Preserving Grafton’s historic Anglican cathedral

Picture: The Reverend Canon Camellia Flanagan, Nationals MP Richie Williamson, and The Very Reverend Naomi Cooke, Dean of Grafton The final stage of repair and restoration works to preserve Grafton’s historic Christ Church Cathedral is underway. Clarence Nationals MP Richie Williamson said the State Heritage-listed building is a vital part of the region’s history and…

Read more

Drive with care this long weekend

Motorists are being urged to slow down and take care when travelling this October long weekend. Double demerits will be in force as police Operation Labour Day starts at 12:01 tomorrow morning, Friday October 4, and ends at 11:59pm on Monday, October  7. Police will be targeting drink and drug driving, fatigue, mobile phone use,…

Read more

Recognising our Local Sporting Champions

Federal Nationals Member for Page, Kevin Hogan, is making sure 32 young Northern Rivers Sporting Champions are given every opportunity to follow their dreams. At a Local Sporting Champions Award event in Lismore, they were presented with a certificate in recognition of their achievements and confirmed their grants from the Local Sporting Champions program. “Those…

Read more

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…

Read more

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…

Read more

“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…

Read more

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…

Read more

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…

Read more

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…

Read more

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…

Read more

Walking for pancreatic cancer research

Long-term Nationals’ member Alison Penfold will walk more than 70 kilometres this weekend to raise awareness of and funds for pancreatic cancer research. The charity walk, on the Mid North Coast, is part of PanKind’s Remember September campaign to honour and remember the 71 Australians who die each week from pancreatic cancer. Alison said the…

Read more