises. Over the last few years, we've heard promises like this: $275 off your power bill; protecting the rights of those who have worked all of their life by not scrapping negative gearing and not increasing capital gains tax; and no health cuts. But it takes leadership, integrity and responsibility to the Australian people to keep those promises and to do the work that makes those promises a reality. It is becoming alarmingly apparent that we have a Labor government that's not willing to do the work. Just last week, the government announced the Inland Rail would not go ahead north of Parkes.”
“My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. In his last answer, the minister said there were 53 ships on their way to Australia. The minister said two days ago that there were around 81 ships scheduled to arrive in April. How many ships does the minister expect to arrive in Australia in the month of May?”
“We have been begging because that's what our constituents are now reduced to doing. They are desperate. Now the Albanese government has listened, it's time to work together to address the future risks and the pain to all Australians. Our country runs on fuel; our regions run on diesel. It is my hope we can in this place work together with timely responses that will protect all Australians as this crisis continues to develop, to ease household pressure, to keep the wheels turning on our businesses and to keep Australians employed. Australia is a great nation with abundant resources. Let's make sure we use them for our survival.”
“Today Australia finds itself in a very disturbing situation of dual stress: limited fuel availability and extremely high prices. Australians are suffering every time they go to the bowser, and it feels like the final straw. Our farmers are already at the mercy of so many things that are out of their control: inflation, rate rises, power costs, water legislation, taxes and ultimately the unknown of weather. They can't plant, they can't harvest, they can't fertilise, they can't transport and they can't run their businesses. I'm receiving calls from small transport operators who are facing cost rises of $1,500 a day. So it was a huge relief yesterday when the Prime Minister agreed to cut the fuel excise in half, by 26c a litre, as we've been begging the Labor government to do.”
“The Standing Committee on Primary Industries is inquiring into factors shaping social licence and economic development outcomes in critical minerals projects across the country. This inquiry is now open for submissions, and I encourage individuals and organisations to share their views.”
“Agriculture and mining have, together, built towns and cities across our great nation. In 2023-24, mining related companies invested more than $660 million in regional programs, including sporting clubs, environmental projects, emergency health services, child care and community organisations. The Minerals Council of Australia have advised that, in the 2022-23 financial year, the mining industry paid $74 billion in tax and royalties, making it the biggest taxpayer in our nation. Of all company tax collected in that financial year, 30 per cent came from mining. That is money for hospitals, for schools, for aged care, for roads, for child care, for police and for much, much more. Critical minerals are becoming more and more sought after for their role in modern technology, and Australia has strong reserves.”
“In my own electorate of Parkes, mining has coexisted with agriculture as a mainstay of our economy for more than a hundred years. It's hard to tell the Australian mining story without recalling the history of the 'Silver City', Broken Hill, where one of the world's largest silver, lead and zinc deposits was discovered back in the 1880s and BHP was born. In communities like Parkes, Gunnedah, West Wyalong, Nyngan, Forbes, Narrabri, Condobolin and Cobar, mining has been the absolute foundation of the community, providing employment, driving growth and funding infrastructure. In 2025-26, in the Parkes electorate, there were 3,838 full-time mining jobs, $545 million was paid in wages, there was $1.1 billion in annual direct spending and the industry supported 874 local suppliers.”
“This week, as the shadow assistant minister for resources, I've been able to meet with a number of organisations during Minerals Week and attend the Minerals Week parliamentary dinner in the grand hall. This is an important week in Australia's calendar, with events organised by the Minerals Council of Australia, because mining remains—despite the effort of those opposite—a key driver in our nation's economy. Mining contributed $213 billion to Australia's gross domestic product last year. That's over eight per cent of our entire economy. Mining directly employs 290,000 Australians and provides almost 11,000 apprenticeships and traineeships each and every year. And, for every job in mining, there are another six jobs created in manufacturing, in construction, in engineering, in local services and in transport.”
“And this is from the Country Mayors Association of NSW chair, Rick Firman OAM: Through Local Government and community organisations, Emeritus Mayor Ray Donald OAM gave so much to his community and rural, remote and regional NSW in general. His contributions, his life deserves to be celebrated and will be remembered. Mr Donald's family have described local government as his calling and I believe that sums it up, and for many of our country Mayors. Ray Donald received the OAM, the Order of Australia Medal, for his service to local government— (Time expired)”
“This is from the current Bogan Shire mayor, Glen Neill: Ray Donald OAM, a man whose dedication, leadership and quiet strength helped shape our town for generations and that the Nyngan community will be forever grateful for his outstanding contribution to the Bogan shire and surrounds. Every asset you see in Nyngan whether it be the parks and gardens, the roads and the infrastructure throughout the last 30 years Ray was an instrumental part of everything Nyngan is today. This is from the immediate past president of Local Government NSW and Forbes shire current mayor, Phyllis Miller OAM: Ray's commitment to his community was unwavering. He dedicated decades to ensuring rural and remote voices were heard at every level of government. His passing is deeply felt but his impact will continue for generations.”
“Our paths in local government did not cross, but I have heard from many people of the great work that Ray did over his career. He served as a councillor of Bogan Shire Council in the electorate of Parkes for 30 years, 25 of those as mayor, up until his retirement in 2021. Ray was the last president of the Shires Association of New South Wales before it amalgamated with the Local Government Association of New South Wales in 2013. He was one of the Local Government Association of New South Wales inaugural presidents and later one of its patrons. The great local paper the Nyngan Weekly published a tribute to Ray Donald, and I would like to include a few comments from that story.”
“There are many similarities there with the struggles councils are facing across the country. They must provide clean water, road maintenance and community infrastructure. But where are the funds? If the state and federal governments financially strangle local government, then all of the costs fall back onto their ratepayers, either through a special rate variation or other direct charges. Councils throughout Australia need financial support, and they need it now. It's time to listen to what they are saying. While I am on the subject of local government, I'd like to pay tribute to a man who has been described as one of the New South Wales legends of local government. Emeritus Mayor Ray Donald OAM passed away earlier this month.”
“Many councils are already active in these areas but are constrained by insufficient and unpredictable funding. They list as their priorities financial sustainability, housing infrastructure, community infrastructure, safer roads, emergency management and climate adaptation. Recently, I asked the 20 councils in the Parkes electorate for a list of their top priorities for the upcoming federal budget. Their eight top challenges were escalating costs and financial sustainability—there's a definite theme here—road maintenance, freight inefficiencies and road safety; natural disaster preparedness, recovery and resilience; community infrastructure; airport infrastructure; regional telecommunications infrastructure; the inland rail; and water infrastructure.”
“Now add in the death by a thousand cuts inflicted by this Labor government—no new funding under the Stronger Communities Program, Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, Growing Regions Program and regional Precincts and Partnerships Program. Local government in Australia is populated by strong, innovative elected members and also skilled staff. This is a lucky thing. Local government representatives can clearly articulate just what is needed, and they have. I quote from the Australian Local Government Association 2026-27 F ederal budget submission : While councils are prepared to lead with tailored, place-based solutions that meet the unique needs of every community, they are being asked to do more with less. The ability to deliver on these priorities depends on financial sustainability and adequate funding.”
“My role in local government also made me more than familiar with the critical challenges councils are facing in doing more with less. Councils' ability to build their budget has not changed. Some regional populations are slowly growing, but unfortunately many are going backwards. This means a smaller rate base. If you add in the result of years of cost shifting to local government from state and federal governments, councils are now forced to do more in an economic climate where they have less money and are facing the killer blows of inflation and the high cost of living for their ratepayers and the threat or reality of natural disasters such as droughts, floods and fires.”
“Those people work across more than 400 different occupational areas, including community theatres, sporting groups, dog pounds, art galleries, sewerage plants, water treatment plants, footpaths, cemeteries, noise complaints, noxious weeds, airports, public pools, libraries, parks, planning, food safety, community awards and sometimes aged care, child care, health care and youth services. They all come under the label of local government. I know the huge scope of local government well as a former mayor of the Gunnedah Shire Council, board member of Local Government NSW and past chair of Country Mayors Association of New South Wales. For the eight years that I served as mayor, the council's battles were my own battles. It is a vital tier of government and one that provides so many of the essentials of everyday life.”
“He has to park up tankers and lay off staff because the normal fuel supply chains won't or can't allow supply. Who's telling the truth? Is it my distributors who are on their knees begging for help, or is it the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen? I was recently honoured to be named as the shadow assistant minister for regional development, local government and territories, and I'd like to speak tonight specifically about local government. I'm thrilled that the coalition has elevated local government into shadow cabinet. That is where it should be. More than 200,000 men and women serve throughout 537 councils across Australia, with direct oversight over the big three—rates, roads and rubbish—and so much more.”
“We need fuel not only to travel it but to get our goods to market, to access emergency care, to work on machinery and to keep our country running. Independent fuel distributors are critical for the supply to communities across the Parkes electorate, whether that is supplying our towns, our villages and our cities or is bulk fuel supply directly to the farm gate, transport companies or industry. The Albanese government have chosen to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the calls from these businesses over the past three weeks as they plead for assistance to keep the fuel flowing and their businesses solvent. This morning I spoke to one of these distributors, and he told me he now must take drastic measures to keep his business from folding.”
“Last Friday we heard there were 80 petrol stations across New South Wales without diesel, and today, in question time, we heard the minister update the House and say that the number of stations without diesel or petrol had sharply risen. Also, the price of fuel is commonly in excess of $3 a litre. On the weekend we heard that six fuel tankers due to deliver to Australia had been cancelled or deferred. Again I quote Mr Bowen: 'There is no problem.' This is just a bump in the road due to 'panic buying'. The bump in the road soon won't matter, because people won't have the fuel to access that bump. There is very clearly a supply chain issue here, and, even after this Labor government acknowledged there was a problem, it has not done enough to fix it. Australia's a big country.”
“Two weeks ago, energy minister Chris Bowen scoffed at the coalition's efforts to bring the fuel crisis to his attention. There was no problem, he said. Fuel supplies were as high as they've ever been in Australia, he said. At the very time he handed us these platitudes, farmers across the electorate of Parkes were living a very different truth. Due to the war overseas and the false security of those opposite, they were being told they could have no access to fuel. We all know that a farm with no fuel is not a farm; it's a business at a standstill—no ability to produce food, no ability to produce fibre. Almost three weeks ago I started hearing from desperate farmers and desperate independent fuel wholesale distributors in my electorate.”
“Explorers wrote to me on 17 February this year in desperation, seeking my help to expedite the assessment of their Child Care Subsidy application. The application had been filed in January. Two weeks later, the centre reached out to the NSW Department of Education to see how it was progressing. The short answer was: it wasn't progressing. Without approval of the Child Care Subsidy application, the families were facing full-fee costs to put their children through the centre. Explorers sought help through my office. I was able to advocate on their behalf, seeking the urgent assessment of the application and highlighting how important it was to provide child care in Broken Hill as quickly as possible. I applaud the people behind Explorers Early Learning— (Time expired)”
“It is apparent to anyone living and working in the communities across the Parkes electorate that there is a dire lack of access to child care. In fact, the region is often described as a childcare desert. That's why it was so worrying to me to hear that a preschool in Broken Hill had closed suddenly in November last year, leaving many families without the care they needed for their children. No trustworthy, reliable care means a lack of working options for parents and very much limits their ability to earn a wage. I'm happy to report that another early learning centre, Explorers Early Learning long-day-care centre, has just opened—a great result for families in Broken Hill. Of course, the opening of this centre was not without its hiccups.”
“Fast-forward another 30 years and the Bellevue Pastoral Company portfolio has expanded and expanded, with a focus on broad-scale irrigation, particularly cotton and durum wheat. But, in response to the many challenges farming brings with it, the Eathers also use dryland farming practices to grow wheat, canola, sorghum and other cereals and pulses. The third and fourth generations of Eathers are now at the helm, with Darren and Leanne Eather and their son, Tom, leading a dedicated and hardworking team. It is an honour to be the farmer of the year in this great country of farmers, but one the Eathers richly deserve. The awards recognise excellence, innovation and resilience—qualities that have grown alongside these generations of the Bellevue Pastoral Company. (Time expired)”
“Last week I visited the Eather family farms near Narrabri. The Eathers were awarded the 2025 Weekly Times Coles Farmer of the Year award. I have met many pioneering families throughout the electorate of Parkes, where families have a reputation for being not only resourceful and resilient but innovative in their actions. This generational farming family are a great example. Since 1936, when Sydney and Isabelle Eather bought this land on the banks of the Namoi River and named it Bellevue, the family have weathered storms and droughts and evolved with the changing times. Bellevue began, as many farming operations did in those days, as a sheep grazing property. In the 1960s, the family began irrigation and diversified into fodder crops.”
“The Labor-Greens coalition forced this gun buyback program onto all Australians without the details on how it will work. They simply committed $1 billion and quoted that the states and territories would be required to match that funding. Since then, we've heard that Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territory will not participate, leaving more questions than answers. The Albanese government must commit to fair market value compensation for all firearms, redundant ammunition and accessories, and a financial support package for impacted small businesses and sporting shooters clubs affected by the legislative changes. This is what a lack of consultation can lead to—farmers concerned about their futures, sporting shooters left in confusion and small-business owners whose dreams have now turned into nightmares.”
“This business is also a supplier to government agencies, including NSW Police and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. In Moree, small-business owners Sam and Sharnah Tomlinson from 2 Rivers Guns & Ammo shared that their business dreams have now become an absolute nightmare. Their staff members have been forced to find work elsewhere, and this couple are left to contemplate their future. They said: None of these changes stop or will ever stop what happened, but the government will never admit its own faults. It will only ever pass them on to people like me. In Broken Hill, the story is the same. Gerry from Silver City Guns & Ammo told me that now he must look seriously at the future of his generational family owned business.”