"Mallee families, farmers and small businesses have been hit from every direction by higher power bills, higher interest rates and the consequences of Labor's expensive policy experiments railroading farms, dividing local communities and turning

Our cancer care networks are very fragile due to our dependence on fly-in fly-out specialists or flights to get patients down to Melbourne. Our long-term answer must include training and retaining more medical professionals in regional Australia

The government now quite correctly says all 31 primary health networks have at least one clinic. Consider what that means in my electorate. For women in Mildura within the enormous Murray PHN, their clinic is in Bendigo, which is 400km away.

The reality is that this system has significant limitations that many Australians simply do not understand. Temporary disaster roaming only works when there is at least one other network tower available, so one is not enough.

No-one should fear for their safety simply for doing their job. This is not who we as Australians are. We believe in freedom of speech, robust debate and the right to disagree.

TOPICS: Member for Indi, security arrangements for MPs, personal security arrangements, policing, women in public life

"Most Australians assume they already have a right to pay with cash. They don’t. There is currently no general right to pay with cash at the point of sale," Dr Webster said.

TOPICS: Victorian Premier's Big Red Bus, state of Victoria's roads, Premier's naps, campaign appearances and security, attack on Helen Haines MP, cartoon depictions of violence against MPs

Our democracy also depends on remembering that the person we are debating is still a human being, representing their community and the interests that put them there. Photo by Jason South C/o The Age