Over the past few days, I’ve heard from many people across Dawson who are understandably confused by headlines stating resignations, splits, and political turmoil in Canberra. Some have even asked whether I’ve resigned as your local member.

Let me be very clear at the outset: I have not resigned.

Following the recent recall of Parliament and the passage of the Government’s hate speech laws in January 2026, Andrew Willcox MP, Member for Dawson, is calling for urgent action to criminalise the burning and desecration of the Australian flag.

“We do our best as a nation when we stand together under one flag. I will continue to fight for legislation that ensures our national symbol is respected and safeguarded for generations to come.”

After strong public support, Mr Willcox has launched an online petition on his website to criminalise the desecration of the Australian flag.

The Australia Day 2026 Honours List proudly recognises the exceptional service, leadership and commitment to community that exists across the Dawson electorate. This year, Dawson is represented by one outstanding local honoured for distinguished service to the nation, while the Honours List also celebrates former Mackay local and Australian sporting icon Cathy Freeman for her extraordinary contribution to sport, reconciliation and national life.

Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox MP, has highlighted the real and growing cost of electricity for regional Australians, following a visit to Balnagowan cane farmer Peter Doyle on his property near Mackay.

Despite doing everything expected of him, investing in solar panels, actively seeking the best available tariffs, and carefully managing irrigation schedules to reduce usage, Mr Doyle says his effective electricity costs have doubled in recent years.

This evening, I presented my letter of resignation as Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability, to Opposition Leader Sussan Ley.

This follows a decision by the Nationals Party Room yesterday to not support the Government’s rushed Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026.

A copy of this letter is below.:

Australia Day is not just a date on the calendar. It is a moment to pause, to reflect, and to reconnect with what it truly means to be Australian. It is a day that speaks to our shared story, our values, and our responsibility to one another as a nation.

Every life is a story of achievements, love, and resilience, and some moments deserve to be celebrated in a way that lasts a lifetime. From 100th birthdays to 70th wedding anniversaries, these milestones are testaments to dedication, commitment, and the remarkable journey of a lifetime.

Do you know someone in Dawson approaching a milestone? Now is the perfect time to honour them with a truly special gesture, an official congratulatory message from His Majesty the King, the Governor-General, or the Prime Minister of Australia.

It’s been another wet and wild start to the year. Across North Queensland, there are manyanxious people asking familiar questions: will the roads flood, how many cyclones will we face, and will there be food on the shelves?

When Ann Barry stepped off the S.S. Iberia in April 1964, she carried little more than a single chest of possessions and a heart full of courage. At just 20 years old, she had left her birthplace, Brynithel, South Wales, behind, embarking on a month-long voyage to begin a new life in Australia.

That leap of faith, born of her parents' dream to move to Australia, became the foundation for an extraordinary life, one that has now been crowned by Ann finally achieving Australian citizenship at the age of 82.

Next week will mark one month since 15 innocent Australians lost their lives at one of our nation’s most iconic spots. Bondi will now forever be synonymous with the worst terror attack on Australian soil. It devastated families, shattered communities, and scarred a nation. It should never have happened.

Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox MP, is proud to announce that 44 outstanding young athletes from across the Dawson electorate have been successful recipients of the Australian Government’s Local Sporting Champions program.

Australia’s manufacturing sector is being steadily weakened under the Albanese Labor Government, not through a single bad decision, but through a pattern of failure. What we are seeing now is not economic management. It is crisis containment. Labor is applying band-aids to a bullet wound, and taxpayers are being handed the bill.

The Government’s decision to bail out Tomago Aluminium is the latest example.

Australia went to bed wounded, and woke up confronting a truth we should never have had to face.

What unfolded at Bondi was not just an act of violence. It was an act of terror. It was an attack on innocent people, on a community gathered in peace, and on the values that bind us together as Australians.

Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox, says the Whitsundays is now facing an unprecedented double threat: a proposed wind farm pushed into the heart of rural communities, and growing fears about asbestos contamination that are eroding public trust in government safeguards and environmental protections.

The face of Australian manufacturing has changed beyond recognition in recent years, and not for the better. Once a vital source of jobs, exports and national self-reliance, our manufacturing sector is now a hollow shell of what it used to be.

Older Australians have paid their taxes, fought in wars, raised generations, built and run businesses, farmed our lands and pushed this country forward. They’ve contributed for decades, and now that it is their turn to be looked after, the current Labor government has abandoned them.

The latest round of the Bruce Highway Targeted Safety Program is a major disappointment for the Dawson electorate, with the Albanese Labor Government failing to provide meaningful investment in one of Australia’s largest and most critical regional highways.

Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox, says Labor’s humiliating reversal on forcing regional communities onto slower, lower-quality roads confirms what locals have been saying for months: the policy was unworkable, unsafe, and designed to shift costs away from Canberra and onto the bush.

Federal Member for Dawson and Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability Andrew Willcox says the Coalition’s decision to abandon Labor’s net-zero target is a victory for common sense, cost-of-living relief and Australian industry.

Mr Willcox said the Coalition reached a principled position “the right way, through consultation, evidence and respect, not ideology, slogans or political theatre.”

Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox MP, has announced 12-year-old Emma Vella from the Mackay region as the winner of his annual Christmas Card Competition.

This year’s theme, “My Favourite Thing About Living in Dawson,” invited children aged 12 and under to celebrate the people, places, and spirit that make the region special.

Federal Member for Dawson and Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability, Andrew Willcox, says Labor’s plan to drop regional speed limits leaves regional Australia stuck in the slow lane.

The ‘roadblock to regional progress’ proposal would reduce the default speed limit on unsigned roads outside of built-up areas, which is currently 100 km/h, down to as low as 70 km/h.

Six months into a second Albanese term, the biggest illusion of all is being exposed. Net Zero at all costs, supposedly for the good of the planet, has not been working out so well for our country.

Yesterday at the National Press Club, The National Party of Australia drew a line in the sand, declaring it will no longer support Labor’s reckless Net Zero target by 2050, calling it unaffordable, unachievable, and unsustainable for Australia’s economic and industrial future.

Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox MP, has raised serious concerns regarding the Bureau of Meteorology’s (BOM) new website, following overwhelming feedback from constituents, local farmers, and weather professionals.

The Albanese Government’s $2 billion Green Aluminium Production Credit misses the mark, throwing taxpayer money at a problem it helped create. Soaring energy costs and unreliable power are the real threats to Australia’s aluminium industry — yet Labor blocked a Senate inquiry that could have addressed these challenges. The Coalition believes in supporting manufacturing with reliable energy and smart policies, not costly handouts.

Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox MP, is calling on the region’s youngest artists to take part in a special Christmas Card Competition celebrating what makes life in Dawson so special.

Children aged 12 years and under, living in the Dawson electorate, are invited to submit a drawing or painting that shows “My Favourite Thing About Living in Dawson” — capturing what home means to them, especially at Christmas time.

Member for Dawson and Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability, Mr Andrew Willcox MP, said farmers across Dawson have had an enormous win after Labor retreated on its poorly conceived, reckless, and cruel plan to tax unrealised gains on farms held in self-managed super funds (SMSFs).

China is, without question, one of Australia’s most significant trading partners. We export vast amounts of natural resources and agricultural products, and in return, we import vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines, various technological products, and household goods. But is this relationship balanced, and are we becoming too dependent?

The Albanese Labor Government has chosen to launch another corporate bailout because of the disastrous impact of their reckless energy policies.

The intervention to save the copper smelter follows other recent federal government interventions in Whyalla, Hobart and Port Pirie, with yet more costly bailouts expected in the short term.

Glencore has consistently pointed to Labor’s failed energy policies for collapsing Australian competitiveness.

Coal has powered Australia for generations, and it still does today. Coal is the central reason the lights turn on, the fridge stays cold, and the air con works. Coal remains the cheapest form of electricity in Australia, and without it, our country would be vastly different, in a poorer way.