Country towns should stay open

I’ve recently met with the Health Minister to put forward a case that non-essential travel should be restricted to our regions, but our towns should be able to stay open for locals.

While there are more hot spots being declared across Sydney, and Victoria has gone into lockdown, I’ve asked the Health Minister to halt non-essential travel out to regional NSW.

We know that COVID-19 doesn’t travel by itself, it’s carried with people.

I want to avoid a scenario where a traveller brings it out into our towns.

I don’t want to see a broad brush lockdown that sees our towns, that have no cases and never have, locked down. Our businesses really suffered with the first lockdowns coming off the back of the drought.

Under my proposal, we wouldn’t have the tourists coming through, but at least locals would be able to follow the public health guidelines and businesses would be able to keep trading with their local community.

I’m meeting with the Premier’s Office to discuss options for regional NSW.

Government – dispense with partisan politics and get on with working for regional NSW:

“Let us not waste time and disappoint our constituents with murky partisan politics. Our constituents expect us all to be working for a better regional NSW.

“My challenge to government is to dispense with its partisan politics, dispense with its dismissiveness and get on with working collaboratively to make rural and regional NSW a better place to live.”

This was the message I delivered to the NSW Government in Parliament when talking about ideas presented to them to turn around the fortunes of regional NSW.

I believe that you, the electors, the people of NSW, who elected me and all other Members of Parliament expect more of the Government especially this far out from an election.

With so much going on within the State as a Parliament, we should be knuckling down on and addressing issues in a fair and logical way. Putting aside the partisan politics and addressing ideas that would benefit regional NSW such as favourable taxation, teleworking, cash based drought recovery assistance, the reinstatement of government services and employment, and better support for local government by stopping and reversing cost shifting by the State Government.

Narrabri Gas Project – Independent Planning Commission submission:

I have made clear my concerns over the last two years around the Narrabri Gas Project. The worst drought in living memory showed just how crucial groundwater and the Great Artesian Basin is for many communities and agriculture in the Barwon electorate.

In a representative system, it’s my job to listen to the concerns the vast majority of people in Barwon have raised with me, and take that to Parliament. I have done that.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have published my submission in full on www.roybutler.com.au.

Roy Butler, Member for Barwon