I am excited that a local organisation has taken over. We all know what a wonderful facility we have and the last few months have proven how desperately we need the centre to succeed.

With legal restraints now lifted, I wish to thank our former nursing and office staff who went beyond the call of duty during a very difficult last few months. 

Your focus and dedication was exemplary.

I also want to thank the former Board for their dedication over the past twelve months. 

Their tireless efforts putting in hundreds of voluntary hours in our endeavour to keep the doors open. 

In the end it was not through any lack of effort, rather a lack of working capital that saw us finally having to close the doors.

Finally, I again wish Mackellar every success and I urge the community to lend its full support to the Mackellar Rural Health Centre.

Rob Hooke

Former Chairman, Gunnedah Rural Health Clinic 

On Saturday 2 December we have to make a choice.

Do we reinstall Barnaby or install someone else who will speak for all the community?  

Such a man is Armidale’s Rob Taber who is standing as an Independent.

His website policies disclose he has a broad grasp of the needs of the people.

Re the Environment, he supports banning coal seam gas or mineral mining on arable land or where our artesian aquifer or unique forest areas will be adversely affected.

He’ll push for meaningful R&D in alternative energies with a view to the overall solution to the issues of global warming and climate change.

He wants increased rigour on oversight of our waterways, water allocation and usage and establish timely and complete public disclosure of regulatory policing data.

He’ll push for the establishment of a policy outlining a sensible Federal Future Energy Policy.

Re Education, he supports the philosophy of the Gonski Educational Reform, thinks it would provide an essential step into developing Australia as a world leader in education.

He believes the University of New England deserves support in order to become a major tertiary education facility in New South Wales.

He believes Rail is a necessity for Australia, we should be investigating all avenues for building rail and future proofing rail networks.  

Building rail infrastructure will reduce the number of truck trips between the major cities.

He questions the building of the second Sydney airport at Badgery’s Creek as opposed to investigating an international airport in the central west, e.g. Orange - Parkes area and link to Sydney via high speed rail.

 This would be a huge step forward in assisting the growth of regional NSW.

Re agriculture, he believes we should begin to aid the growth of the agricultural industry through stronger support and removing red tape as it affects agricultural production enabling us to better compete against imported produce from low cost countries.

We should give farmers more control over the rights to their land particularly in the event of pressure from the oil, gas and mining industries.

We should phase out the live cattle trade and value add to our produce prior to export.

He would seek to promote the establishment of a Government owned bank for rural purposes, a ‘Rural Bank’.

Re Health, he sees the lack of funding cripples the development of much needed regional health infrastructure.

He wants more affordable healthcare and reduced the travel time for those who require immediate medical help.

He’d push for greater recognition of mental health in the healthcare system and more funding and support to service our growing future needs.

Re Finance, he’d push to investigate issues of equality relating to the distribution of GST revenue, ensuring rural communities receive their equal share.

He’d encourage states to distribute income in a fair and equitable manner, ensuring that monies collected from taxes is returned, in part, to the regions from whence they came.

He’d allow superannuation funds to be utilised by first home buyers, knowing that the money must be returned to the superfund in full if the house is sold.

He wants Superannuation funds be required by law to invest a proportion of revenue back into the community from which it was sourced.

He’d also push for legislation that ensured all companies operating within Australia pay their legal share of tax.

Re Youth, he’d encourage higher volumes of people to consider opportunities in trades and rally behind organisations like Backtrack and Pathfinders who assist disadvantaged youth into work and provide advice that directs people into employment that suits their lifestyle and skill set.

Warren Brown,

Inverell