The last few months, for the first time in 20 years has given me the opportunity to reflect on what it means to represent your community at both a State and Federal Government level.
Whether I was successful or not, or I did a good job or not, is for others to judge, but what I’m proud to have been given was the chance to represent wonderful communities, full of wonderful people.
I always felt as though I was in partnership with my electorate, I relied on my people in the electorate to educate me and shape my views on the most pressing of issues affecting their everyday lives. In turn, they relied on me to go to work to create the best outcomes I could on each of those issues. I always felt that partnership was real and strong.
Sometimes these outcomes manifested into projects that you’re able to deliver with Federal Government funding like the Echuca Moama Bridge, the upgrade to the Seymour to Shepparton Railway Line, the new Shepparton Art Museum and my favourite of all, the new Shepparton Medical School. Plans to bring the school to Shepparton was decided five years ago and brings La Trobe University together with Melbourne University to start a program that will produce over 30 locally trained doctors right here in Shepparton each and every year.
There are some issues such as water policy where you are constantly battling “opposition”, those with an alternative view as to how we find a better balance between people’s livelihoods and the health of our waterways. Wins in these areas are small, incremental, and hard earned, but also critically important.
Being a Federal representative is a wonderful job but it’s also incredibly demanding. The cities, towns and communities you need to become part of are many, and their needs are ever present. Every day, every night, there is someone or some organisation that wants to connect or need to talk to their local member and as I said at the start, this is a partnership and if your people want to talk its my job to listen.
I’m incredibly grateful to the Nationals – the most down to earth political party in existence for helping me along the way, and I’m equally grateful to the people of my home area within the Goulburn Valley for electing me firstly as the member for Murray and then for Nicholls. It was an amazing experience.
Cheers, Drummy.
Former Federal Member for Murray and Nicholls
