When I made my First Speech in the Australian Parliament, one of my key goals was to see the construction of the Inland Rail line between Melbourne and Brisbane.

More than 500 kilometres of this 1700km line will pass through the Electorate of Parkes, including 307km of greenfield construction work.

The Inland Rail project is being driven by an $8.4 billion budget announcement in May and will complete the spine of the national freight network between Melbourne and Brisbane, allowing a transit time of less than 24 hours.

Adding to the distinctly Australian effort in the construction of the line is that the 14,000 tonnes of steel rail required for the first section, Parkes to Narromine, is being manufactured at the Whyalla Steelworks.

In the future, as I have always tried to do, I will continue to focus my efforts on the young and their families.

Education, jobs, health and taking up the fight against illicit drugs like ice are key priorities.

Along with the communities of western NSW, I had advocated for a long time for an integrated cancer centre for Dubbo, so in May last year I was delighted with the announcement of a $25 million Federal Government grant for the project.

Key milestones for the project are now beginning to emerge, with construction planned to begin in 2019.

The final business case was submitted to NSW Health in December 2017 and in January 2018 project user groups including clinicians, health representatives and consumers will begin to determine the layout.

The first half of 2018 will see a schematic design of the new cancer centre completed.  Consultation with proposed user groups will begin to determine the detailed design of each room and public space in mid-2018.

Education is one of our strongest investments for national prosperity.

The Commonwealth funds 20 per cent of the nation's education while the states manage and contribute the remaining 80 per cent.

Midway through 2017, the Coalition Government produced a needs-based funding plan which will deliver a record $242.3 billion to be invested in schools' recurrent funding to 2027.

This is a landmark reform for Australian students, families and school communities and is designed to ensure that students who need the most support will get the most support.

In December a record number of 58 Aboriginal students sat for their Higher School Certificate at Dubbo College Senior Campus. Dubbo College and its students should be very proud of this achievement.

Right across the Electorate there were similar examples of increased numbers of people sitting the HSC.

The best opportunity for a happy and fulfilled life is to have an education so that you can choose a path of your future rather than have someone choose it for you.

These numbers of students are building across the Electorate and they are providing wonderful role models for the younger students.

The Government has also announced the investment of more than $760 million for a programme that is helping more young people into employment.

Youth Jobs PaTH [Prepare-Trial-Hire] includes three flexible stages beginning with Prepare, which is an employability skills training course that will help young people better understand what employers expect of them.

It will also equip them with the skills, attitudes and behaviours for them to be successful in a job.

Under the Trial component, $250 million will be invested to encourage local businesses to take on a young person aged 17 to 24 in a PaTH Internship for a period of up to 12 weeks.

Businesses that take on an intern will receive an upfront payment of $1,000, and young people will receive an incentive payment of $200 per fortnight on top of their income support payment.

Finally under the Hire section, a Youth Bonus wage subsidy of up to $10,000 (GST inclusive) has been available since 1 January 2017 to help more businesses hire young people aged from 15 to 24 years. More than 3,200 businesses have already taken up this financial incentive.

Household electricity bills are a cause for concern and the Government has been working hard to deliver a National Energy Guarantee.

Modelling backed by the Energy Security Board's independent expert advice shows that savings on household electricity bills will be even greater than initially forecast.

When it comes to price, wholesale electricity prices are expected to fall by between 23 and 30 per cent by 2030.

Household bills will be about $400 a year lower compared with today, with $120 in savings coming from the Guarantee. The modelling also confirms reliability is up and emissions down.

There is always more to do and my goal is to continue to stimulate the national economy, encouraging and assisting those seeking work and rewarding those who are prepared to work.