Speech - Tour of Great Southern and South West

Two weeks ago I travelled into the Great Southern and South West regions of my electorate to meet with local residents, small businesses and community leaders about issues important to their region.

Over the course of a week I visited the communities of Katanning, Kojonup, Boyup Brook, Manjimup and Bridgetown.

In Katanning, I had the opportunity to visit the new Sheep Saleyards construction project. This $22 million project is jointly funded by the State and Federal Government.

I spent Australia Day in Bridgetown, where I had the opportunity to welcome new citizens Andrew and Sue Brown, their two young children, Sophie and Dylan, and their dog, Jasper, into Australia.

I would like to extend that welcome to all of our new Australian citizens, across O’Connor, across regional Western Australia, and right across the nation.

I would also like to thank Pat Scallan, the unofficial Mayor of Greenbushes, for giving up his time on Australia day to take me on a tour of his lovely town. Greenbushes is a particularly proactive regional town located just 150 metres from a major mining operation.

I was particularly impressed with the Greenbushes Discovery Centre – an interactive museum with displays highlighting the mining and forestry industries of the South West.

I thank all the residents who took the time to meet with me and raise their issues while I was in this area.