Donato's inaugural speech: "The people of Orange rioted" against the status quo
Our first Lower House Member of Parliament Philip Donato delivered his inaugural speech with a message to the Government: don't forget his electorate.
At 1:00pm today, Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party Member for Orange Philip Donato delivered his inaugural speech in the NSW Legislative Assembly.
"It is a great privilege and honour that I stand here in this chamber today to deliver this speech to this house as the newly elected Member for Orange," Mr Donato said.
"I had never dreamed of being in the position in which I now stand. An unexpected opportunity presented itself and I embraced it, welcoming a new challenge with great enthusiasm and optimism."
He highlighted the challenges for the Orange electorate that he wishes to pursue in Parliament.
"In Orange, there's not enough parking at our hospital, and we don't have a dedicated palliative care ward. The closure of Myer, Electrolux, and a mining downturn has meant that the whole community has suffered job losses.
"Forbes was hit by some of the most devastating floods in history, causing the closure of the Newell Highway for over six weeks: a highway that is yet to be flood-proofed.
"Our education and early childhood indicators are generally below the State average, and we need more funding delivered to these schools to lift these benchmarks.
"If the same were occurring in Sydney there would be riots in the streets – but the people of Orange have rioted: they've elected me."
Mr Donato added that a School of Medicine for Charles Sturt University, roads funding and reducing the rural road toll are key priorities for him.
He concluded with a message to the NSW Government.
"As my Upper House colleagues have demonstrated in the other place, I will obstruct, I will protest, and as you can probably already tell I will not hold any punches back if the people of Orange are getting a raw deal from this Government," Mr Donato said.
"Last week I walked into this chamber alone as the sole Member of the Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party in the Legislative Assembly.
"In two years time, I plan on having the honour of ushering others along with me."
Download Philip Donato's press release and speech here.