Weethalle centenary celebrations

Nationals Member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke, has joined in the celebrations at the Weethalle Showground, marking a hundred years since the small town was established. Ms Cooke opened the event, crowning parade winners with ribbons, and enjoying food generously prepared by the Local Lions Club. She said the event was testament to the strong community…

Regional crime inquiry starts

The first hearings for the Parliamentary inquiry into community safety in regional and rural communities will take place this week, hearing from locals in Bourke tomorrow and Broken Hill on Wednesday. In March the Minns Labor Government finally announced the long overdue inquiry into the escalating crime crisis, following sustained pressure by The Nationals. Nationals…

“This is a call for justice, a cry for respect”

Nationals Member for Oxley, Michael Kemp, has spoken up in Parliament in support of nurses and midwives, who rallied yesterday demanding a long-overdue 15 per cent pay rise. Mr Kemp emphasised the crisis facing regional hospitals, where staff shortages have led to ward closures in Dorrigo, Bellingen, and Macksville. “Nurses are asking for a necessary…

Kemp’s push for tighter feral predator control

Nationals Member for Oxley, Michael Kemp, has called for tighter feral predator control. Mr. Kemp has spoken in Parliament to drew attention to the alarming rates of native mammal extinction, with feral cats and foxes identified as the primary culprits of the uncontrolled problem. “Entire species are being wiped out before our eyes. The message…

Labor delays release of supermarket report as ACCC takes Woolworths and Coles to court

Nationals Leader David Littleproud is calling on the Albanese Labor Government to release the ACCC’s interim report into Australia’s supermarket sector as the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact families across the nation. The interim report, which examined the pricing practices of supermarkets as well as the relationship between wholesale, including farmgate, and retail prices, was…

Labor’s brutal kick in the guts for Norco

The Minns Labor Government has again turned its back on local dairy farmers by refusing to return Norco milk to the North and Mid-North Coast health contract. The NSW Nationals highlighted the issue on the floor of Parliament last night, forcing a public interest debate after the co-op was abruptly dumped in August. The motion…

Emergency care crisis – “It’s pushing our regional health system to breaking point”

Emergency care is declining across regional NSW with new data revealing patients are waiting longer for urgent treatment. The latest Bureau of Health Information Healthcare Quarterly, released today, shows more than 65,000 people didn’t start their treatment on time in major regional hospitals. Manning Base Hospital in Taree was among the most concerning, with just…