In Molong, police are often absent, having to be deployed elsewhere due to staff shortages.

In fact, at present there is no police officer at Cumnock and police from elsewhere have to police the village, which is not fair on the community, and it's not fair of the communities such as Molong which police have to leave unattended.

The fact that Orange already has the lowest police-to-population ratio in the state is also something which I have repeatedly addressed.

I have already made some headway on this, with my discussions with the NSW Police Commissioner earlier this year resulting in another six police being allocated to the area.

Change is happening and progress is being made, but there is more to be done.

Minister Elliott, on hearing more about the importance of the issue from our meeting, has indicated he will visit Orange to meet with police and emergency services personnel and hear from those on the front line what they're having to deal with.

The issue of more police resources for our electorate is one which must be addressed, and I won't give up on this until we have adequate police and emergency service resources for our region.

I WAS honoured to be able to present to Parliament last Thursday a 10,000 signature petition from the Orange Rail Action Group, urging the NSW government to listen to the concerns of the people of Orange for the need for a fast train return service between Orange and Sydney.

I informed Parliament that while the government has made a decision to double the service available to the people of Bathurst, just a short distance away (in rural terms), Orange is being neglected.

It is an important part of caring for our community that this important service exist, as regional areas need fast and reliable access to the city. It also has clear economic benefits for our region.

I have urged the government to listen to concerns of our electorate and utilise existing dormant facilities to house the train locally, so the journey that currently begins in Bathurst would be initiated from Orange.

I would like to acknowledge the incredible hard work of the members of Orange's Rail Action Group who have gathered the necessary signatures for me to present the petition on the floor of Parliament, in the short space of just 11 months.

Thanks to the members of the community who rallied behind this cause.

LAST week I met with representatives from the Fire Brigade Employees Union, Fire Rescue NSW , the mayor, councillor Mario Previtera, and acting general manager of the council David Waddell to identify available land suitable to construct a much-needed new fire station.

It's an important issue and one we'll continue to work on so that our fire brigade get a facility to cater for the future, cater for both male and female staff, and to house specialist equipment, such as a telesquirt aerial appliance.