Steph Cooke MP
Member for Cootamundra

Member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke, is calling on the NSW Minister for Agriculture to urgently deliver a fair compensation package for blue mallee and broombush farmers who have been unable to operate for nearly two years due to restrictive native vegetation mapping. Ms Cooke said the Agriculture Minister had been “missing in action” throughout the ongoing crisis, despite the devastating impact the Government’s decisions were having on farming families, regional jobs, and

Thursday, 13 November 2025 Member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke, has expressed her deep disappointment following the NSW Labor Government’s decision not to support the Biodiversity Conservation and Local Land Services Legislation Amendment (Broombush and Blue Mallee Coppicing) Bill 2025 in the NSW Parliament. Ms Cooke said the Bill sought to provide an immediate, practical solution to support farmers affected by ongoing restrictions of coppicing activities and protect the en

The rapid spread of a parasitic plant in the Bland Shire is causing significant ecological damage to both private and public land and has prompted concern among local firefighters about increased fire risk ahead of the summer bushfire season. Mallee strangle vine is a native species that survives by latching onto a ‘host’ tree or shrub, smothering its branches and leaves, and drawing out nutrients until the host dies. It can only be controlled through manual removal, as the u