General News
23 February, 2026
Roy's Round Up - February 17, 2026
Comment by Roy Butler MP, state member for Barwon
G’day folks, parliament has gotten off to a start for the year, the last two weeks have been sitting weeks. It has been a very busy fortnight, a significant amount of which was taken up with discussions with other parliamentarians and with the government over the legislation passed before Christmas affecting firearms licence holders.
In an answer to a question, which I put to him during question time, the premier was adamant that he wouldn’t be “watering down” his legislation. But there is still a lot that needs to be worked out in regulations. While rolling back the legislation is not possible right now, we can work to mitigate some of the effects in discussions with the police minister. This week and next week will be involved with committee work, before I head back out around the electorate, primarily on a tour of medical facilities with the member for Wagga Wagga, Dr Joe McGirr.
Paying Respects to the late Marie Bashir
In the first sitting week of the year parliament paused for a short time to pay its respects to the late former NSW Governor Dame Marie Bashir, who passed away in January this year. Dame Marie had a distinguished career as a doctor, a psychiatrist, medical administrator, advocate for mental illness, a university chancellor, as well as serving as Governor of NSW from 2001 to 2014, the first woman to hold that role.
She was widely admired and highly respected, growing up in the bush before forging a career in the city.
My personal connection to Dame Marie is that I studied with her daughter Alex at university. But many other people have told me of their personal memories of the former governor, everyone remembers her fondly. By all accounts she was an accomplished woman who was also very personable and approachable.
A service was held at St James’ Church, some of which I was able to catch on screens set up in Martin Place, before her funeral cortege passed along Macquarie Street. Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff lined the balconies of Parliament House and hundreds of people gathered along the street to pay their respects.
A firefighting large air tanker, named Marie Bashir in the former governor’s honour, also did a flyover. Vale Marie Bashir.
Water Management Amendment
Finding information about water assets in NSW is extraordinarily difficult. When information is hard to find it can sow the seeds of distrust. Transparency around publicly owned water is vital for building the public’s trust and confidence.
Which is why, in the first February sitting week, I rose to speak in favour of a bill by parliamentary colleague Helen Dalton, member for Murray, asking for a simpler, more accessible register of state and commonwealth water access licences. Everyone should follow the same rules, have the same standards of accountability and that information should be readily available. Public assets belong to the people, not to governments and the public needs to be easily able to look up information on those assets.
National Parks Acquisition Bill
Last year we conducted a survey on national parks and got an overwhelming response. The views you shared with us provided the basis for the National Parks and Wildlife Amendment (Land Boundaries and Acquisitions) Bill 2026, which I introduced to parliament on February 12, 2026.
If passed, this bill will ensure that, when land is acquired for the national parks estate, the purchase adds value not only in environmental terms but also to the local community where the land is located.
The aim of the bill is that, if passed, it would require the minister for the environment to produce a report explaining the reasons for acquiring any land under the National Parks Act. Under the provisions of the bill, the local council in the area where the land is located would choose a temporary member to join the regional advisory board to help prepare this report.
The bill would also stop any land acquisition under the act until new arrangements are made for sharing fencing costs under the Dividing Fences Act 1991 and for applying local council rates to land reserved as a national park.
Again, thank you for responding to the survey. Your answers have helped to inform the contents of this bill. It will now sit on the notice paper for five calendar days before it moves to debate. I will report on the progress of the bill when it comes up for debate.
Private Members’ Statement on Domestic and Family Violence
During the sitting weeks I gave a private members’ statement on the topic of domestic and family violence (DFV). I referenced the fact that the tragic events that occurred in Lake Cargelligo are a sign that we have failed in our attempts to achieve a better future regarding DFV.
The annual cost of DFV to the NSW economy is around $8 billion, around one in four women will experience some form of domestic violence, and Aboriginal women and children continue to be over-represented in statistics on cases of DFV.
Services are overstretched and there is a critical shortage of crisis accommodation, especially in regional areas like my electorate of Barwon.
More funding is needed along with better solutions and more access to services.
To see the whole of my statement visit my website.
