Power prices in Queensland are set to rise dramatically, with the Queensland Competition Authority announcing on Saturday July 1st, that residential household energy prices will increase by $429 on average, and by $511 for typical regional business customers.

Increasing by nearly 30 per cent, from $1,496 to $1,926 for regional residents, energy customers in rural and regional Queensland are facing the highest increases to their power bills in the country.

At this year’s World Mining Congress in Brisbane, BHP Chief Executive Mike Henry and Anglo-American Chief Executive Duncan Wanblad officially announced both companies would stop investing ‘growth capital’ in the state, after last year’s royalty changes made Queensland “the highest taxing regime for mining in the world.”

Following Premier Palaszczuk’s speech at the conference, which outlined QLD Labor’s ‘Critical Minerals Strategy’, Mr. Henry warned that making Queensland a risky place to do business would extend past coal and into critical minerals – held by the State Labor Government as the next “mining boom”.

Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox and State Member for the Burdekin Dale Last met with frustrated constituents yesterday, to listen to their concerns regarding the Albanese and Palaszczuk Labor Governments’ recent announcement that gillnets will be completely banned by mid-2027.

With the Federal and State Labor Governments’ shock decision to ban the practice in many parts of North Queensland, the Federal Member for Dawson is concerned that local fisherman, regional businesses, and Dawson residents, are set to be adversely impacted.

The “My First Speech” Competition for local Dawson students in years 10, 11 and 12 is now open!

The national competition is a great way to raise awareness of Federal Parliament, and is also an opportunity for young Australians to voice their opinion on a topic they feel is important to them.

The Albanese Labor Government’s two-pronged attack on backpackers would be devastating to the Dawson community and local economy.

Starting 1 July, Labor will increase the cost of the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visa from $130 to $640, making it the highest visa fee of its kind in the world.

From Mackay, through to Townsville, its show time across Dawson!

Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox, is commending the show societies and organisational committees through the region, and looks forward to seeing the thousands of locals enjoy the excitement that the Shows bring.

Foodbank has been an iconic and trusted service in Australia for just over 30 years, offering low-cost groceries to our nation’s most vulnerable.

Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox said today, some three million Australians will be hit with a crippling 7.1 per cent increase in their student loans. Fuelled by Labor’s high inflation, this is the highest HECS indexation rate in more than 30 years.

In a huge boost for our volunteers, Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox has announced $63,373 will be delivered to 19 successful recipients of the 2023 Volunteer Grants.

The Albanese Government is now threatening thousands more local projects by taking aim at a raft of longstanding local road programs.

In disturbing revelations in Senate Estimates, the Roads to Recovery program, Bridges Renewal Program, Black Spot Program and the Heavy Vehicle Safety & Productivity Program are all now at risk of being axed under Labor's 90-day infrastructure pipeline review.

Dawson Councils are set to lose Federal Government support, after the Albanese Labor Government slashed funding for local councils in the May Budget.

Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox, is concerned local councils will be unable to provide the facilities and programs their communities need, and ratepayers will be forced to foot the bill on large-scale community projects, as support from the Federal Government wanes.

The cost of living crisis is reaching breaking point for many across Dawson, with local business owners concerned with the unsustainable increase in taxes and levees imposed by Labor on our most important industries.

Leader of the Nationals and Shadow Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud, and Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox, toured the Whitsunday region last week on an industry listening tour, witnessing first-hand how Labor’s ‘Tax Trifecta’ is impacting rural and regional areas like Dawson.

Regional Australians are set to be negatively impacted by Labor’s poorly thought through and rushed Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) policy, leader of The Nationals David Littleproud and Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox have warned.

Mr Littleproud and Mr Willcox travelled to LiveLife Pharmacy Cannonvale, to speak with local pharmacist Lee McLennan about the impact of Labor’s changes, which allows 60-day dispensing instead of 30.

The Albanese Labor Government has continued its legacy of increasing taxes and red tape through the May 2023 Budget, taking aim at Australia’s agricultural producers.

Numerous measures implemented in the Budget will leave farmers with the “short end of the budget stick”, according to the Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox.

The Albanese Labor Government have released their first full Budget since the federal election in May last year. Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox, was holding out hope the Albanese Government would focus on two areas in this Budget; investing in the future of rural and regional Australians including the people of Dawson, and tackling the cost of living crisis. However, the Dawson MP is not convinced.

Federal Member for Dawson is calling on the Albanese Labor Government to help families with the cost-of-living crisis in the upcoming May 2023-2024 budget.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised if he won Government, there would be “no-one held back and no-one left behind.”

Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox, is frustrated with Labor’s brand new attack on ten million low and middle-income earners in Australia.

The Dawson MP is shining a light on the Treasurer’s decision to cut the Coalition’s 2019 Low and Middle Income Tax Offset (LMITO) from the 2023 May Budget.

Labor’s Safeguard Mechanism is the newly announced tax on carbon, and will impact the livelihoods of our resource workers, regional communities, and now our farmers, the Federal Member for Dawson has warned.

The new Safeguard Mechanism, A.K.A Carbon Tax 2.0, is a Labor policy that will penalise the 215 largest emitters in Australia for carbon emissions over a baseline … many of whom employ workers from the Dawson region.

Federal Member for Dawson was shocked to hear the QLD Minister for Transport and Main Roads yesterday re-announce the ‘Bruce Highway – Goorganga Plains Upgrade’ project.

“I am appalled by QLD Labor’s ‘politics-before-people’ tactic, who are “using a 2018 Coalition Government commitment to run an ad hoc political campaign at the expense of the Dawson people.” Andrew Willcox said.

In Question Time last week, Dawson MP Andrew Willcox grilled the Albanese Labor Government for “grossly misunderstanding their own policy”, which targets farmers specifically.

Andrew Willcox MP asked the Assistant Treasurer whether the Superannuation changes would be just “another unfair new tax on family farms and family businesses”. In a video posted by the Federal Member, the Assistant Minister was unable to answer the question directly.