I recently visited Warracknabeal, Horsham and Stawell meeting with families, farmers, small business owners and Mallee residents to hear directly what matters most to them.

Wimmera and Grampians residents are feeling the pressure of rising costs. Struggling families and individuals are turning to food relief more often, while local charities are stretched.  

Communities are also deeply concerned about the pace and scale of change across our region without Labor investing in community infrastructure, particularly a lack of focus on the impact new developments have on scarcely available housing.

In Warracknabeal and Horsham, the ‘Northwest Nine’ councils and Mallee residents alike raised the impact large projects are having on housing, farmland and roads. I commend the ‘Nine’ for their efforts representing their communities, uniting in a show of force and solidarity for the region, and trying to get the best out of a situation very poorly handled by the Allan Labor Government. As they told me, these changes are happening to our regions, not with our regions.

Wimmera residents are not against development—they want respectful consultation, meaningful outcomes, and agriculture protected.

I spoke with Horsham mothers about the accessibility and affordability of childcare, and discussed how the federal tax system could better support parent’s choices, be it full-time work, or one staying at home with children.  We need better funding arrangements that work for families and our communities.

As I drove southeast on the Western Highway I lamented Labor’s constant delay of the duplication west of Buangor, given how important those road improvements are for travellers’ safety and for freight.

In Stawell, veterans, pensioners and older residents raised how hard it is to access services and the challenges of dealing with Commonwealth systems face-to-face.  When you consider how Labor has left home care decisions for the aged in the hands of a computer, you get the strong sense Labor just want to ignore we exist.  The Coalition are moving to reinsert human oversight in home care decisions, and in my visit to Stawell I was able to connect people with the agencies and rebates they need during this cost-of-living crisis.