Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox, has warned that North Queensland families are being pushed to a financial breaking point following the decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia to raise interest rates to 3.85 per cent. The 25-basis-point hike is the first in over two years and signals a deepening cost-of-living crisis that is being directly fuelled by the Albanese Government’s inability to control its own spending.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We know you’re busy this time of year, but down here in Australia, we’re hoping you can spare a moment. Christmas under Labor is looking less like It’s A Wonderful Life and more like The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.

We’ve written our wish list, Santa, the same list Labor promised to deliver when they came down the chimney in 2022. Just like countless kids who wake up on Christmas morning to find socks instead of a shiny new bike, Australians are discovering that Labor’s promises don’t quite match the packaging.

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.