I was impressed with the following quote from Agriculture Minister David Littleproud on August 21 when he said: “What I have been calling for is for common sense, workable and practical solutions to be developed in consultation with impacted regional communities.”
That is exactly what regional communities have been seeking for several years from Mr Littleproud and his colleagues, yet they have refused to deliver.
So, may I ask, why is he so concerned about ‘common sense’ and ‘practical solutions’ that are ‘developed in consultation with impacted regional communities’ in one instance, but not another?
In this quote Mr Littleproud was commenting on the impact of border closures. But why should this issue be treated differently to water management and policy, which is also vital for the economic prosperity of regional communities?
Why can’t we have ‘common sense’? Why can’t we have ‘workable solutions’? And why can’t they ‘be developed in consultation with impacted regional communities?’ None of that is happening, despite our repeated calls.
Mr Littleproud as the previous Water Minister, and now Keith Pitt as the current Water Minister, have failed our communities by failing to deliver these very basics that should be common practice in all policy areas.
Yours faithfully
Sue Braybon
Tocumwal, NSW
