By Roy Butler, Member for Barwon:

Parliament is finally sitting again, and the new government is getting down to business.

There have already been some significant pieces of legislation proposed, with the government eager to fulfil its election promises relating to such things as amending the constitution to prevent privatisation of water.

But the first week of a new parliament and of a new government is always a period of ceremony and adjustment.

Some of my time has been spent settling into a new office space, which is shared with Phil Donato the Member for Orange. So far it has proven to be a much better base of operations in parliament.

This week I will be accompanying the Health Minister around various parts of the electorate before returning to parliament for consecutive sitting weeks.

Parliament resumes

After a long break since parliament rose in December last year, it’s back on again.

I have been sworn in for my second term, in the 58th NSW Parliament.

The opening session of parliament was a long day that consisted of official photos, swearing an oath of loyalty to Australia and to the people of NSW, a smoking ceremony and a lot of ritual that owes its origin to many centuries of parliamentary tradition.

A significant part of the first week was taken up by maiden speeches, the election of the Speakers, congratulations for the King’s Coronation and the new government and opposition settling into their new roles.

It is an honour to be serving the people of Barwon and NSW again. I look forward to getting even more done in this term.

Federal budget breakdown

The recent federal budget offered some good things for the people of Barwon, including:

• Relief from cost-of-living pressures for lower income earners.

• A boost to the incentives for bulk billing which should make it easier for patients to find a doctor who bulk bills and doesn’t charge a large upfront fee.

• More funding for disaster preparedness planning including levee bank upgrades.

• Tax breaks for small businesses.

• Electricity bill relief for small businesses and lower income homeowners.

• Getting the NDIS back on track, with initiatives to improve its effectiveness and quality.

• $1.1 billion in 2032–33 to continue existing road maintenance and safety programs.

However, like every budget, there are good and bad things.

One thing is the increase in the Heavy Vehicle Road User Charge rate, which will likely increase the cost of transport for things such as livestock.

There is also a question mark still hanging over many regional infrastructure programs, which will be subject to an audit to determine their viability.

I will monitor any audits that apply to projects in Barwon.

Young Offenders Act

In the first week of May I attended an event at Sydney University

Law School called “Reflecting on 25 Years of the Young Offenders Act of 1997”.

It was interesting to hear how the act came about from some of the people who helped develop it and advocate for it in parliament a quarter of a century ago, and how juvenile justice was changed as a result.

I also had a discussion with some of the legal minds who were there about some of the failures of the act in Barwon, and other areas of the state, and some of the ways forward.

Resourcing for youth justice and youth programs has not been applied well and, particularly in Barwon, there is a lack of referral options for young offenders.

Youth crime is something common to many towns across the country, which is why it is important to spend the effort reviewing, reforming, and repairing our youth justice system.

I will be advocating in parliament for a review of the act and ways that we can improve the act and the way it is applied in regional areas.

To order photos from this page click here