SAVE THE DATE

NSW Rural Press Club Christmas lunch

Wednesday, 9 December 2026

12pm for 12:30pm until 3pm
(with an official after-party)

Come and help us celebrate the festive season

We're capping off our 60th anniversary year with the traditional Christmas lunch - always a highlight of the NSW Rural Press Club calendar. It's the perfect place to network with key leaders, influencers and decision makers across the agribusiness, rural and regional sectors.

We'll be joined by our Patron and Minister for Agriculture, Regional and Western NSW, the Hon Tara Moriarty MLC, along with our Star Prize Award winners, and special guest speaker the Hon Sussan Ley, long-time federal MP and former Leader of the Opposition. Our lucky door prize draw will be back, and we've organised an Agribuzz-style after party to keep the Christmas vibes going.

It is the must-attend event for anyone in the agriculture industry!

Sussan Ley is fresh from a journey on a Greyhound bus from North Dakota to Texas. So what does mid-western America, the so-called ‘fly over states’, have in common with rural, regional and remote Australia?

As one of regional Australia’s longest serving and once most senior female politicians, we'll be asking Sussan whether a growing divide between city and country is a perception or a reality. Now using her voice as a commentator, what messages does she think metropolitan Australia needs to hear about life in the bush? What are the realities of life in regional Australia that too many of us have forgotten or are too eager to ignore?

Sussan describes herself above all as a woman from rural and regional Australia. Most recently, she served as Leader of the Opposition from May 2025 to February 2026. Prior to that, she represented the regional New South Wales electorate of Farrer in the Australian Parliament for more than 24 years, serving as Minister for the Environment, Minister for Health, Sport and Aged Care, and in a range of other senior government portfolios.

Before entering Parliament, Sussan worked as an air traffic controller, commercial pilot and partner in a regional farming enterprise. She also held a senior tax-qualified role with the Australian Taxation Office.

A committed writer , Sussan has been published in The Australian Financial Review and The Sydney Morning Herald, writing on subjects as diverse as popular culture, aviation and politics.

Registrations will close on Monday 30 November 2026

For any questions, contact bookings@nswruralpressclub.com.au