30 November 2011 - as written for the Weekly Times. Foreign investment is going to be, without doubt, one of the most critical issues facing the nation over the coming decades.We need to be certain that in the future this nation is able to feed itself. We also need to be able to play our part as a r... ...more
During the federal election, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard outlined her vision for the country in 2013.
My vision is of a nation that creates jobs, invests in great education and health services and tackles the challenges of the future with confidence and optimism.
She should read her comment... ...more
Local producers don’t want special deals, just a level playing field.
The Rudd Government is now effectively enforcing stricter controls on the North Coast's $140 million-a-year cattle industry than it is on imports which the Government has just allowed from countries affected by Mad Cow Di... ...more
Are you a good driver? You may be hopeless and tend to wander but would you tell anyone? While none of us think we need any driving tuition how long is it since you read your state’s Road Users Handbook? When you got your licence?
Take a drive and it becomes apparent that whatever the road rules an... ...more
Summer has kicked into gear in a big way with high temperatures blanketing much of NSW and the southern states. Of course that raises the risk of bushfires and we must all follow the advice of state authorities in relation to fire danger. The NSW Rural Fire Service website is update as required as i... ...more
Australia celebrates Christmas 2009 free from the shackles of a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and its Emissions Trading Scheme. It was a close call but the Senate managed to defeat this ridiculous new tax that the Prime Minister was so insistent on taking to the Copenhagen Climate Change Confere... ...more
The response to the Government’s proposed Emissions Trading Scheme has sent my inbox into meltdown. The phones are running hot and the fax is getting a work out as well. Overwhelmingly I am being told that you do not want an ETS as you know that paying a tax will have no effect on the climate.
The ... ...more
A man who knows a lot about hot air has declared that humans must stop eating meat to save the planet. This would be laughable if it were not so serious.
Lord Stern, author of The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change which was published on October 30 2006 is the I. G. Patel Professor of ... ...more
My 16-year-old son Will is sitting his Year 11 exams and like any parent I hope that he has done enough study and will be as successful as he can be. When you send your child to school you hand over much of their life to other people. They are influenced by friends and teachers and they learn to mas... ...more
Being on the road with my fellow Nationals Leadership Team members - Leader Warren Truss, Deputy Leader Nigel Scullion and Senate Leader Barnaby Joyce - has been a fantastic experience.
We travelled through the electorates of Richmond, Page and Cowper and met constituents, party members, media and ... ...more