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While Western Sydney hogs the spotlight as a source rich in electoral votes and gets its own minister, similar representation for regional areas has been conspicuously lacking since the March 2015 State Election.
That’s the narrative presented by council peak body Local Government New South Wales (LGNSW), which wants to restore to the Cabinet a Minister for Rural and Regional NSW.
Following the Coalition’s triumphant win at the recent state election, Premier Mike Baird made some significant changes to his cabinet in a reshuffle that was sure to spark controversy.
His decision to dissolve the ministerial position for Rural and Regional NSW became a major sore spot for parts of the local government sector that represent this wider part of the state, with councils crying foul that their areas are no longer given the voice that Sydneysiders now have.
But councils aren’t just complaining about the state government’s controversial move, rather they have decided to band together and fight for the restoration of the now defunct office that was held by Kevin Humphries.
At LGNSW’s forum of rural and regional councils held in Sydney in early June, the decision was made to formalise their call for the reinstatement of the Minister for Rural and Regional NSW via a motion to be presented to the next gathering of the state’s 152 councils at the LGNSW conference in October 2015.
Like his predecessor Barry O’Farrell, Mr Baird presently retains the Minister for Western Sydney title for himself, which has come at a substantial annoyance to LGNSW President Keith Rhoades because it’s no longer balanced with a minister dedicated to the issues impacting on the state’s regional and rural areas.
He acknowledged that “there may be a Minister for Regional Development, but that role has a completely different focus”.
Mr Rhoades said it’s important to recognise the challenges and issues faced by people who lived in all the regions of NSW.
“Essentially it’s about ensuring rural and regional NSW are given the same consideration and have the same voice at the Cabinet table as Sydneysiders,” Mr Rhoades said.
He said these areas have a “wealth of issues” which are directly impacting on the lives of families and voters.
“We believe there should be someone at that Cabinet table specifically charged with representing them,” he said.
Mr Rhoades held Mr Baird to his post-election word that he had based his decisions on performance and merit, and that the people of NSW would expect nothing less.
“And he was right,” Mr Rhoades said.
He said the people of rural and regional NSW also expect nothing less – “nothing less than this government’s best efforts to understand the challenges and issues they face, and represent their best interests”.
“We believe that the government will be able to do this more effectively if there is someone formally charged with the responsibility,” Mr Rhoades said.
