Community & Business
15 October, 2025
Roy's Round Up - Ministers visit the Barwon Electorate
Recently we had two ministers in the same week at Cobar and Broken Hill.
Ministers visit the Barwon Electorate
I often say that visits to Barwon by ministers are more than welcome, because they get to see first-hand what is happening in the electorate, which will better inform decisions made back in Sydney.
Recently we had two ministers in the same week at Cobar and Broken Hill.
Tara Moriarty the Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional NSW and Minister for Western NSW travelled to Cobar, where I joined her for a meeting with some Western Division Councils. There were councillors, General Managers and mayors from Balranald Shire Council, Carrathool Shire Council, Bourke Shire Council, Broken Hill City Council, Walgett Shire Council, and Wentworth Shire Council.
One of the main issues they raised during a Q&A with the minister, included the government’s policy of buying agricultural land to turn into national parks, which is having some negative impacts on local economies. This is as the revenue that used to be generated by the land, no longer goes into hiring local contractors, or is no longer being spent in local businesses, or in rates to councils. The Minister promised to raise this issue with the cabinet.
There were also questions about the review of Crown Lands, and how to remove some of the blocks in the way of a company wanting to use woody weed to create energy. The councils were also then able to have some one-on-one meetings with the minister to discuss things in more detail.
The next day we headed to Broken Hill, stopping at Wilcannia where I accompanied the Minister on a brief tour of the Baaka Cultural Centre. The Minister was impressed and will be working with us to get funding for the centre to open to the public.
In Broken Hill, I met Kate Washington, Minister for Minister for Families and Communities, and Minister for Disability Inclusion, and we turned the first sod for a new Aboriginal Child and Family Centre to be run by the Maari Ma Health Service. This centre will provide everything from early developmental screenings to early childhood and preschool, parenting programs, cultural services, and a range of other community services. It is expected to open by early 2027.
I also accompanied Minister Washington on a tour of the Department of Communities and Justice Community Service Centre in Broken Hill. The Minister is in the process of visiting every facility in her portfolio across the state, and the staff were delighted that she could join them at a morning tea where they were congratulating staff on some of the great work they have been doing.
It is great to see ministers making the journey out west, not just for the funding they bring, but for the insights it gives them. I welcome any visit by any parliamentarian to the electorate; it can only result in a better knowledge of regional issues and better decisions being made back in Macquarie Street.
