‘Investment in public infrastructure key to unlocking opportunity’

By KEVIN ANDERSON, MEMBER FOR TAMWORTH

Investment in public infrastructure is the key to unlocking opportunity in regional NSW.

Mining and mining associated business continue to be strong in Gunnedah, keeping people in jobs and creating opportunities for our people.

But we need to keep pushing to ensure that all in our communities have opportunities to work in well-paying industries.

Construction is incredibly strong in Gunnedah with several major construction projects fuelling job creation and keeping the local economy ticking over.

The Gunnedah Hospital, the regional saleyards, the koala park, a range of road projects and more have kept the local economy strong.

Investment in public infrastructure is important because it gives the private sector the lead they need to back in that investment.

When governments invest in communities, the private sector follows and we’re seeing that now with businesses investing in their facilities and the private housing market continuing to grow.

The focus of the former government was to create those opportunities for communities like Gunnedah, building resilience in the local economy and providing opportunities for workers.

And last week, it was great to see that work pay off with a visit to the multimillion Gunnedah Regional Saleyards development.

This new facility is world class, offering the very best in modern agricultural practices, ensuring agents, buyers, operators, and managers have access to the very best facilities in Gunnedah.

Gunnedah is already one of the busiest saleyards in the state and the new saleyards complex reflects the importance of the protein industry in Gunnedah.

It’s a credit to all involved in developing the project, and it would not have been possible without millions in capital investment from the former State government.

Touring the saleyards last week was a strong reminder of the importance of investing in our facilities.

This investment will create economic activity in Gunnedah and grow the local industry, which will only benefit the town and it’s surrounds.

I’m now actively looking at what’s next for Gunnedah. We know the Gunnedah Hospital redevelopment will continue until at least late 2025, and the koala park redevelopment is continuing, but we still need a strong pipeline of public infrastructure investment.

Unfortunately, I’m not seeing that vision from this Labor government with very little investment in infrastructure for our region beyond what was planned and budgeted by the former Coalition government.

We can’t allow infrastructure investment to fall off a cliff in a few years’ time, because that will cost jobs and will slow our economic growth.

We need a government with a plan for the regions, and the current government plans are lacking.

View from above: Construction is continuing on the Gunnedah Koala Sanctuary. Photo: Gunnedah Shire Council