NEW NATS PARKES MP Jamie Chaffey has officially been sworn into the 48th Parliament and has hit the ground running.
Two months on from Labor’s landslide victory, Chaffey (pictured above) is now officially our new member and was elated with the announcement and verification.
“Very proud and honoured to have been officially sworn in as the Federal Member for Parkes during the opening of the 48th Parliament,” he said.
“I’m extremely humbled to have been elected to this position and understand what an incredible privilege it is. I won’t be taking this job for granted - I’m here to fight for the people of the Parkes electorate and will do my best to ensure we get what we deserve.”
True to his word, Chaffey’s first meeting was with the Rural Doctors Network after he prioritised health and medical access as part of his and the Nationals pre-election campaign and has so far remained true to his word.
“Kicking off my first week in Parliament with meetings. My very first meeting was with Rural Doctors Network CEO Richard Colbran and COO Mike Edwards,” he shared on his official Facebook page.
“I specifically arranged for this to be my first meeting to highlight just how critical access to adequate healthcare is to the people of the Parkes electorate. “A shortage of GPs and health professionals is one of the biggest issues in our electorate, so I wanted to establish a good relationship with the Rural Doctors Network from the outset,” Chaffey said.
The Bland Shire, like many other remote LGAs is struggling with shortages so the news Chaffey is advocating for the bush is good news for the electorate. According to RACGP data, overall, in 2023 there were 112 FTE GPs per 100,000 people in Australia which is a decrease from 2022 (115). Chaffey will have his work cut out but remains optimistic on improving outcomes for constituents from the Opposition bench.
“It was great to catch up with Richard and Mike to discuss the challenges facing our rural areas and look forward to regular meetings into the future.”
Read More: West Wyalong
