Member for Maitland

Shadow Minister for Primary Industries

Investment and Tourism

Medical Research

Jenny Aitchison MP

Latest News

Mar 4, 2020

MEDIA RELEASE - Fishers fee relief too little too late

The NSW Labor Opposition has slammed the Liberal-National Government’s fee waiver for Commercial Fishing Management Fees as too little too late. Shadow Minister for Primary Industries Jenny Aitchison called on the Government over a month ago to provide the fee waiver for commercial fishers after the Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall announced that the Government would waive all Local Land Service Rates waivers for farmers. The announcement comes nearly a week after

Mar 3, 2020

MEDIA RELEASE: Berejiklian failing farmers on drought assistance

The NSW Labor Opposition has slammed the NSW Liberals and Nationals Government for reducing the amount of funding given to farmers while 98.5 per cent of the state is still in drought. NSW Budget Estimates hearings today revealed that approvals for the Farm Innovation Fund (7 year loans of up to $1 million with a two year interest and repayment free period) have effectively halved from $321 million in the twelve months from 2018/19 to only $69 million (2019/20 YTD). Simila

Mar 1, 2020

MEDIA RELEASE - Liberal-National cuts force cancellation of Regional Tourism Awards

The NSW Labor Opposition has slammed the Liberal-National Government for failing the regional tourism sector, after it was revealed the Regional Tourism Awards have been cancelled due to the failure to find a Major Partner. Shadow Minister for Investment and Tourism Jenny Aitchison MP called on the Government to sponsor the awards to enable them to go ahead this year. The Awards which commenced in 2004 (originally known as the Inland NSW Tourism Awards - INTA) are a major

Feb 6, 2020

MEDIA RELEASE - Government turns back on commercial fishers

Ahead of a Parliamentary debate today on a petition lodged on behalf of more than 10,000 citizens in support of commercial fishers, the NSW Labor Opposition has slammed the Berejiklian Government for leaving the commercial fishing interests unrepresented for months on end. Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Jenny Aitchison MP raised serious concerns at last year’s NSW budget estimates hearings regarding the lack of representation for the industry. However, Minister for

Feb 1, 2020

MEDIA RELEASE - Fishers desperate for a Government life buoy to stay afloat

The NSW Labor Opposition has slammed the Liberal-National Government for failing to acknowledge the crippling effect that the devastating bushfires and ongoing drought are having on those in the commercial fishing sector. Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall recently announced that the Government will once again waive all Local Land Services (LLS) rates to provide relief for farmers but not struggling commercial fishers. NSW Labor Shadow Minister for Primary Industries Je

Jan 18, 2020

MEDIA RELEASE - Labor calls for immediate action to address tourism crisis

The NSW Labor Opposition has demanded the Berejiklian Government immediately implement a marketing campaign to help towns grappling with a tourism crisis in the wake of the recent bushfires and ongoing drought. Labor Shadow Minister for Investment and Tourism Jenny Aitchison said many businesses owners are struggling with a significant economic loss during what is usually their busiest time. “I have spoken to accommodation providers and tourism operators up and down the c

Nov 13, 2019

CONSIDERATION IN DETAIL: Right to Farm Bill 2019

I speak for the Opposition on the upper House amendments to the Right to Farm Bill 2019, which were canvassed last night and spoke to the need for better drafting and consideration of the bill in the first instance. The fact that so many amendments were moved by the Government and by members of the crossbench in the other place with support from the Government speaks to the lack of clarity in the Government's speeches, rhetoric and hubris about what it wanted to achieve with

Oct 23, 2019

WATER SUPPLIES (CRITICAL NEEDS) BILL 2019 - Second reading debate

I speak on the Water Supply (Critical Needs) Bill 2019. It is a critical need that we have in this State, unfortunately, because three years ago all of our dams and reservoirs across New South Wales were full. Now we have a situation, due to this Government's appalling management of water in this State, where whole communities have been going without water for some time. According to the Government, up to 80 towns in this State are at risk of running out of water, if they hav

Oct 18, 2019

MEDIA RELEASE - Nats playing on farmers' anxieties to distract from failures on dams and breedin

The NSW Opposition has accused the NSW Nationals of adding to farmers‘ anxieties in the middle of a drought – to try and distract from their own failure to build a new dam in a decade. Shadow Minister for Primary Industries Jenny Aitchison said today: “The Nationals are rattled because they’ve left farmers high and dry in the middle of a drought.“ “For the past decade the Nationals have promised dams and not delivered them.” “As Alan Jones has pointed out this week, the w

Sep 26, 2019

MOTION - Regional Farming Communities

I move: That the motion be amended by replacing "Government's" with "Parliament's" in paragraph (2). I congratulate the member for Cootamundra on moving this motion. It is nice to see a motion that recognises the people in farming communities instead of a standard Thursday morning self-congratulatory motion. This State has been in drought for a long time and our hardworking farmers are at the end of their tethers. In the short time that I have been the shadow Minister with re

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