Today’s announcement of a restructure to the Department of Regional NSW is yet
another example of Chris Minns treating people from the regions as second-class
citizens.
What is clear is the new ‘NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional
Development’ will be coordinated from Sydney by the city-centric Premier, which is
hard to believe given during the election campaign he said “I don’t pretend to have any
expertise about regional New South Wales”.
We need to see some clarity around how these changes are going to help our farmers,
fishers or foresters do what they do, each and every day.
Instead of providing any funding for the creation of this new Department, the Minns
Labor Government has opted to drain the money left in the former Liberal and
Nationals Government’s Regional Growth Fund.
The Regional Growth fund provided grants to improve local and regional services,
promote economic development and social cohesion, and enhance the wellbeing of
people living and working in regional NSW.
This money is now being directed towards a restructure that will cause only angst for
hundreds of regional workers and their families.
We already know Labor’s functional review has put more than 100 jobs on the
chopping block and now Premier Minns needs to be upfront about how many more are
on the way.