Article courtesy of the Courier Mail.
Outback mayor Trevor Pickering has hit the nail on the head – it’s time for politicians in Canberra and Brisbane to pay more than just lip service to the regions.
The Courier-Mail’s National Bush Summit is an incredible opportunity for the issues affecting regional Australians to be front and centre, with the most powerful politicians in the country in attendance.
But those same politicians need to be aware that, as we said yesterday, regional Queenslanders have a finely tuned bulldust radar and they will quickly sniff that out in any pledges that are reheated or include funds that have already been allocated.
The political leaders need to bring something new to the table.
Because as Mr Pickering, the Mayor of Croydon, points out, all people in the bush want are “real attempts to solve our problems”.
It’s not too much to ask.
“When we ask for something, when we make the case for something, it feels like it’s falling on deaf ears in the city, in Brisbane and in Canberra,” he said.
And Mr Pickering makes a good point about the term “resilient”, which is bandied around all too often when talking about regional Australians.
In his words, what it really means is: “We know it’s stuffed but you guys are tough and will cope anyway”.
That’s just not good enough.
Regional Australia is the lifeblood of this country.
Mining royalties pay for roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and jobs.
The food on our tables comes from hardworking farmers in our regions.
As businesswoman Gina Rinehart also writes today, Australia risks killing “the geese laying the golden egg” as farmers struggle under the burden of government red tape and tax.
And, in his regular Courier-Mail column, Senator Matt Canavan says that a “chasm of mistrust” has built up between regional and rural Australians and the nation’s leaders, who are more inclined to make decisions based on the needs of the populous capital cities.
To be clear, this isn’t an “us verses them” proposition.
The regions just need a fair go, as Mr Pickering says.
In his speech today, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will acknowledge the important role the regions play in this country, and admit those who live there deal with challenges “not known in the capitals”.
That Mr Albanese is attending the event alongside Coalition leader Peter Dutton, Premier Steven Miles and Opposition Leader David Crisafulli shows that politicians are aware of the importance of regional Queensland to this country.
And we hope they come to the table with genuine solutions to the problems the National Bush Summit series has identified so far – such as the need for a police recruitment action plan, a commitment to a long-term plan to “finish” the Bruce Highway, and boosting school attendance rates for Indigenous kids.
There’s also a myriad of infrastructure projects that desperately need to get off the ground – such as building a new bridge over the Gilbert River, in Mr Pickering’s patch of Queensland.
It floods almost every wet season, cutting people in The Gulf off for months on end.
Katter Australia Party leader Robbie Katter estimates it would cost upward of $50m.
It bears reminding that the government’s controversial Train Manufacturing Program had a blowout of $2.4bn.
Is it any wonder regional Queenslanders feel they’re being dudded?
Real solutions are desperately needed, not just talk of “resilience” in the bush.
