All eyes were on Broken Hill with the recent NSW Nationals State Conference. As the Federal Member for Parkes I was delighted to welcome conference delegates as well as a number of high profile colleagues and visitors. From the Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Leader of The Nationals, Barnaby Joyce, Premier of NSW Gladys Berejiklian, NSW Deputy Premier and State Leader, John Barilaro, Deputy Federal Leader, Senator Fiona Nash, Small Business Minister Michael McCormack and Assistant Health Minister David Gillespie were among the many faces in the crowd.
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I also enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with a number of communities in the Electorate, starting with Coonamble and Cobar, then on to Wilcannia and Tibooburra. I met with community groups and constituents in Tibooburra and Packsaddle then back to Broken Hill late.
ParentsNext program announcement
I was pleased to receive the good news that disadvantaged parents of young children in the Electorate of Parkes will soon have access to the training and support they need to become work ready, thanks to the Coalition Government’s decision to expand the successful ParentsNext program.
After successful pilots, the Government is rolling out ParentsNext nationally. Since launching in April last year, ParentsNext has made a real difference in the lives of young parents and their families; giving them the support and help they need to get ready to work.
When mums and dads take time out from work to raise small children it can be difficult to find a way back into the workforce when their children start school. It can be even more daunting and difficult for those parents who may not have worked previously and don’t have the skills or experience that employers are looking for.
Financial counselling service funding
Farmers in need of financial counselling across the Electorate of Parkes are set to benefit, with a $560,000 funding injection to support people across the Central and Northern NSW regions.
The funding is part of a more than $1.6 million boost across seven Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) providers to support farmers in hardship. We all know how valued the RFCS is for local farmers, giving them free access to professionals to work through their financial situation and build financial self-sufficiency.
This service will help support farmers who leave the Farm Household Allowance (FHA) program. FHA is a successful program that has helped 7,360 farmers since July 2014. RFCS can provide valuable assistance for farmers who leave FHA and want to continue to improve their circumstances.
Visit agriculture.gov.au/rfcs or call 1800 686 175.
Great Artesian Basin funding boost
The Coalition Government's investment in economic growth and development in regional Australia has been boosted by providing an additional $8 million for water infrastructure upgrades across the Great Artesian Basin for two years to 2018-19.
The funding will allow important water infrastructure improvements across the Electorate of Parkes to continue after round four of the Great Artesian Basin Sustainability Initiative (GABSI) ceases on 30 June, 2017.
As drought continues across many regions in the nation, this new Great Artesian Basin Infrastructure Investment Program will deliver improvements in supported water and land management that directly support our community.
The Great Artesian Basin is essentially a huge underground water storage underlying 22 per cent of Australia from Cape York to Dubbo, housing approximately 65 million Megalitres of fresh water. It's a resource that is vitally important to this region.
