WHOEVER wins the 2016 election, the question for the Parkes electorate is what will really change?
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Federal elections are generally won or lost in marginal seats and this poll is expected to be no different. That probably explains why Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten have visited only about 30 of the nation’s 150 electorates.
Those seats, many of them in Western Sydney, deliver power. The politicians campaign hard and carry hefty pork barrels stuffed with funding promises and solutions to match residents’ needs and desires.
Parkes covers 393,400 square km or about 49% of NSW. It is considered an extremely safe Nationals seat and a safe bet to remain one. The Nationals two-party preferred margin in 2013 was 44.7 per cent.
Whoever wins on Saturday, Parkes will still be a long way from the often myopic view (and purse strings) of Canberra and would likely still get the crumbs from the table, no matter how hard the elected MP tries.
The electorate has many concerns, needs and wants – some critical. Many are shortfalls and inadequacies in services and solutions from government.
In education, trimming the Gonski plan slashes $30 million from disadvantaged schools.
The cost of living is a concern. Prices continue to rise. Housing may be cheaper but most pay levels are lower than in the cities. Food, insurance, clothing – you name it – cost as much here as in Sydney.
Petrol prices are higher. More than fifty percent of Parkes is still a mobile phone black spot. Farmers are still struggling with the drought. These make up just the tip of the iceberg.
What can be done?
The community can look beyond the election result and fight to get what our people desperately need.
An example is the push for a cancer centre. The Dubbo West Rotary started it. This newspaper and a host of community organisations and leaders backed it, tens of thousands signed petitions and … the Coalition made a $25 million election funding pledge.
The community’s (loud) voice could not be ignored.
The way to solve issues in future may be that simple. Unite, lobby, petition and campaign with country tenacity. The noise will get Canberra’s attention and action.