I’ve spent the past two weeks on the road around the electorate meeting with various people and talking to as many community members as possible, also catching up with some of those who helped in my campaign to give them my personal thanks.

One great thing I noticed on my travels was that there were plenty of tourists travelling across Barwon, plenty of caravans on the road, lots of people dining out in pubs, clubs, restaurants and enjoying tourist attractions, which means more money into the electorate, which, with the right investment, is something we can build on for further prosperity.

Along with agriculture and mining, both of which are booming now, tourism is an important part of Barwon’s economy. But to sustain growth we need to continue working on vital infrastructure and services.

On the road again

Since parliament rose in June, I have spent a lot of the time travelling around the electorate.

While I do catch the occasional plane flight, most of my time is spent on the road. Often when I seem to go a bit quiet it is because I have spent the day driving.

July 13 was one of those days. I did some media and phone calls from the car, but service is limited, especially when you go west of Cobar. After a juice and coffee at Yield Narrabri, I got started out on the trip to Broken Hill.

I dropped by to see Henry at the Gold Medal Chinese Restaurant at Nyngan Bowling club, with a fast lunch, then got back on the road. Arriving in Broken Hill at 1920 Central Time The Old Salt Bush Restaurant & Catering at Broken Hill had food ready to go. All very nice.

The countryside is still looking good, plenty of feed about, and lots of goats. If the price comes up again, that will be a windfall to people running rangeland goats.

All the towns are busy with main street parking hard to find. There were also plenty of vans and tourists out and about – that’s great for our local businesses.

Before leaving town, I visited Broken Hill Pistol Club for a bit of a shoot. Great bunch of people, very welcoming and what a day to be outdoors.

I had intended to go to Broken Hill Gun Club but mixed my days up. Will try again on my next trip. If you are interested in getting involved in any shooting sports, contact your local club, and they will make it as easy as possible to get you started.

I headed to Tibooburra and from there along the Cut Line to Wanaaring, both of which were buzzing with visitors on holidays. I’m looking forward to seeing the sealing of the entire road, from Wanaaring to Bourke, finished, which should open up the region to more tourists and provide an all-weather road for producers to move stock.

Bourke and Brewarrina

From Wanaaring I headed to Bourke where I met with the general manager Leonie Brown and Barry Hollman, the mayor of Bourke Shire Council. I discussed some ongoing issues with youth crime and what can be done, and the action I am taking in parliament on behalf of regional councils. Bush councils aren’t the same as those in the city, so they must be treated accordingly.

While I was in Bourke, I slipped out to Brewarrina to catch up with mayor Vivian Slack-Smith and general manager Dave Kirkby. I had a look at some of the work going on in town.

Brewarrina is a very capable community, as evidenced by its response to recent flooding. Main Street was busy, and there is still a good amount of water flowing over the weir.

I returned to Bourke where I met up with Liam Brodrick, the director of the Clontarf Foundation. Clontarf is an amazing organisation that brings pro-social activity and interaction to plenty of Barwon communities.

Liam greatly understands the community he works in and the young people he works with. He is well-placed to provide advice on how best to bring about change in his community.

Eveline Miller

While I was recently on the road around the electorate, I had the great honour of presenting Narrabri local Eveline Miller with a certificate for reaching the milestone of 100 years.

It was an absolute pleasure to meet Eveline, she had a cheeky sense of humour and had us all in stitches from the moment we met. She has lived a long and interesting life, born Eveline McCoo in Northern Ireland in 1923. Eveline served in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force during WWII and after her discharge went to live with a sister in England. At the age of 30 she decided to emigrate to Australia. Her travels eventually led her to Narrabri where she married carpenter Jack Miller. She settled down in Narrabri working at the Tattersalls Hotel and the hospital.

Her husband passed away in 2001 and Eveline later moved into Whiddon Narrabri Robert Young residential care home where she celebrated her 100th birthday in June.

I want to wish Eveline a very happy birthday.

PAWD

While I was in Broken Hill the week before last I met with the Pastoralists’ Association of West Darling (PAWD). This organisation is a collection of primary producers who together are strong advocates for a sometimes-overlooked part of the state.

It’s always a pleasure to meet with them. We have done a lot over the past few years, working on several important issues such as a doppler radar for the far west, road repairs, telecommunications and a range of other issues relating to primary producers in western NSW.

Today we updated each other on the progress of existing issues like eID tags and discussed emerging challenges for the West. I will continue to consult with PAWD and raise these and other issues with the relevant people in local, state, and federal government, to work toward satisfactory solutions.

Jobs working on the Newell

Whenever there are vital infrastructure projects in any part of Barwon it is always good to hear that it is
providing employment for locals. The Newell Highway is one of these.

The Newell is a vital traffic artery connecting Victoria and Queensland through the heart of NSW, including Gilgandra, Coonabarabran, Tooraweenah, and Narrabri.

It is undergoing a significant upgrade, which means they need workers, and they are looking for local workers from the Narrabri area.

If you are interested, Transport for NSW are holding a drop-in session on July 27 from 3pm to 6pm at The Tourist Hotel, Narrabri.

Dementia Support team

Many of us know of someone either living with dementia or know of someone who has a friend, loved one or family member with the condition. It is a disease that seems to be affecting a growing number of people across the country. But now people living with dementia, and their carers, across Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) will benefit from the creation of a new Dementia Awareness and Support Team (DAST).

The new team will provide support to people living with dementia and their support persons to enable them to lead an active and meaningful lives and support them in their dealing with the health system.

Western NSW Local Health District Chief Executive Mark Spittal said the service will provide the support and care needed to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

Anyone seeking more information can contact the WNSWLHD Aged Care Access Centre 1800 942 433 or email [email protected]

Line of Lode’s new kitchen

The Line of Lode Reserve is a truly unique tourist attraction, a man-made hill that rises up in the middle of Broken Hill. On top of that hill is the Miner’s Memorial and the Broken Earth Complex. I can remember sitting in the restaurant in that complex watching the sunset over Broken Hill and the surrounding landscape.

For several years the restaurant has been closed and that dining experience has been unavailable to tourists and locals, but the government has announced it will fund the installation of a commercial kitchen and associated amenities to attract new operators to the Broken Earth Complex.

This is a great thing for tourism in Broken Hill and I look forward to the day people can again enjoy eating in the restaurant and watching a brilliant outback sunset.

See the press release at roybutler.com.au/commercial_kitchen_for_line_of_lode_reserve

Legal Aid at Broken Hill

One problem I often hear from constituents in Barwon is how difficult it is accessing local legal assistance. Meeting with a solicitor often means having to travel hundreds of kilometres or having to rely on fly-in fly-out services. But a dedicated Legal Aid NSW office was opened last week in Broken Hill, by NSW Attorney General Michael Daley MP, which is offering a better, more consistent, service including weekly criminal, family and civil advice clinics.

The Attorney General said “Legal Aid and other organisations represent at times the last hope for people. The giving of hope and relief through legal assistance to people is a great gift and Legal Aid is part of that gift.”

Legal Aid helps with important issues such as tenancy, debt, bill disputes, fines, disaster recovery, family breakdown, civil and criminal matters.

I welcome the fact that the new office will also provide nine local jobs and, according to the Legal Aid CEO Monique Hitter, it “will ensure remote communities and surrounds have the same level of access to high quality legal services as people in metropolitan areas.”

Legal Aid Broken Hill: Level 2, 32 Sulphide St, Broken Hill; phone (08) 8004 9600.

Marra Field Day

It was great to see such a massive turn out for the Marra Field Day on the weekend. The event drew plenty of people from the far west, and the eastern side of the Barwon Electorate. It was nice to see so many familiar faces.

Field days are so important to agriculture and to local economies. They are a chance to share ideas, experiences, see what’s new in agricultural techniques, technology, and practices and to catch up with people who share a love of the land. Well done to organisers and the stall holders, it was a great event.

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