Column - 12 December 2008

It’s been a great week for the environment with the announcement of $2 million for the New England Strategic Alliance of Councils (NESAC) from the State Environmental Trust to rehabilitate the local urban landscape. The list of stakeholders reads like a Who’s Who of the NESAC region with councils, government departments, UNE, Landcare groups, the New England Credit Union, schools, community groups, landholders, business people and volunteers all involved. This shows the depth of concern and expertise there is locally to protect and rehabilitate our environment and to make a real difference The project to run over three years involves restoration works of urban waterways, weed removal, revegetation with native species, erosion control works and biodiversity planning. It will also link in with programs for artificial wetland construction, promoting greater use of water tanks and alternate energy and technology and increasing green waste recycling.

It was great to see so many people at the Armidale Town Hall for the launch of a new low cost solar project for the NESAC region. I was delighted to launch this project and have also signed on as the first client. With a very successful pre-launch campaign 78 households had already signed up with the numbers growing each day. The Solar New England Region Project is the first major initiative coming out of the New England Sustainability Strategy, and involves a major installation of 400 grid connected solar systems to homes across the Armidale, Uralla, Guyra and Walcha region. The total Project budget is $6m. It has a number of partners including TAFE for training installers, the New England Credit Union with a zero deposit solar loans scheme, Southern New England Landcare which is promoting the scheme to its members and AusEnergy which is delivering the systems. I would particularly like to congratulate coordinator Adam Blakester for bringing all the stakeholders together to make the scheme possible. Find out more at www.ausenergy.com.au or contact Adam Blakester on 02 6775 2501, 0419 808 900.

Consumers and producers will be better off if the Meat Grading Bill I introduced into Parliament last week wins majority support. It is a complex issue but basically it proposes that meat labelling be consistent in retail outlets in NSW and that tough penalties would be introduced for those who mislead consumers. The Bill is similar to legislation which has been operating in the US since 1920 and although the sales of pork and poultry have increased there as they have in Australia, sales of beef have also grown. In Australia there has been a big drop in beef sales and producers and abattoirs such as Bindaree Beef in Inverell attribute much of the problem to the fact that shoppers cannot rely on consistent quality. The new Bill would underpin the voluntary code now in place with financial penalties for those who apply official AUS-meat labelling to inferior products. The Bill will be debated when Parliament meets next year and I am hopeful that it will receive bipartisan support.

At my first meeting as UNE Chancellor I received strong support from the Council for some reforms including a review of the University’s meeting, governance and delegation protocols. Council is keen to re-engage more closely with the campus community and to meet informally with staff in its meeting breaks. Members also want to invite mayors and community leaders of the New England North West region to inspect the facilities and discuss programs with staff and senior management. In recent weeks I have spoken with representatives from TAFE, Telstra and the Department of Education and they are all keen to extend their partnerships with UNE. Since being named Chancellor I have received many calls form people wanting an end to the University’s corporate governance dispute. I share those concerns and the Council is moving quickly to resolve the issues. We are resolved to positively reinforce the outstanding teaching and research programs at UNE to support the dedicated and committed academic and general staff.

Seniors Week projects in the Northern Tablelands have received a total of $4,410 in state government grants. I always enjoy participating in Seniors Week which will run from March 15-22 next year. It is an opportunity for us to recognise both the contribution our older citizens have made and still make to their communities and the volunteers who go out of their way to make life better for seniors. The grants include $500 for the Tablelands Community Support Options daytime concert at Uralla; $500 for the Live Life- it improves with ageing event at Kent House in Armidale; $1000 for the Lions Club of Tenterfield Mystery Tour; $500 for the Tip Top Tappers Community Concert at the H N McLean Memorial Retirement Village in Inverell; $640 for the Glen Innes Severn Council Bringing Together, Ageing Together, All Shades of Grey event; $490 for the Back to the Bush event at the Vegetable Creek Multi Purpose Service in Emmaville; $390 for the Uralla Senior Citizens and Pensioners Association lunch and $390 for the Delungra Senior Citizen Club Live Long and Care Always event.

Walcha Mayor Cr Bill Heazlett and I held talks last week on an informal expression of interest in the town’s timber mill from a Queensland company which is looking for an arrangement to operate the mill and take over the Walcha Wood Supply Agreement (WSA). At present Boral, the owners, have mothballed operations at the mill and are negotiating with the state government over retaining the WSA but milling the timber at another site. The approach from the Queensland company is encouraging and there are hopes that Boral will agree to an arrangement that will return mill operations to Walcha and retain the local jobs. It is too soon to discuss details as a lot of negotiations have to be conducted before a position is reached.

Emmaville’s Ron Jillett richly deserves his award as 2008 New England Senior Volunteer of the Year. I spoke in Parliament some time ago about the extraordinary number of Emmaville people who devote countless hours of their time to community. Ron is one of those volunteers and his record of contributions to so many worthwhile initiatives is truly remarkable. Over the last 45 years, he has been involved in numerous community activities, particularly the Emmaville Mining Museum where he continues to work up to 40 hours a week building, painting, organising and running fund raising events. He serves on the Vegetable Creek Hospital Board and has been a major fundraiser for the hospital for more than 40 years. He has been a regular contributor to the repair and maintenance of the Tent Hill Hall for the last 20 years and is an active member of the Emmaville Sport and Recreation Club which he co-founded 25 years ago. He also assists each year with the Emmaville Christmas Eve Carnival.