Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In my role representing the vast regional electorate of Mallee in Victoria, mobile offices are an essential part of being available to my community. Turning up in towns across Mallee and having a coffee or simply listening to residents' ideas and issues is both enlightening and informative. My main office in Mildura is more than five hours drive from the south of my electorate, so I take whatever opportunity I can to get out and meet the community in different parts of the electorate.

Last week I drove to Swan Hill, Sea Lake, Woomelang, Hopetoun and Manangatang—towns that make that old adage, 'When you visit a country town, you've visited one country town', ring true. It is important to me that I am on the ground in these country towns to hear the issues of local families and businesses directly from those who live there. There are people such as Hopetoun's Lucas and Graeme Puckle, who raised their concerns about hereditary taxes and Labor's new superannuation legislation, and the ramifications for them on their family farm. Gwenyth Barbary and Phillip Jobson from Woomelang gave me an update on the community, the local independent living units and the old, renovated railway station. Sea Lake's Jennifer Simpson and Loris have great ideas for the old Carinya Hostel building for independent living in Sea Lake. (Time expired)