COUNTRY LABOR DIALOGUE

CONNECTING COUNTRY COMMUNITIES – NOVEMBER 2017 Voters Reject Berejiklian Jay Suvaal writes... -Barilaro Government I’d like to say a big thank you to the hundreds of The results from the by-elections in Cootamundra and volunteers who assisted Murray are sending a clear message to the Berejiklian- in the Cootamundra Barilaro Government that it has lost the confidence of and Murray by-election campaigns. the voters in regional NSW. Our candidates Charlie FOR TOO LONG PREMIER Sheahan (Cootamundra) and BEREJIKLIAN HAS TREATED Michael Kidd (Murray) did VOTERS WITH CONTEMPT. an amazing job representing THESE RESULTS SHOW Country Labor and saw huge VOTERS THINK IT IS TIME swings against the out of touch Nationals. THEY ARE TREATED WITH RESPECT BY THOSE IN These results are very GOVERNMENT encouraging as we head said NSW Opposition Leader towards the 2019 State Election. Luke Foley. Now we transaition from The regional seat of Murray State by-elections to a has gone from one of the Cootamundra Campaign Launch. Federal by-election in New safest Berejiklian Government England following the seats to a marginal seat disqualification of Deputy after a 20 percent two-party Prime Minister preferred swing against the by the High Court. National party. With a busy end to the year I look forward to still getting The seat of Cootamundra, out and visiting as many which was a safe NSW branches as I can. Government seat, has also Please contact me at suffered a swing of 20 jay@nswlabor. percent against the National’s org.au or 1800 candidate. In one booth, 503 035 if Gundagai High School, there there is was a 43% per cent swing anything I can against the Nationals. assist you with. The people of regional have had enough Jay Suvaal of the Berejiklian government’s Murray Campaign Launch. NSW COUNTRY refusal to listen to their ORGANISER concerns. Regional NSW is Getting Dudded by the Berejiklian - Barilaro Government, Independent Report Finds Recent independent figures THIS REPORT REVEALS THAT confirm the Berejiklian-Barilaro THE STATE GOVERNMENT Government has failed to honour IS NOT DELIVERING ON ITS its promise to make sure a third of COMMITMENT TO REGIONAL the money from the sale of state NSW; IN FACT UNDER NATIONALS assets (including the poles and LEADER JOHN BARILARO IT IS wires) goes to regional NSW. GETTING WORSE said NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley. A report by the NSW Auditor General shows that in the past five It shows that the Liberal-National years regional NSW had received Government is failing to live up to WHILE BILLIONS ARE BEING less than 20 per cent of the its commitments when it comes to SQUANDERED IN SYDNEY available funds from Restart NSW. the regions. INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, Mr Foley reiterated Labor’s policy FUNDING FOR REGIONAL NSW IS This is well short of the 30 per cent that if NSW’s share in the Snowy GOING BACKWARDS. REGIONAL promised to the regions by the Hydro is sold to the Commonwealth COMMUNITIES ARE MISSING Berejiklian-Barilaro government. then one hundred per cent of the OUT. THEY ARE CRYING OUT FOR SCHOOL AND HOSPITAL In fact, the Auditor-General found funds raised will be used to improve UPGRADES AND YET THEY ARE that last year, 2016-17 the amount regional infrastructure. The money NOT GETTING IT AT THE MOMENT had actually gone backwards and will go to areas such as education, health, roads and deliver water and said Shadow Minister for Regional was just 14 per cent. energy security projects. Development David Harris.

NBN Forum Highlights the Nationals Broken Promises in Regional NSW The National Party’s broken promises regarding the roll out and delivery of the NBN were the key focus of the meeting between Member for Richmond, Justine Elliot and Shadow Minister for Regional Communications, Stephen Jones MP in Mullumbimby recently. About 50 local residents came the areas most under-served by to the NBN crisis meeting and existing telecommunications raised a variety of issues such infrastructure would be as: wireless towers and their prioritised in the rollout – none effectiveness, poor or no NBN have been achieved. coverage, deficiency around the PEOPLE CONSTANTLY NBN satellite service, and the TELL ME HOW FED UP AND need for truth in marketing by FRUSTRATED THEY ARE providers. WITH MALCOLM TURNBULL’S Malcolm Turnbull and the SECOND RATE NBN Nationals promised they said Member for Richmond would deliver the NBN faster Justine Elliot and cheaper than alternative The latest available information options with three key from NBN Co shows that as commitments: Minimum of August 2017 – 40,000 download speeds of 25 Justine Elliot says the rollout of the premises in Richmond have megabits per second to all NBN has now reached crisis point for no NBN connection and Australians by the end of 2016, local homes and businesses who were some residents including delivery of the NBN for $29.5 promised so much more. those in Ballina are not set for billion and a commitment that completion until 2019. Liberals And Nationals Pushed Up Electricity Prices Labor has welcomed the competition watchdog’s report. A report by the Australian NO MATTER WHICH WAY YOU Competition and Consumer LOOK AT IT, THE SKYROCKETING Commission into high electricity COST OF ELECTRICITY BILLS IN prices has highlighted how much THIS STATE FOR HOUSEHOLDS of the blame for increasing bills AND BUSINESSES ARE DOWN lies directly at the feet of the TO THE ACTIONS OF THIS STATE privatisation-hungry NSW Liberal- GOVERNMENT AND ITS PREMIER, National Government. GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN said Shadow Minister for Energy The decision by the Liberals Adam Searle. and Nationals to sell Macquarie Generation – which included the The motivation behind her legal Bayswater and Liddell power challenge was that if consumers paid stations - to AGL is cited as reducing more for their electricity then she A Foley Labor Government competition and pushing up prices. would get a higher price when she will ensure NSW families and businesses are properly protected privatised the electricity companies. Another key factor was Gladys by committing to Berejiklian’s decision as Treasurer to The sale of the State’s poles and re-regulate electricity. go to court to block the Australian wires was, according to the Liberals, Energy Regulator’s ruling on going to deliver savings but has only network costs. succeeded in reducing competition block household and business cost and driving up power bills. savings of billions of dollars, costing The ACCC states that legal the average household up to $313 challenges like this resulted in “higher The Premier when Treasurer used per year and small businesses up to network charges to households and taxpayer dollars to go to court to $523 per year. consumers.” Federal Country Labor Forum Country Labor’s National A Success Forum was held in Rockhampton on Saturday 7 October with great success. This is the second National Forum to be held with the first one held in Casino in 2015. Over 100 committed party members travelled to North for the event hosted by the Federal Parliamentary Country Labor Caucus. The NSW Federal MPs in attendance were , Justine Elliot, , and Stephen Jones. The highlight was the address by Federal Labor Leader Bill Shorten. Bill’s speech can be read on the Country Labor website: www.countrylabor.com.au/blog Out and about on the by-election trail

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