1. Growing Agriculture – That this conference calls on The Nationals in government reinstate cattle underpass funding.

 

  1. Growing Agriculture – That this conference calls for increased fines for failure to control noxious weeds, better state government control on Crown Land and stronger enforcement of existing laws, noting cuts to Agriculture Victoria have reduced enforcement efforts.
  1. That this conference supports the retention of manual personal identification and opposes any move to make personal digital identification mandatory.
  • Consistent with the views of State Council, The Nationals voted against Labor’s Australian Government Digital ID Systems (AGDIS) legislation in May 2024. The Nationals were concerned Labor’s Digital ID would not operate on a genuinely voluntary basis, nor that it would operate without causing detriment to those who choose not to have a Digital ID. The Nationals pushed for stronger guarantees that having a digital identity would be voluntary and that those who wished to use traditional paper-based ID wouldn’t face a lower quality of service.
  1. That this conference urges state and federal governments, their departments and agencies not to fund Welcome to Country ceremonies.
  • The Coalition took a principled position on this issue during the Federal election campaign, that there are occasions where Welcome to Country ceremonies are appropriate and respectful but recognising that many Australians feel use of these ceremonies are “”overdone”” which subsequently “”cheapens the significance”” of them.

At Senate Estimates in February 2025, Senator Bridget McKenzie grilled the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts on its $48,950 expenditure on Welcome to             Country ceremonies between 1 July 2023 – 31 December 2024. Senate_Rural_and_Regional_Affairs_and_Transport_Legislation_Committee_1748239868.mp4

Across the Commonwealth Government, $452,953 was spent on Welcome to Country ceremonies over 2022-23 and 2023-24 years.

 

  1. Safe, Low Cost, Reliable Energy – That this conference endorses the continued use of gas and move that The Nationals strenuously oppose the phasing out of and a ban on gas for any new housing. We also support the development of new gas resources.

The Nationals have continued to stand firm on protecting gas access for new homes and supporting new gas resources, as you will see below:

 

  1. Safe, Low Cost, Reliable Energy – That this conference calls upon the Allan Labor Government to abandon its policies that rely solely on renewables, and instead support emissions free nuclear, high energy low emission coal and gas as the main source of firming energy, and commit the Victorian National Parliamentary members to support their Federal members and promote the advantages of nuclear energy.

The Nationals have been fighting for practical, reliable energy solutions for Victoria’s future, as evidenced by the following links:

  1. That this conference calls upon the Albanese Labor Government to assist struggling homeowners by implementing mortgage relief provisions and developing alternative reforms to combat inflation.
  • Under the Albanese Labor Government, Australia is facing a housing crisis. For families, first-home buyers and renters, the dream of secure housing is slipping away. The cost of borrowing has skyrocketed; rents have surged 18 per cent. Labor has brought in more than one million migrants in just over two years, while fewer than 400,000 homes have been constructed in that time. Labor’s claim of $43 billion in housing is just another fraud on the Australian people, with not a single new additional house having been completed under their promised housing policies. The Coalition took a comprehensive package of measures to the 2025 Federal election, including unlocking new homes through provision of essential infrastructure, clear Labor’s backlog of housing development projects stalled under environmental approvals, reduce migration to sustainable levels, implement a two-year ban on foreign investors purchasing existing homes, creating the First Home Buyer Mortgage Deductibility Scheme for first home buyers, establish the Super Home Buyer Scheme, work with financial regulators to change lending rules to help young Australians.

Link to policy announcements:  https://www.liberal.org.au/policy/our-plan-for-housing-and-home-ownership

  1. That this conference supports an optional short-service National Program of Community Service scheme including various forms of national training to improve skills of young people.
  • While there is not a national program of community service for young people in Australia there are various departments and organisations that do provide programs that address improving skills for young people such as Freeza, Scouts, Guides, Red Cross, CFA, Landcare, St Johns, the CFA and Army Cadets.
  1. That this conference calls on the Federal Government to urgently increase national defence expenditure to no less than 2.5% of GDP.
  • The Albanese Government has made more than $80 billion in cuts and delays to Defence, with spending by 2033-34 less than what was promised in Labor’s 2024 National Defence Strategy.

During the 2025 federal election campaign the Coalition announced $21 billion in additional funding to Defence over five years, which would have taken Defence spending as a share of GDP to 2.5 percent within five             years, and 3% within the decade.

 

  1. That this conference calls on the Albanese Labor Government to abolish the office of Assistant Minister for the Republic.
  • On 28 July 2024, the position of assistant minister for the republic, which was first established on 1 June 2022, was abolished in a ministerial reshuffle after the coalition applied pressure on the government.

 

  1. That this conference supports policy requiring all charities to disclose any donations from foreign businesses, governments or other entities, in addition to their Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission reporting requirements.
  • The Albanese Government has failed to deliver on promised reforms and missed opportunities to strengthen the charities and not for profits sector. The Federal Nationals will continue to work with other Senate Parties to explore reforms to support philanthropy and the not-for-profit and charities sectors.
  1. That this conference urges the Albanese Labor Government to remove the Property Price Cap for First Home Guarantee applicants for rural and regional areas and allow for unlimited applications for people buying property outside metropolitan areas.
  • The Coalition took a comprehensive package of measures to the 2025 Federal election, including unlocking new homes through provision of essential infrastructure, clear Labor’s backlog of housing development projects stalled under environmental approvals, reduce migration to sustainable levels, implement a two-year ban on foreign investors purchasing existing homes, creating the First Home Buyer Mortgage Deductibility Scheme for first home buyers, establish the Super Home Buyer Scheme, work with financial regulators to change lending rules to help young Australians.

Link to policy announcement: https://www.liberal.org.au/policy/more-affordable-homes

  1. That this conference calls for all state and federal fuel levies and taxes to go directly toward funding roads as originally intended.
  • There is a growing inequity in the way road users are taxed and contribute to the maintenance of the road network. Drivers of EVs pay no fuel excise and in some jurisdictions enjoy subsidised registration, meaning they are not contributing equitably towards road maintenance. Over the past three years the Albanese Government has spent less on roads compared to what was budgeted by the former Coalition Government, and cancelled, cut and delayed more than $30 billion worth of infrastructure projects. Reforming the system of road user contributions to support equitable contributions by all road users towards the maintenance of our road network is a priority.

 

  1. That this conference urges the Federal Government to make it a priority to lobby China for the release of Australian academic and writer Yang Hengjun.
  • The Government reportedly raised Yang Hengjun’s case with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in late 2024.
  1. Better Healthcare and Education for the Regions – That this conference calls for education system and curriculum reform, to include:
  • recent research and developments in a rapidly changing world;
  • basic skills training needed to succeed in life;
  • stronger discipline to support students who want to learn; and
  • place greater emphasis on instilling pride in Australia as a welcoming, inclusive and prosperous nation.

Throughout the last year, The Nationals have continued to raise issues within Victoria’s education system, including:

 

  1. Better Healthcare and Education for the Regions – That this conference condemns the Allan Labor Government for the dangerous and disorganised implementation of decriminalisation of public drunkenness and calls for Police to be provided with powers to transport, detain and move on people who refuse to engage with health services.

 

  1. Better Healthcare and Education for the Regions – That this conference calls on state and federal governments to promote and fund the Boostrix (whooping cough) vaccine for parents, guardians and grandparents to increase the vaccination rate.

 

  1. Better Healthcare and Education for the Regions – That this conference calls on the Allan Labor Government to:
  • Urgently review funding to small rural hospitals and Bush Nursing Centres;
  • Continue to support the growth of health services in rural and small regional hospitals; and
  • Prioritises Regional Health Infrastructure Fund (RHIF) projects that increase service capacity, not general hospital infrastructure or maintenance programs.

 

 

  1. Protecting the Environment – That this conference supports funding studies into benefits of ecological thinning (on public land) for ecological restoration, bushfire mitigation, and the provision of timber feedstock for the Victorian timber manufacturing sector. 

 

  1. Protecting the Environment – That this conference condemns the Albanese Labor Government’s water buy-back policy and calls for Murray Darling Basin buy-backs to be capped to 1500 gigalitres, that the socio-economic neutrality test for the proposed 450 gigalitre “up water” buy-backs be reinstated, and in the interest of transparency and accountability, there be public disclosure, at least annually, of the total volume captured by the Basin compared with the allocations made to and the usage by all classes of licenced users including the environment.

 

  1. Protecting the Environment – That this conference condemns the Allan Labor Government for its waste management policies that encourage the illegal dumping of waste and calls on the cost of waste to landfill to be reduced.

 

  1. Strengthening Our Communities – That this conference condemns the Allan Labor Government’s poor handling and treatment of our emergency services workers and operators.

The Nationals remain strong advocates for those who serve our communities in times of crisis and have consistently fought against the Allan Labor Government’s poor treatment of our emergency service volunteers.

 

  1. Strengthening Our Communities – That this conference supports a review of the Local Government Act 2020 to rectify the excessive powers of CEOs and the bureaucracy over elected councillors.

The Nationals have long fought to strengthen local democracy and restore balance between councillors and council bureaucracy.

 

  1. Strengthening Our Communities – That this conference calls on state and federal governments to prioritise, simplify, review and increase the level of funding allocated towards immediate relief and long-term recovery programs following natural disasters.

The Nationals have been fighting hard to ensure state and federal governments prioritise, simplify, and increase funding for both immediate relief and long-term recovery after natural disasters.

 

  1. Strengthening Our Communities – That this conference supports changes to the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005, to allow long term foster parents to apply for open adoption.

 

  1. Building Better Roads – That this conference condemns the State and Federal Labor Governments for their failure to adequately fund road maintenance, as outlined by the recent Grattan Institute report indicating a $1 billion annual deficit.

The Nationals have been fighting hard to hold Labor to account for its chronic neglect of road maintenance and to secure the funding our crumbling roads and regional communities desperately need.

  1. That this Conference:

1.Condemns the terrorist organisation Hamas for the atrocities they committed on October 7 2023 and since.

2.Calls on Hamas to immediately release any remaining hostages held in Gaza.

3.Supports the right of Israel to defend itself.

4.Calls on the Prime Minister to stand up to antisemitic elements within the Labor Party and to publicly condemn any Labor member supporting Hamas.

5.Demands that the Federal Government confirm it will not enforce the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu which equates the actions of the Middle East’s only democracy with those of a prescribed terrorist organisation.

6.Condemns the Albanese Government’s decision in the UN to recognise Palestine as a nation.

  • Senator McKenzie has been and continues to be a strong supporter of the Australian Jewish community, advocating for peace and calling out anti-Semitic behaviour at every opportunity. Following the terrorist attack on December 6, 2024, at the Adass Synagogue in Ripponlea, Senator McKenzie attended the location and met with community leaders and heard how locals are fearful to express their faith publicly. Senator McKenzie also met with His Excellency Mr Amir Maimon, Ambassador of Israel to Australia and attended the 77th Anniversary of Israel’s Independence at an event in Melbourne recently.  The Federal Nationals will continue to support the Australian Jewish community.
  1. This State Conference:

Condemns the Allan Labor Government for the establishment of a biased ‘Great Outdoor Taskforce’ of which 3 out of 5 panel members hold a known stated agenda to create more national parks which exclude public access for traditional pursuits, such as hunting, fishing, 4WDing, horse and trail riding and prospecting;

Notes Labor has a history of ignoring the voice of bush user groups and neglecting public land leading overgrown tracks, the proliferation of invasive weeds and feral pests; AND

Calls on the Allan Government to oppose the establishment of any new national parks and keep state forests open to public access and traditional activities.

PETITION LINK: https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/parliamentary-activity/tabled-petitions-search/tabled-petitions-details/9007