Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Two weeks ago I had the distinct pleasure of attending the Gundagai Show, hosted by the Gundagai Pastoral & Agricultural Society. I was invited at the end of last year during a street walk in the historic town of Gundagai by Ian Clingan, the secretary of the Gundagai Pastoral & Agricultural Society. I was delighted, upon request, to provide $1,350 to this show, $850 of which was for water. Happily, there was a little bit of rain in between the time I was asked, but, when it was provided, the show was really struggling to go ahead because of the severe impacts of drought and the absence of water for them to be able to manage the show.

Events like the Gundagai Show are really, really important, particularly for communities that are still suffering from the effects of the drought but also the effects of the summer, with so many of them trying to manage their farms and keep their small businesses open while they were volunteering as firefighters across the great state of New South Wales. A day away from the farm or town, spent enjoying wonderful entertainment and shows with your family, can do wonders for your mental health, and mental health conversations were a part of the conversations that I had with locals.

It was a great show, from the entertainment of Bendy Em, a contortionist; to the sheepdog trials; to the antics of Lachie Cossor, an animal wrangler; and to various carnival attractions. My son, Noah, who's a musician, joined me at the show and entertained showgoers at the pub. He's a fine example of how much the creative arts lift our spirits, and I'm advised by Mrs Clingan, who ran the bar that day, that it was the busiest the pub has ever been. So it was great day of celebration, but it was also a chance for me to talk to locals about what matters to them and the concerns they have. There is climate change, in particular the need for the acceptance of it and for the strategies to deliver sustainability and to bring fairness to regional communities who want to grow their local economies with clean energy opportunities. They talked to me about the disaster of the summer and the failure of disaster responses. They spoke to me about an absence of local jobs, about an absence of activities for young people in the region and about healthcare—not their town though; they were very proud of their town—in the region more broadly.

Very distressingly, once again, the issue of coronial services was raised with me. If a person passes away in the south-west of New South Wales, grieving families are then forced to travel to Newcastle—with a travel time of nearly 12 hours for them, there and back—to collect the body. The New South Wales government should be looking at more local services for families that are already grief stricken, rather than making their struggles more difficult. The local member is the Deputy Prime Minister—that is, none other than Mr McCormack. He knows that this is going on, but what is something positive he is doing for his community? He didn't even show up.

I was happy to host a free raffle, which had vouchers for the local shops as prizes. There was $50 for the local butcher, Daisy's Decor, Moeys and the Gundagai FoodWorks. Thanks very much to Councillor Penny Nicholson for her organisation of those vouchers. I was joined by the NSW shadow minister Greg Warren, and Mick Veitch, who spoke to the community members with me about the very real problem of council amalgamations, particularly concerning residents in Cootamundra and Gundagai. This thoughtless efficiency exercise by the Liberal-National government in my home state has left residents feeling voiceless, feeling like they've lost their town's unique historic identity and feeling like both state and federal governments are ignoring them—because that is the truth.

We will not forget the people of Gundagai. Labor has a great history in Gundagai town, and we were well and truly back and very engaged with the locals. We were very happy to be there. I was privileged to meet with local Labor identities such as Ronnie Dowell, a former president of the Gundagai Labor branch and an ex-shearer who told me that his record was once shearing 324 sheep in a day. I was also pleased to meet once again with Councillor Abb McAlister the mayor of Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council and, as always, the wonderful Charlie Sheahan, a true Labor stalwart and a fantastic advocate for Gundagai.

Rural and regional Australia is changing. More and more jobs and investments are being sucked up by CBDs in our capital cities. People in the bush really want to have something of their own. They don't want to be left out of the equation. I'm told by local high school teachers that each grade that passes through is 10 per cent smaller than the preceding ones. Communities disappearing across the state of New South Wales is a blight on our great state, and I fear that it is happening at the hands of a government that fails to see the huge potential of development in these areas.

Gundagai is a vibrant and resilient town. It's blessed with a deep and fascinating history and a great vision for the future. I look forward to visiting again soon, and I will continue to advocate for these great towns, like Gundagai, across New South Wales.