ROY’S ROUND UP: Ready for a return to parliament

The year moves on, autumn is in the air and I’m back in parliament again for two weeks.

There will be a few things on the agenda, including talking to more ministers about issues such as housing, water, aged care and education in regional areas.

After that, in April, I will be travelling the electorate again, meeting with and talking to people, preparing for the next sitting. There are always people to talk to and there is always work to do.

I know the spike in fuel prices is affecting all aspects of what we do out west, let’s hope additional oil being released by major oil producers stops the upward climb and perhaps brings prices back to somewhere near normal. If you see me out and about, don’t hesitate to say G’day, stay safe on the roads.

Floods

Since late last year our state has seen some heavy rainfalls, which has been a boon for agriculture, but has also resulted in some of the worst NSW floods on record. The deluge has affected towns from the east coast through to the far west of NSW.

While most of the media focus was on places like Lismore, and our hearts go out to those people affected, but many localities across Barwon were also inundated.

Just last week Broken Hill was in the news after the city experienced flash flooding, during which roads and properties were damaged, but also, tragically, a man was killed in the floodwaters, while going to the aid of friends.

Even as those floodwaters finally recede, the assessment of damage is underway and the clean-up continues. Often people have had to struggle for help in the wake of such a natural disaster, but this time the state and federal governments have offered some financial assistance.

If you have been affected by the floods you may be eligible for disaster recovery payments and disaster relief grants.

Housing

Lately, there has been a lot of talk in the media about the growing population in regional areas, which is almost always good news. More people also means more money, which brings jobs and more services. Some towns, like Broken Hill, are even being spoken of as havens for first home buyers looking for a bargain.

But there are also predictions of a potential housing crisis. If there aren’t enough houses being built in regional areas to keep up with the sudden increase in demand, people will start to lose interest in moving out of the big cities and that momentum for regional population growth will be lost. But increased demand in housing will also mean rising prices and rent hikes in country areas.

We are already seeing this in most Barwon towns. My team and I have worked hard to secure funding for housing through government schemes like the Regional Housing Fund, which offers some assistance with building social housing.

However, there is a shortage of quality homes for professionals such as teachers and doctors, which has resulted in towns losing potentially valuable additions to the community. During the last session in parliament, I submitted a Question on Notice on just this subject, asking what strategies are being implemented to encourage and support the maintenance and establishment of high-quality homes in regional NSW towns.

A Question on Notice is submitted in writing and must receive an answer in writing within 35 calendar days. Stay tuned, I will report back on what the government has to say.

Meeting of Mining and Energy Councils

Last week I was fortunate enough to be part of a meeting of the NSW Association of Mining and Energy Related Councils in Orange.

This association, which includes some Barwon councils, is made up of councils where there are substantial mining activities or energy operations.

At the meeting were mayors, general managers and representatives of some of the member councils.

They talked about some of the projects happening in their locality and also discussed some of the problems confronting these industries.

Some of the major issues talked about were the distribution of mining royalties including to adjoining councils, the challenges councils face with getting approval for energy projects and getting them integrated into the grid, and also being ready for the future problem of waste from renewables when wind farms, solar arrays and batteries have worn out, been superseded or are decommissioned.

I listened to what they had to say and will be taking their concerns directly to ministers and through parliament.