In May last year my party, the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, introduced a bill to NSW Parliament titled the Animal Protection and Crimes Legislation Amendment (Reporting Animal Cruelty and Protection of Animal Enterprises) Bill 2018.

This important bill, which would have protected farmers from vegan activist incursions, was sadly not supported by the government.

In not supporting this legislation, the government have aided and abetted the ongoing and growing animal rights activists' criminal incursion of farmers' privately-owned property. Farmers have enough to deal with given the ongoing drought and associated financial distress.

Currently, the maximum penalty which can be imposed upon the activists who trespass onto farmer's private property is a maximum of five penalty units, equating to just $550, which is ludicrous.

Our bill would have amended the Crimes Act 1900 to criminalise activist trespassing, ensuring lawful farming is protected from intentional acts of interference including threats, vandalism, damage to property, trespass, harassment and intimidation against farmers and those working in the farming sector.

The penalty should include a maximum of imprisonment, not a $550 slap-on-the-wrist fine which the government were content to keep as a maximum penalty, which we've witnessed to be no deterrent at all.

The government certainly has a lot to answer for in their failure to respond to an issue we raised two years ago, and it is interesting to see the its faux alarmed response to the recent actions of activists in Melbourne, despite their opportunity to avoid this outcome.

Sadly, this government operates reactively instead of proactively, and fails to cooperate, which is why they're gradually but consistently losing the trust and support of our community.

I'VE had a busy week mostly in the office, but I had the opportunity to visit Canobolas Rural Technology High School, where I presented the student leaders with the NSW state flag.

The school were very welcoming and proud to add the flag to their existing collection of the Australian and Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags.

Also last week Superintendent Chris Taylor presented me with the National Police Service Medal and the 20-year clasp to my NSW Police Medal for diligent and ethical service.

I was extremely appreciative of both the award, and of Superintendent Taylor's patience, as I had been putting back the presentation date due to my commitments for over a year.

I'm proud to have served the community of NSW as a police officer for more than two decades prior to being elected, and I will continue to serve community as an elected Member of Parliament.

AS you know, Anzac Day is coming up. It's a day that we Aussies take seriously, remembering the gallant men and women who fought for us, many of whom lost their lives in service to our country.

Lest we forget.