ACHIEVEMENTS AS THE STATE MEMBER FOR ORANGE
HEALTH
- 24 hour rescue helicopter for the Central West - Under Labor, Wollongong was given a 24 hour rescue service despite being a 10 minute flight from Sydney. Few issues raised such universal passion across the region, campaigning both publicly and privately, working with the communities of the Central West, groups such as the CWA, local councils, medicos and fellow MPs (Troy Grant and Paul Toole), to present a petition of over 30,000 signatures to Parliament to make it happen. Not only was a 24 hour service delivered, but a new larger chopper is on the way. The service has already save dozens, if not hundreds, of lives across the Central West. It was one of the most significant achievements in my first term of office.
- Second radiotherapy machine at Orange Hospital - It was outrageous that people from Western NSW had to either travel to Sydney for radiotherapy or choose not to be treated. Worked with local medical practitioners and the community to deliver a second machine for Orange that services the whole region. Again, a vital treatment that has saved many lives across the Central West.
- Construction has started on the new Molong MPS, with a NSW Government commitment for a new Ambulance Station as well, ending years of uncertainty over health services at Molong.
- Helped save the Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health in Orange with $16 million in funding.
- New emergency department at Wellington Hospital – before the 2011 election there was great community angst about security at Wellington Hospital and its ageing Emergency DepartmentNew emergency department at Wellington Hospital – before the 2011 election there was great community angst about security at Wellington Hospital and its ageing Emergency Department
- Lobbied for a new hospital at Mudgee - $60 million election commitment, with planning now underway
- If country hospitals close, country communities can die. It’s that simple. No issue symbolised Labor’s neglect of the bush more than the closure of Gulgong Hospital in 2010. The whole town turned out to protest its closure.
AGRICULTURE
- Subsidies for orchardists for fruit bat netting (and hail netting) – finally ending the yearly battle between farmers and the fruit bats!
- Central Tablelands Local Land Services – created with the help of neighbouring MP – Paul Toole
- Stopping cold Labor’s plans to sell and subdivide the Orange Ag institute
- Burrendong Dam cold water pollution project
TRANSPORT
- Wellington to Dubbo bus service – for decades Wellington was effectively isolated from its largest neighbour
INFRASTRUCTURE
- Almost $54 million in water security pipelines around the Central West
- Millions for the raising of Suma Park Dam Wall at Orange
- Feasibility study for a new dam at Cranky Rock near Canowindra
- Millions of dollars in funding for our local public reserves, including a new pavilion for the Orange Showground)
ROADS
- $16 million for the cope and Ulan Roads near Mudgee
- $40 million for the upgrade of the Mitchell Highway between Orange and Molong at Guanna Hill – residents have been pushing for this upgrade for over 30 years. After years of pestering NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay and literally sitting outside his office urging him to “feed the goanna”, the work is now underway
- $2 million for overtaking lanes on the Cargo Road
- New bridge on the Cargo Road (old bridge had been there for more than 70 years)
- The paving of Main Road 353 – Wellington’s link to the Golden Highway had been dirt for years – it was Wellington’s biggest road priority and we delivered
- Concerned parents and communities were crying out for these extremely dangerous roads from Gulgong and Mudgee to the mines to be made safe. Through working collaboratively with local residents and the council, a community campaign resulted in a petition of over 11,000 signatures presented to the NSW Parliament and $16 million in Resources in Regions funding for the upgrades
COMMUNITY
- Three new domestic violence refuges for Orange – Orange unfortunately has some of the highest rates of domestic violence in the state. Worked with Orange’s Domestic Violence Working Group to secure NSW Government funding for three domestic violence safe houses in Orange.
- Securing $4 million in Payroll Tax Rebates to help keep Electrolux open
- Following the announcement that Electrolux would close, spearheaded a massive Electrolux re-training program – completed by 400 employees
- Fought for and delivered $6,000 Payroll Tax Rebates to hire ex-Electrolux worker
- $3.4 million Aboriginal Learning Centre at TAFE in Orange
- Wellington Courthouse Audio Visual Link
- Located just north of Mudgee, The Drip consists of the magnificent Great Dripping Wall formed of sandstone that towers over the Goulburn River. Just before the 2011 State election, the State Labor Government sold this iconic piece of bushland to a coalmine without telling anyone. When the deal ultimately became public, it proviked local and international outrage. After a long and arduous campaign, the mine and the NSW Government were finally able to reach an agreement for The Drip to be declared a National Park in 2015
EDUCATION
- $2.5 million for new classrooms at Catherine McAuley Catholic Primary School in Orange – the single largest grant given in recent times for an upgrade
ACHIEVEMENTS AS THE FEDERAL MEMBER FOR CALARE
- Backpacker tax axed
- $1.2 million to fix the infamous dog leg bridge on Peisley Street at Orange
- $395,500 for new overtaking lanes on the Cargo Road, west of Orange
- $1.42 million to upgrade Clergate Road in Orange
- $1.5 million for pavement strengthening and realignment of Browns Creek Road at Blayney
- Superannuation reforms sorted
- $400,000 for Australian Functional Foods to develop products from waste grade fruit such as cherries and plums
- $891,525 to Bioprocessing Australia for a fermentation process to produce high quality protein food and feed yeast
- 24-hour rescue helicopter service
- $545,050 for Lithgow’s Blast Furnace Project
- $965,250 for the Bathurst Rail Museum