The Albanese Labor Government must step in and protect farmers from Westpac imposing deforestation targets on agricultural commercial lending, Member for Mallee Anne Webster says. Dr Webster said the banking sector should not add to the burden of Australia’s strict native vegetation protection laws set through State Governments. “What place does a bank have to…
The out-of-touch Albanese Labor Government risks credibility damage if they go against their own Industrial Reforms measures in the House of Representatives this week, Member for Mallee Anne Webster says. Labor’s so-called Closing Loopholes Bill will return to the Lower House this week after Crossbench Senators voted with the Coalition to split Labor’s Closing Loopholes…
This week’s Optus outage highlights the need for mandated domestic mobile roaming in regional, rural and remote Australia, Member for Mallee Anne Webster says. The outage, which impacted 10 million Australians, provides evidence that a mandated mobile roaming pilot program in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia should be facilitated, while broader capacity in…
Labor’s cost of living crisis is continuing to pile pressure on Mallee family budgets, Member for Mallee Anne Webster says. In the wake of Tuesday’s interest rate rise by the Reserve Bank of Australia, which takes the cash rate to its highest level since 2011, the average mortgage holder in Australia will be paying almost…
The Albanese Labor Government’s tripling of the Bulk Billing Incentive Payments is a signature Labor policy with a good headline but no positive impact for the majority of Australians, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health Anne Webster says. General Practitioners receive triple the current Medicare incentive to bulk bill concession card holders and children under…
Member for Mallee Anne Webster has congratulated the Wimmera’s David Jochinke on his election as President of the National Farmers Federation, and lauded his strong stance calling out the Albanese Labor Government’s appalling treatment of farming communities. “Labor appear to have taken a scorched earth mantra to their policy decisions without any concern for the…
The Albanese Labor Government has taken one more step towards ending all bipartisanship on the Murray Darling Basin Plan, Member for Mallee Anne Webster says. Water Minister Tanya Plibersek’s Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023 passed the House of Representatives today, bringing buy backs one step closer. “Minister Plibersek knows the trauma and damage…
Transmission Company Victoria (TCV) has finally released its draft corridor for the VNI West project, burying it within the news cycle and leaving affected landholders just days to prepare for planned consultation sessions. Member for Mallee Anne Webster criticised TCV for releasing the report late on a Friday afternoon, just four days before planned community…
Federal Members representing communities along the Murray Darling Basin as well as members of the Coalition’s Agriculture Backbench Committee will hold a town hall meeting in Mildura on Tuesday, October 3 to discuss the Albanese Labor Government’s proposed amendments to the Murray Darling Basin Plan. The meeting, from 4pm at the Alfred Deakin Centre Benetook…
Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health Anne Webster says while the scrapping of the Visas for GPs program may streamline the recruitment of international doctors, more needs to be done to address the Albanese Labor Government’s regional healthcare failures. Under the program, regional and rural GP practices that sought to hire overseas-trained doctors had to…