The Hon Wes Fang
Deputy President and Chair of Committees
In March this year, I was elected to the position of Deputy President and Chair of Committees of the NSW Legislative Council. This is a position in which I feel honoured and privileged to have been elected to and I am humbled to be following in the footsteps of some of the great Nationals members that have held these positions before me, including Duncan Gay, Jenny Gardiner and Trevor Khan. I will endeavour to uphold the brilliant legacy of the NSW Nationals in this role and see it as a great privilege to be a voice for our regions.
What’s happening in committees?
It has been an incredibly busy time with committee work this year and it is an honour to effect change in matters so important to NSW. I have included a snapshot of my calendar in May to give you an idea of the sheer number of inquiries, many of which are ongoing and have implications for our regions. These include:
· Health outcomes and services in regional, rural and remote NSW
· Primate and animals in medical research
· Law and Justice Committee into dust diseases
· Conduct of elections
· State Development Committee inquiry into animal welfare policy
· Acquisition of land in relation to major transport projects
· Bus privatisation
· Planning and delivery of school infrastructure in NSW
· Puppy farming
· Road tolling
· Response to major flooding across NSW 2022
· Greyhound welfare and integrity commission
· Medical cannabis driving offences
· Status of water trading in NSW
On the ground
As duty MLC for Wagga Wagga and Murray, I have been busy on the ground visiting these electorates in between committee and Parliamentary commitments to speak with locals and to make a number of funding announcements thanks to the Nationals in government. As Murray is a target seat for us in the next election, I have been doing a lot of quiet work behind the scenes to ensure the good work of the National Party is not tarnished by another term of Helen Dalton.
The NSW Government has provided unprecedented funding to our regions through a number of funding programs including our Stronger Country Communities Fund, Growing Local Economies Fund, Regional Communities Development Fund and Regional Sport Infrastructure Fund. This ensures regional communities continue to have the same level of investment and opportunities available to them as those in metropolitan areas.
Investments range from hospital and school upgrades to memorial clubs, parks and local sporting facilities. These funds are sincerely welcomed within our regional communities, particularly after the impacts of COVID-19, drought, a mice plague and natural disasters.
What’s on the horizon?
As we move into the second half of 2022 it will continue to be a busy period for committees and I am also looking forward to a number of exciting developments in Wagga Wagga and Murray.
Something exciting that I look forward to being a part of as Deputy President is a chance to engage regional youth through new mentoring programs which we intend to launch in 2023 to mark the NSW Parliament bicentenary.
If you have any questions about any of the current committee inquiries, recent reports that have been tabled, or would like to know how to make a submission, please contact my office and we will assist you wherever possible.
Thank you for your support and I look forward to continuing to work with you all to ensure regional and rural NSW have a strong Nationals voice.
Take care and I look forward to seeing you soon.
