NFF’s strong stance welcomed

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…

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Delayed VNI West route release a cynical move

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…

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Basin Plan meeting for Mildura

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…

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Red tape removal a step forward, but more needed

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…

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Albanese’s Koala Court on COVID-19 is a joke

Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health Anne Webster has labelled Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s inquiry into the handling of COVID-19 a ‘Koala Court’ because it is too cuddly towards Labor state premiers. “Usually, questionable inquiries are kangaroo courts, but in this case the Prime Minister has gone out of his way to avoid scrutiny of…

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Nationals Federal Conference backs regional health

The Nationals Federal Conference has backed two key health policy recommendations to alleviate workforce issues in Regional Australia, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health Anne Webster says. The Conference unanimously supported reintroducing a stronger “on the job” hospital-based nurse education requirement for regional nursing students, which would allow students to study and start work earlier…

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Labor’s IR reforms risk Mallee jobs

Labor’s latest industrial relations reforms risk employers being forced to let staff go, Member for Mallee Anne Webster says. “The government needs to focus on keeping Australians employed, not appeasing the unions”, Dr Webster said. The Albanese Labor Government’s proposed industrial relations changes will make life tougher for Australian businesses by increasing costs, complexity and…

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Regions in the dark over Labor’s “90 day” review

126 days after announcing a 90 day review of Australia’s $120 billion infrastructure pipeline, Mallee communities are still waiting to hear whether their key projects will continue or be axed by the Albanese Labor Government. Member for Mallee Anne Webster said Infrastructure Minister Catherine King needed to give answers on Coalition-funded projects such as the…

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Regional figures show need for investment

New data highlighting a surge in millennials abandoning the cities for the country life shows a need for Labor to invest in the regions, Member for Mallee Anne Webster says. The Regional Australia Institute’s Big Movers 2023 report found an additional 54,000 millennials headed for the regions during the latest Census period (2016-2021) compared to…

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