Thursday, 22 February 2024
Subjects: Importance of agriculture for the region’s economy, Country Mayors Association’s crime inquiry proposal, Men’s Shed, Gundagai Show.
E&OE…
Dave Eisenhauer: If anyone is busy in this district, it's Steph Cooke. We talk to Steph every Thursday fortnight; Steph, thank you very much for your time today.
Steph Cooke: Good morning, Dave. It's really great to be with you, as Summer starts coming to an end.
Dave Eisenhauer: It won't be far away until we get shorter days. It's darker at 6:00 and completely dark about 8:00; the sun's pretty much set, so interesting times ahead, let's hope for a good season on our farms, Steph.
Steph Cooke: I hope so Dave. Seeing a bit of burning-off around the place and farmers out preparing their paddocks ahead of sowing. It's always really good to see that activity because in the Cootamundra electorate – I think I've probably mentioned to you before – one in five jobs is directly employed in agriculture. So we need to see that activity because it's the backbone of so many of our communities. And when we've been through those really bad droughts, like the one we had just prior to the bushfire season when there was literally no activity and the paddocks were bare, we don't want to go back there, Dave, that's for sure.
Dave Eisenhauer: Nope.
Steph Cooke: So seeing farmers out and about and stock being moved around – that's another thing I'm seeing a lot of at the moment – it's good; it's good activity for the sector.
Dave Eisenhauer: You've been really busy; I was just looking through a media release – it came through a couple of days ago – you've been very busy as far as hosting the Police Minister in the electorate, and this is something that goes across not just our local electorates in this district, but you're looking at a proposed parliamentary inquiry into rural and regional crime. The Minister was visiting; how was the visit?
Steph Cooke: The way I describe the visit is that it was constructive. I certainly got plenty of time with the Minister. We had well over two hours together in the electorate, which was very welcomed; I'll always be very welcoming and gracious to ministers who come to visit us.
We are a long way from the city, but these issues are very important. And on the issue of the proposed parliamentary inquiry into rural policing, this is a proposal that was initially put forward by the Country Mayors Association last October.
I came out of the blocks very, very early – either the same day or the very next day – to say that the Country Mayors Association had my full support. What they are proposing is reasonable and it's something that we need.
As an electorate the size of Switzerland or thereabouts – well over 40,000 square kilometres – we have 27 police stations in the electorate across four police districts. Most of them are very, very small police stations with just a lockup keeper or a couple of local police in those stations. None of them have a 24/7 open operation; by that I mean a police station where the doors are open 24/7.
We do have a 24/7 policing response, so I need to be very clear about that. It's not as though there is no help available or if you ring 000 the police won't come between certain hours, that's not the case, but versus the city we have no police stations in our electorate which have the doors open 24/7 for people to walk on in.
I think that that's simply not good enough in 2024; our communities are facing many challenges and anecdotally, they report back to me incidents where they have been the victim or someone they know has been the victim of burglary, theft, they've had motor vehicles broken into and items stolen, they've had cars stolen in some cases, they're aware of illegal activity that's occurring in those very, very isolated areas of our local government areas, up in the hills, so to speak.
And this is something that we really need to shine a light on. At the end of the day, when you look at the breakdown of policing resources in New South Wales, there are 17-odd thousand police officers (in the state), and less than a third of them are living and working in our regional areas.
Dave Eisenhauer: Less than a third?
Steph Cooke: Less than a third. And that third is expected to cover more than 90 per cent of the land mass of New South Wales. The rest – the 70-odd per cent of police that are remaining – are living and working in that Sydney, Greater Sydney, Newcastle, and Wollongong areas, and I don't begrudge them for doing so, but we need more resources across the regions that cover the rest of the state, across the northern region in New South Wales, the western region, which covers part of the Cootamundra electorate, and the southern region, which covers the bulk of the Cootamundra electorate and certainly all of your listening area, Dave.
So that's what we're fighting for. So far, the Minister is not receptive to this idea of an inquiry at all, not at all. And she made that very clear to me; we respectfully disagree on that matter.
The rest of our meeting was very constructive, and I raised a number of issues that are facing our police and our police stations infrastructure-wise; all of that I got a very good hearing on, but on the inquiry issue – what I would call a sticking point – we just could not come to an agreement as to whether this was a good idea. I maintain that it is a good idea, and the Minister maintains that it's not necessary.
Dave Eisenhauer: Why would the Minister do that? An inquiry gives you an insight; it's like somebody providing you with some more information. Okay, there's the issue, let's delve a little bit deeper and find out some more facts and figures. It sounds like a very, very good idea.
Steph Cooke: Well look, I can speak from very good personal experience, lived experience in relation to what you're saying; you are spot on. When I was the Minister for Emergency Services, Resilience, & Flood Recovery during 2022, we experienced terrible floods, as everybody knows. The then-Premier Perrottet and myself launched an independent flood inquiry led by Professor Mary O’Kane, and Mick Fuller the former Police Commissioner.
The independent inquiry's report was a game changer for emergency services. Not the first time it's been done; of course we had an independent inquiry into the bushfires of 2019/20, which was very impactful in your listening area. Those independent inquiry reports provide you in government with strategies; opportunities to improve; to do things differently; to learn from best practice in other jurisdictions; to hear the lived experience – and that's important – of people who were there, who went through it, and who have got some insight into what potentially went wrong, but also what goes right.
Dave Eisenhauer: Yeah, what goes right as well.
Steph Cooke: Absolutely, and you can pull all of that together and look to map out a way forward. And in relation to rural policing, some of those recommendations – I can't anticipate what they might be when there's not even an inquiry established – but in my experience from the flood inquiry, it wasn't just all about what emergency services needed to do better; it was a whole of government approach.
And so what an inquiry into policing would presumably reveal, it's not just the need potentially for more policing resources – although I think that's perhaps what it would show – it would also reveal other areas of government that have a role in this space where crime is being committed by certain individuals or certain cohorts, and what other areas of government can do – either more or better – to ensure that our police officers – who are doing the best job they possibly can under really, really difficult circumstances – have that additional support and backup.
And it all works in together, that's my point. So this isn't targeted at police who are doing everything they can with what they have.
Dave Eisenhauer: Indeed.
Steph Cooke: But what we need is more of them, and we need to have a look at the other services that connect with police to truly get a grip on what is happening, and what else can be done so that our communities are safer places to live in, and our people are not the victims of crime.
Dave Eisenhauer: And something I know Steph for a fact, is that you are not going to let this one rest.
Steph Cooke: Absolutely not; this is far too important for our regional communities. And as you said in your introduction, this isn't just about the people of the Cootamundra electorate, although that's first and foremost why I'm pushing up on it. But this is a state-wide issue and you only have to tap into the news from other parts of the state to see what's happening in places like Moree, Inverell, Glen Innes, Gunnedah; it goes on and on and on.
We are really up against it here in the bush, no matter what corner you look into. And there's the likes of Adam Marshall, the Member for Northern Tablelands, and of course Paul Toole, the Member for Bathurst, and Shadow Minister for Police; the three of us have been out of the blocks on this from the get-go. We know, living in these regional areas, that this is what is required.
And I'm pleased to say that we have the support of the New South Wales CWA; I've had a number of branches from the electorate write to me with two things: firstly saying it's what they want to see, and also saying, ‘As a local member, we expect you to continue pushing up on this as well’. And of course the Police Association itself wants to see this inquiry, so when you put all of those different organisations together, the Country Mayors, the CWA, the Police Association, members of parliament who represent these areas, it's very compelling. And I think that the Minister, and I've indicated this to her, needs to rethink her position on this issue.
Dave Eisenhauer: Let's talk now, and this is a great story, our Men’s Sheds. I remember when they started. It seems like only yesterday but it's a long, long time ago. Aren't they an absolute asset to our regional communities?
Steph Cooke: I just love going to our Men's Sheds; I'm blessed in that I have 14 in the Cootamundra electorate, and they're all fabulous. It's the sort of organisation where there's no cookie cutter approach. So every time I go to a Men's Shed in the electorate, they're all very different. They've got different setups, they've got different projects that they're focusing on, but the underlying reason why men come together is the same, and that is to share that friendship and that fellowship and to look after their mental health.
And they're always happy to open their doors to me, and I go in there and we have – not much work gets done when I’m there Dave, I need to be honest about that – but we sit around and we eat cake and have a cup of coffee. It's also an opportunity, of course, for them to raise issues that are important to them, and concerns that they have.
So it's a really good way for me to stay in touch with what's happening on the ground. But fundamentally, these are wonderful organisations and I really want to emphasise to any man out there that it’s not just for retired men, and I think sometimes it has that perception, but they are welcoming of men at any age or stage in life. I know that we have some Women's Sheds out there as well, but I think in terms of looking after men's mental health and their wellbeing, I think you can really go a long way if you join the Men's Shed.
Dave Eisenhauer: And I did read a statistic that there are more Men's Sheds in Australia than McDonald's restaurants. There's an achievement in itself.
Steph Cooke: That's actually wonderful to know. And they give back to the community, Dave.
Dave Eisenhauer: Oh, in a big way.
Steph Cooke: It's not just about going to the Men's Shed and working on your project and having a cup of coffee. There's the donations that they give back to the community, the funds that they raise, the goods that they sell at Christmas markets and at other times during the year, and also just the projects they work on. I went to the Young Men's Shed a couple of weeks ago, and they were working on a really old wagon.
And that wagon will end up on community display. It's a recognition of our history and it's just great. And they're happy to do that, just work away and work together. And they're just a wonderful organisation that I cannot speak highly enough of. And I'd encourage anyone to go along and join and see what you can do.
Dave Eisenhauer: That's right. As you said, this misconception it's for retirees; it is not that at all. Obviously retirees are absolutely more than welcome, but they're the first to say, ‘It's for everybody. Come along and have a look around and see this’. I know locally here, so much work gets done behind the scenes; they fix up park benches, they build swing sets, they build raffle prizes for raffles for other community groups. The list just goes on and on.
Steph Cooke: Oh, you're spot on, they're absolutely wonderful and I'd like to see them grow even further. I'd like to see our existing sheds attract a few more members. And they're welcoming of anyone as well. And if there's any community out there, certainly in my electorate, that doesn't yet have a Men's Shed but it's something that they're contemplating, I’m more than happy to have that conversation and help out in any way I possibly can to get one off the ground.
Dave Eisenhauer: Part of community work is our amazing history into various community societies, whether they be P&F societies or agricultural, or show societies, whatever they might be. Of course the most recent of our shows was the Gundagai show, part of Zone Three. What an amazing three huge days Steph, with Saturday being the big show day.
Steph Cooke: Every year I feel as though the Gundagai Show can't get any better because it's just so good, and every year my expectations are exceeded again. It is an incredible show in regional New South Wales. It keeps growing each year. I had the opportunity to be there on the Saturday morning, and whether it was the sheep dog trials, the horse events, the cattle events, it was all just incredible.
And they had their schools there competing in the cattle this year. And we had schools from Tumut and from Gundagai, from Murrumburrah, close to Harden. They took a team of kids down there, with the teachers. And they took six cows down there, and all different breeds. And the kids were having a wonderful time. It was great to catch up with them.
But of course the pavilion: wow, just outstanding produce. Absolutely extraordinary. And the display that the schools put together, it's just a wonderful show and a wonderful community. And a huge shout-out to the volunteers that make that show happen. It's not just about turning up on the Friday morning and unlocking the show ground gates.
It's a long-running effort to get ready for the show. And the show society all were in their shirts, and you could approach them at any stage if you were unsure where something was or where something was up to. They're in the know, they're very helpful, and they give up a lot of their time to make that show happen, and full credit to them for what was a magnificent event over the weekend.
Dave Eisenhauer: Steph, you and I have stood on a number of stages in various towns over the years at different shows when we go through the electorate, and every show is unique. They all have a similar theme; they're all over 100 years old or more, most of our show societies. But you hit the nail on the head: it's 12 months or more of work that goes into making these events possible. And when you see the gate numbers, I'd love to know what Gundagai's gate was.
Junee, for example, had their record gate for years and years and years back in October last year. That then means they can put a few more dollars into it, maybe fixing up the pavilions, or putting another path in, or whatever it might be towards next year's show. And it continues and it rolls on, but we always need more volunteers to come along and join these show societies, Steph. They're hugely important to our regions.
Steph Cooke: Look, absolutely. And you mentioned the Junee show. I was there with you for that last year. And wow, again, another magnificent show and showcase of our produce and everything that we are able to achieve in our small, rural communities. And our ‘young woman of the year’ Olivia, she's now the Zone Seven finalist who will compete down in Sydney in a few weeks' time.
And I was with her on Saturday night. We had the ‘young women’s dinner’, a Zone Seven dinner in Temora. And it was just wonderful. We had seven women from the Cootamundra electorate represented in that Zone Seven finals and of course Olivia moved forward to Sydney. And full credit to her. It was a wonderful evening. And it's so good to see young women putting their hand up to represent our rural areas.
It's fantastic but, to your point, the one thing that does worry me a little bit, Dave, is that when I look across our show societies and the committees, it's being run by volunteers who have been doing it for a very, very long time, and we need some younger people to come through.
It's not that our existing people are doing a bad job, far from it. As we've just talked about this morning, we would be lost without them. But what we need to see is that renewal, and we need to see young people putting their hand up. If it's important enough to you, please, we need your help to ensure that these shows go on for another 100 years as they should.
Dave Eisenhauer: My word, very true words Steph. It's up to news time. We're going to talk more down the track about the proposed parliamentary inquiry into rural and regional crime. That's an essential subject that you and I are going to chat about, but we're also going to talk a lot more about our wonderful communities that we live in, in a fortnight's time. Steph, thank you so much for your time today as the Member for Cootamundra.
Steph Cooke: Thanks for having me, Dave. I really appreciate it and I'll see you in a fortnight.
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