This announcement has confirmed that the federal electorate of Parkes will increase in size from 256,000 square kilometres to approximately 400,000 square kilometres. 

 

This means that residents in towns across Far Western NSW and Gunnedah will be voting to elect a federal member for the electorate of Parkes.  It also means that the residents of Wellington and Mudgee will now be voting to elect a federal member for the electorate of Calare and residents in parts of the Gwydir Shire will now be voting to elect a federal member of New England.

 

I have nominated myself for pre-selection with The Nationals to run as their candidate for the new Parkes electorate at the federal election this year.  Should I be successful in pre-selection, I very much look forward to acquainting myself with the residents of Far Western NSW and to re-engaging with the residents of Gunnedah. 

 

Profile maps for each electoral division are now available here http://www.aec.gov.au/Electorates/Redistributions/2014/nsw/final-report/maps.htm

 

Detailed maps of each electoral division will be published on the AEC website once the augmented Electoral Commission's report has been tabled in the Federal Parliament. 

 

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The Federal Government has released its 2016 Defence White Paper which sets out the Coalition Government’s comprehensive and responsible long-term plan to ensure Australia’s national security. 

 

The White Paper recognises Australia’s security and prosperity is directly tied to the stability of our region and to the maintenance of a stable, rules-based global order. It positions Defence to respond to a broader range of security threats to Australians at home and abroad

 

This is the first time that a White Paper fully aligns strategy, capability and resources to make the Australian Defence Force (ADF) more capable, agile and potent.

 

I am very pleased that the Coalition is Government is increasing Defence spending by $29.9 billion over the next decade.  This means that over the next ten years, the Government will invest around $195 billion on new and enhanced defence capabilities. 

 

The defence strategy and capability plans in the White Paper have been independently costed to ensure they are achievable and affordable.

 

To help achieve our capability plans, the Coalition Government will maximise opportunities for competitive Australian businesses, including building export potential, depth of skills and diversification for the Australian defence industry.  This includes a commitment to cutting red tape and reducing the cost of doing business with Defence.

 

The 2016 Defence White Paper, Integrated Investment Program and Defence Industry Policy Statement are available at www.defence.gov.au/whitepaper