Constituency Statement - Federation Chamber Monday 29 May, 2017

May is the month of Granny Smiths, Butternuts and Sebagos in Hume.
It’s when the southern part of my electorate celebrates truly unique annual festivals that draw thousands of visitors from everywhere.
Apple Day at Tallong saw furious competition in the great bake-off and apple pie eating events.
This small village just north of Goulburn only has a population of about 700 – yet the 12th Apple Day pulled a record 5000 people.
A corker of an effort by this innovative organising committee led superbly by Chrissy Wursten.
On the same day, Collector, just up the road from here, staged its 14th world-famous Pumpkin Festival.
The crowds were big – we’re talking about 15,000 - traffic was banked up to the Federal Highway.
But the hordes were never going to go hungry. Not while ACT local Rick Downes keeps growing his giants.
He won the Joe Medway Memorial Heaviest Pumpkin competition with a 109.5kg monster.
Gary Poile and his group do an amazing job putting the Festival together.
Let’s not forget Collector has a population of maybe 400 yet manages to entice enough pumpkin pilgrims to fill a footy stadium.
Out at Crookwell they stage the Potato Festival which celebrates more than a century and a half of growing spuds high on the Southern Tablelands of NSW.
Now in its 7th year, it is one of the most anticipated community events on the Upper Lachlan Shire calendar.
More than 2000 people came this year, jumping aboard the ‘Spud Bus’ across various locations in the township.
There were 45 entries for the Decorated Potato Competition - and dozens of local students entered the Junior Australian Poetry Competition which I supported .
Well done to overall winners Emily Lamb and Jarion Long.
I know chair of the organising committee Joyce Edwards and her fellow volunteers toil hard to showcase Crookwell and its significant potato-growing heritage.
Importantly, it gives local growers like those represented by the Crookwell Potato Association an opportunity to talk to locals and visitors about their industry.
Deputy Speaker, the good people of Hume are hard workers – and it is only fair the Coalition’s Budget is working hard for them through tax breaks for small businesses, more affordable and accessible child care - and a fairer, needs-based schools funding system.
I am also pleased the Coalition’s record investment in rural and regional telecommunications is connecting Hume’s communities like in Golspie where the Mobile BlackSpot tower has just been switched-on - and in Bundanoon and Wingello where nbn towers are servicing 550 premises.