I called it for what it was; re-engineering was a fancy term to use in place of budget cuts. Unfortunately, the Australian Productivity Commission’s report vindicates what I was saying.

The Australian Productivity Commission identified that NSW has the lowest expenditure on policing services per person and the worst police-to-population ratio of all states, excepting the ACT.

The government is neglecting you – the community – and our police by failing to adequately fund an essential service to meet a rapidly growing population.

Instead of adequately budgeting for growth of the police force, Troy Grant instead chose to axe pivotal positions within the force which provide frontline police with vital leadership and support.

What I predict we will see happen is already overworked police being required to do more and more with less. Police officers are people, not robots. Police officers will be at far greater risk of burnout under Troy Grant’s “re-engineering”.

Post-traumatic stress is, regrettably, a probable reality for police who repeatedly witness and experience what most of us are fortunate to never see. Increased workload and diminished support for police will almost certainly cultivate potential psychological injury to police who are vulnerable to over the longer term. 

This government has their priorities all wrong. Their sale of your state’s assets has resulted in NSW becoming the wealthiest state in Australia. Instead of spending the money on essential services such as police, they instead choose to unnecessarily spend billions of dollars on demolishing serviceable Sydney sports stadiums to build new ones.

I will continue to walk through the community throughout the year, hoping to meet as many people as possible. Communicating directly with the community is the best way to find out the issues which affect you and how best I can assist you.

LAST November I visited farmers at Back Yamma, near Parkes, who had experienced a devastating deluge. As much as six inches of rain fell in just a three-hour period, which resulted in flash flooding.

Crops, fences and other farming infrastructure was destroyed or damaged on many farms across the districts that were beneath the storm. 

Following my visit, where I saw firsthand the quantum of damage sustained to those farms, I submitted a written question to the Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair. I contacted the ministry where I sought assistance from the government on behalf of the primary producers, many of whom lost their income for the season.

I was pleased to again meet with farmers at Back Yamma last week, where I announced the government’s declaration of the storm as a natural disaster.

The official declaration now provides affected farmers with opportunities for assistance, which includes freight transport subsidies, and a two-year no-interest loan of up to $130,000 which is followed by a 1.3 per cent interest rate thereafter. 

Affected farmers, who wish to access the assistance, must lodge applications by July 17. For more information contact the Rural Assistance Authority.