Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

This week I've been inundated with calls and emails from frustrated constituents who have once again been negatively impacted by the closure of a main access road in my electorate, Waterfall Way. The 185 kilometre artery road sustains the lifeblood of the Dorrigo plateau region, connecting agricultural industries and communities to essential services. It's importance and natural beauty are matched only by its unreliability. These communities need a viable alternative route, and, frankly, it needed to be done years ago.

While these pathways have proven difficult to map out in the past due to the multifaceted government solutions required to effectively manage this issue, in recent years, all representatives have come together and effectively scoped the best way forward. I'd like to commend mayor Steve Allan and MPs Michael Kemp and Brendan Moylan for driving this forward at a state and local level. But now it needs to be funded properly. Funding that had been earmarked in 2022 by the coalition at a state and federal level has since been rejected with the change of government. Since then, we've had a rolling procession of ministers who are there for the pics and the platitudes but never bring their chequebooks for the solution. It's time for our isolated communities to be recognised and safeguarded. We need a solution, and we needed it yesterday.

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