It’s been a little more than a month since the federal election, and I wanted to take the opportunity to thank the people of Maranoa for once again showing their faith in me, with re-election for another term.
Serving our wonderful electorate as its elected representative is one of the greatest honours of my life, and not one I take lightly.
While the overall election result was disappointing, it is important we now refocus our attentions to keeping this government to account.
The problems facing our nation before the election still exist, and we must continue to fight for the best outcomes for all Australians.
Energy is the economy, and The Nationals will continue to push for a technology-agnostic approach.
We’re going to have to face up to the reality that we will need nuclear energy at some point to have a competitive economy.
This is why we will continue our pursuit to have nuclear energy included in our nation’s energy mix.
As well as fighting to secure our future energy supplies, it is also imperative we continue to advocate for regional communities and farming families, which in some parts of Australia, are doing it tough.
There have been many significant weather events across Australia in recent months, including the floods in Western Queensland and the NSW Mid-North Coast, Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, and the ongoing drought across South Australia and Victoria.
These events have significantly impacted local communities and the agricultural sector more broadly.
That’s why The Nationals are calling on Agriculture Minister Julie Collins to revisit interest-free loans for farmers from the Regional Investment Corporation (RIC).
In 2020, the Coalition introduced a two-year interest-free period for loans up to $2 million for farmers experiencing hardship during the drought, and it helped many farmers avoid going bankrupt.
The zero per cent interest rate applied to new and existing drought loans and to refinance existing debt from a farmer’s commercial bank, to give farmers some breathing space, saving them cashflow and giving them time to restock and replant.
Our farmers are feeling significant pain, and it is now time to make this loan product available for the farmers affected.
These issues are among the most pressing facing our nation at the moment, and our role in Opposition is to ensure we hold this Labor Government to account.
I thank you again for your support and vow to continue to fight hard for Maranoa’s fair share.
ENDS
