Pat Conaghan MP

Pat Conaghan MP This is my official page as the Federal Member for Cowper.

04/06/2026

ILLICIT TO***CO AND VAPES: ANOTHER LABOR BUDGET FAILURE
There are so many 'epic fails' in this latest Labor budget that its genuinely getting hard to find a silver lining.

Yesterday, I took the opportunity to highlight the failures of the budget to recognise the avalanche of illicit to***co and v**e products spilling into our high streets and local shopping centres.

As a former police officer and drug squad detective, I've been banging on about this issue since I walked through the doors of Parliament. And with each passing year that the Government refuses to recognise the problem, it's causes and the resources required to stop it, things only get worse.

We are already seeing the same players branching out into other products, specifically alcohol. Another legal product taxed past the point of price elasticity and handed to criminal gang networks.

We must urgently;

✅Address the overtaxing of to***co and regulate v**es in order to stem the flow of unsafe and untested products.
✅ Create a permanent, standalone federal va**ng, alcohol and to***co agency that is funded properly and set up to work with state and territory law enforcement
✅Empower our courts to crack down and crack down hard on illegal operators and agents

Without every single one of these measures, the illicit to***co and v**e trade will continue to thrive and in fact expand. And none of these are contained in Labor's Budget.

***co

02/06/2026

PAT IN PARLIAMENT: VALE JAMES DUNN
I took the opportunity pay tribute to James Thomas Dunn who tragically and suddenly passed away on 12 May at the age of 54.

James was a husband to Pauline and father to James Junior and Georgia who he loved dearly. He was incredibly proud of their achievements and always spoke of their times together or their latest holidays. He left little doubt in anyone’s mind that his family came first above all. His love and respect were also always on display for his Mum Catherine and Dad Jim.

James was also a giant in the business community. At the time of his passing James was the Managing Director of Expressway Spares which was started in 1964 by James’s grandfather and now employs several hundred people in regional Australia. As a reflection of the man he was, James knew the names of every single employee and treated them as family.

To his mates, James was a character. Always laughing, having a joke or wearing his notorious fluro speedo’s on lighthouse beach on Christmas day. And he was always there to lend a hand or just to listen.

Our thoughts go to James family, friends and colleagues at Expressway Spares.

James’s funeral on Monday made me want to do better and be better. Like James. He will be missed. Vale James Dunn.

01/06/2026

PAT IN PARLIAMENT: CALLING OUT BROKEN PROMISES AND SLIDING LIVING STANDARDS
Labor famously promised that no one would be 'left behind' under their Government, and that they would build a 'stronger, fairer and more resilient Australia'.
But after four years, we have seen a string of broken promises and the average Australian suffering under the burden of high inflation, high taxes and declining quality of life.
Do you feel better off than you were four years ago?

29/05/2026

PAT IN PARLIAMENT: ACKNOWLEDGING LOCAL NDIS ADVOCATE CONNOR BRYANT
I was pleased to have the opportunity acknowledge local legend Connor Bryant in my speech regarding the NDIS for Future Generations Bill.

Connor has long championed the needs of people living with disability and has himself faced significant challenges when navigating the NDIS.

When Connor first visited me at a mobile office in Sawtell to ask for my help, I knew that he would be a constructive and dedicated sounding board who would help me to fight for positive changes to be made. And he has absolutely lived up to my first impressions of his character. I'm now lucky to call him a friend, and our community is lucky to have him.

Well done, Connor. And thank you for your advice and perspective.

Many from our community have written to me in recent days expressing their concerns with the Bill. I hope that I have captured these concerns in my reply and will be watching the Senate Inquiry progress closely.

For those interested, my full speech can be found in the comments section below.

ATTN: Port Macquarie & Telegraph Point Please heed the advice of our Mid North Coast NSW SES
28/05/2026

ATTN: Port Macquarie & Telegraph Point
Please heed the advice of our Mid North Coast NSW SES

28/05/2026

PAT IN PARLIAMENT: SHOULD THIS WORD REALLY BE BANNED?
There are a number of four-letter words that MPs are unable to use on the floor of Parliament. And rightly so. They are unparliamentary and not reflective of civil discourse in polite Australian society. Of course, we along with the rest of Australia may think them, but they don’t leave our lips in this place. And neither should they.

But recently, we have seen the ban enforcement on the floor of Parliament of a four-letter word that IS used in general discourse. A word starting with L that someone might be called for being dishonest, distrustful, evasive or false in their representations. A word that, while unflattering, when used in the correct circumstances is valid.

I didn't use that word today, I played within the rules, but I did call out Labor's consistent approach during Question Time that Australians are sick of seeing. And that is ‘Divert, Deflect & Deny’.

Yesterday, I asked a direct question from my constituency in relation to the slashing of the private healthcare rebate for those over 65. This is a serious concern with serious consequences not only for older Australians struggling to pay their bills, but for the public health system more broadly. Instead of answering, the PM chose to play semantics and denied there was an issue.

Many of you who will be directly effected reached out to me yesterday about the PMs answer, and I can tell you that the L word was the most flattering of the four letter words that you offered to describe his response.

How can anyone trust a Government that refuses to answer basic questions sent to us from our constituency? It is our job as representatives to seek a response. Labor's QT games continue to deny the Australian people of the right to an honest answer.

27/05/2026

DIVERT, DEFLECT, DENY: PM DODGES QUESTION AFFECTING OVER 65s
As usual, Question Time was actually the 'PM evades answering everyday Aussies' show rather than a serious Parliamentary process.

I asked a question posed by so many of you, and specifically by Ross who's wife Cynthia is recovering from breast cancer and will be directly negatively impacted when it comes to the availability of her care as a result of the slashing of rebates for over 65s with private health insurance.

Thank you to Paul Murray LIVE for covering the PMs evasion so eloquently.

This is a serious concern with serious consequences not only for those over 65 who are already forced to choose between insurances and everyday essentials, but for the public health system. The PM chose to play semantics rather than acknowledge the very real concern.

How can anyone trust this Government to do the right thing if they are unwilling to answer basic questions?

WELL DESERVED RECOGNITION: CONGRATULATIONS, EMMA!A huge congratulations to St Paul's College Kempsey Year 12 student Em...
26/05/2026

WELL DESERVED RECOGNITION: CONGRATULATIONS, EMMA!
A huge congratulations to St Paul's College Kempsey Year 12 student Emma M., who received a Bronze Commendation from the Governor of New South Wales at Government House over the weekend.

Emma was named one of six finalists for the prestigious Governor's Sword of Honour for Excellence, recognizing the top cadet in the No. 3 Wing Australian Air Force Cadets (AAFC).

Thank you for representing the Macleay Valley with pride, Emma. I look forward to seeing you continue to achieve great things!

CELEBRATING OUR SES LEGENDS: NORTH EASTERN ZONE AWARDS CEREMONYEarlier this month I had the privilege of attending the N...
26/05/2026

CELEBRATING OUR SES LEGENDS: NORTH EASTERN ZONE AWARDS CEREMONY
Earlier this month I had the privilege of attending the North Eastern Zone Awards Ceremony in Coffs Harbour.

Nearly 50 dedicated SES members were recognised on the day, with hundreds of years of combined service between them.

Every time I attend these events and hear the stories of individual acts of courage and kindness from our local SES team members, I'm in awe. Our communities are so lucky to have each and every first responder living amongst us. Individuals who put their bodies and minds on the line to come to our aid in times of crisis. They are a special breed and we owe them our thanks every day, not just on these awards days.

Congratulations to everyone who was recognised this month. Every award was so well deserved.

Australians didn’t vote for these, but Labor are delivering them anyway.Toxic taxes are not the answer to our economic c...
25/05/2026

Australians didn’t vote for these, but Labor are delivering them anyway.

Toxic taxes are not the answer to our economic challenges.

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