With the NSW election coming up on March 25, we asked community members from across the Upper Hunter what some of the most important issues are, that will influence their vote at the ballot box later this month.
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Check out the responses below.
Q: What are the three most important issues that will influence your vote on March 25?
Steve Fordam, Muswellbrook
"First one is job security and opportunity. So we know at the moment one of the biggest things that we've got in the Hunter Valley is that we've always had a bit of an intake and attack on our industry and we want to learn what the job opportunities are going forward. The key facts are that we know jobs create economies and that's what we want to see going forward.
"Second one would be cost of living. At the moment, everything's gone through the roof. We've got a lot of people in our area that are suffering from that within the community. We need to find ways that help them progress so they can actually leave a sustainable life and not have to have pensioners is going back into work trying to make ends meet.
"Third one, which is the biggest one, I think, of all at the moment is our hospital system. We've literally are still not able to have babies at Muswellbrook hospital. I think that's a massive area that need improvement to happen. I mean we should be looking at that and what infrastructure and money we can get behind it because at the end of the day, we should be able to have kids in our own hospital.
"We're one of the wealthiest communities around as far as putting capital back into taxes, we need to start seeing some of that money staying in the Hunter Valley and helping us progress our hospitals and infrastructure. It's great we've got the bypass, which is fantastic, but I think the key to our success is what's next, what other things we can do to progress is town."
Rachael McGuirk, Scone
"I think the state government needs to provide more money to local councils for maintenance of the roads in this area. I think assistance for local or small business is also definitely required. And I think we need a lot more investment into the tourism sector and infrastructure to accommodate people coming to the region."
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Stephen Gowlland, Merriwa
"I would like to see more of the money collected by the state government spent in the Hunter. I think there needs to be more investment in rural areas particularly decentralised industry and manufacturing. Also, there is an emerging issue in Merriwa with increased heavy vehicle movements on the Golden Highway."
Carolyn Carter, Scone
"Past history of corruption and the performance of the major parties in delivering infrastructure improvement. Improvement of Health Services in the regions and support of public education."
Malcolm Blank, Stewart's Brook
"One, forget about electric cars and produce hydrogen power our existing cars can be converted to use hydrogen. Two, fix our roads and bridges. Three, fix our medical problems as far as getting to see a doctor."
Hamish Guiana, Scone
"I think we need a bigger focus on youth enrichment to drive more projects focusing around how we can build a more connected community through youth leadership and through focusing on what matters for the young people in our area."
Hamish Firth, Scone
"Supporting local businesses is essential as they are the livelihood of all small towns. Encourage growth and development in particular housing so our towns can grow and begin to prosper. Be proactive in a timely manner."
Jane Jordan, Murrurundi
Structural change and innovative solutions are urgently needed in regional health. There needs to be transparency and accountability in government. The John Barilaro appointment showed that the old boys' club is still in play. Cost of living is having a deep impact. There needs to be more support and incentives for innovative community-led solutions.
Cheryl Dallimore, Merriwa
The health care system needs a lot of attention and there needs to be more incentive for doctors to come to regional towns. There also needs to be a fairer distribution of government funding throughout regional shires to ensure smaller towns aren't overlooked.
