The Nationals have been relentless in demanding the government make changes to independent youth allowance. Senator Bridget McKenzie recognises that the government has “finally done the right thing by treating regional students the same, regardless of where they live.” As a result of the pressure from The Nationals, the government has announced changes allowing students…
Details12 September 2011 THE development of a National Carer Strategy and the call for a National Disability Insurance Scheme saw carers across the region voicing their concerns at a workshop held recently. Newly-instated Senator Bridget McKenzie addressed concerns by carers at a workshop organised by disability services provider, BrainLink at the Traralgon Neighbourhood House last…
DetailsOne of Victoria’s newest Senators, Bridget McKenzie, paid her first official visit to Castlemaine last week. The Senator concluded that Castlemaine has good food, is the administrative centre for a well-run Shire and home to big-hearted people after a luncheon meeting at Togs with Mayor Janet Cropley, a tour of Windarring and meetings with the…
DetailsSenator Bridget McKenzie will spend Friday afternoon with carers from Brainlink at the ‘Changed Lives’ carer’s workshop in Traralgon where she will welcome the Productivity Commission’s report into Disability Care and Support and discuss it’s potential. Brainlink is a community based care and education organisation that focuses on the effect of acquired brain disorders. The…
Details3 September 2011 A NATIONALS senator has a renewed enthusiasm for the nation’s manufacturing industry after touring Thales in Bendigo. Senator Bridget McKenzie this week met with Thales staff and management and inspected its production line. “I just think it is a great example of everything that is great about manufacturing in regional…
DetailsToday’s news that an Australia-bound apple consignment contained disease threats shows the Australian Government should have heeded warnings from Victoria’s apple and pear growers. The Nationals’ Senator for Victoria, Bridget McKenzie, said this after news broke that a consignment of New Zealand apples contained leaf trash and a leaf curling midge. “The Federal Government and…
DetailsThe Nationals’ newest Senator for Victoria, Bridget McKenzie, says it is up to politicians to show leadership in reaping benefits for the nation from both the two-speed economy and internet technology. Senator McKenzie, 41, took her seat in Federal Parliament on July 1, and formally addressed her Senate colleagues for the first time today. She…
Details18 August 2011 Julia Gillard’s nod to potentially fire-blighted Kiwi apple imports is appalling, writes BRIDGET McKENZIE THE attitude of the Federal Government when it comes to dealing with the major issues confronting regional Victorians is baffling. The latest in a string of decisions that confound me is the possible green light to the…
DetailsSince becoming a Senator for Victoria on July 1 this year, Bridget McKenzie has hit the ground running. She has established her electorate office in Bendigo and is the first Federal Senator in almost two decades to choose the State’s most central city as an operational base. The various enterprises obvious in Bendigo and across…
Details9 August 2011 COAL seam gas companies have told a Senate hearing they will use their legal rights to force their way on to land where farmers refuse access. The admission is likely to anger thousands of farmers in the Surat and Bowen basins of Queensland who promised to lock their gates against gas and…
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