Friday, 12 April 2024
Subjects: Bipartisan parliamentary inquiry into regional crime; Wallendbeen Bridge update, Tara-Bectric Road opening in Temora, Cootamundra Fire Station upgrades; NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards, Youth Week 2024.
E&OE…
Rich Spence: Welcome to the studio Member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke. Good morning.
Steph Cooke: Good morning Rich, it's great to be back with you again, and a really good morning to all of your listeners. It’s been lovely to get around the electorate since I've been with you last. I've been very, very busy; I've bumped into a lot of people, and it's lovely to catch up with everyone as I move about.
Rich Spence: Yeah, I've got a lot of information from your office about what you've been up to, but firstly, the regional crime inquiry is now underway. It's been set up, and it's very important that the community contributes to that inquiry.
Steph Cooke: It's really important that people provide submissions on their lived experience. If you are the victim of a crime and you live in our communities, or you've got some experience or perspective on how we can do things better, please put in a submission to this inquiry. This was so hard fought for; this was six months in the making.
Your listeners will recall – because I've spoken about it on your program so many times – that we knew that we've got a problem with crime in our regions, and that we needed to have a look at police resourcing, and all of the other services that go into preventing crime from occurring, including in relation to young people engaging in antisocial behaviour and criminal activity. And the government was consistently pushing back on this. I had the Police Minister come and visit, which was wonderful, but it was the one sticking point between us, and we respectfully disagreed at that time.
But we carried on this campaign because we knew how important it was, not just to the communities that I represent here in the Cootamundra electorate, but to communities right across New South Wales. So after six long months, and a lot of advocacy and a lot of pushing, the government has finally caved in; they've agreed.
This inquiry has been set up, but it will only be as good as the information that is submitted to it. So I'm really encouraging people to put in their submission; you can do that through the parliament's website.
If people are wanting to do a submission, but they're a little unsure about how to go about it, please either ring my office, or go and see the team here in Young or down in Junee if you happen to be passing through. We've already helped a lot of people and we would love nothing more than to see others be able to make their contribution. We will help you.
Hopefully some positive things come out of this inquiry. A lot of people in the community feel let down by the justice system. At the same time, in terms of the offending by the youth, they're being let down in some cases by a lack of support to keep them off that path, as you say. So hopefully, some good does come out of this and we're on the right path.
Rich Spence: Also happening in recent times, I was going to mention the Wallendbeen Bridge. There's nothing on live traffic to say things are happening, but I went for a drive out there a few weeks ago. That's the overpass over the railway. A lot of work being done on the embankment just adjacent to the bridge, which is good to see for the footings of the bridge, but there's still some sort of delays or something that's not quite happening that you're not happy with.
Steph Cooke: The Wallendbeen Bridge has just been an ongoing saga again; how many times have I spoken about this project on your program over the last three years since the original bridge failed? So there is work underway at the site which is pleasing to see in a lot of respects because it has been a long time coming.
And I encourage motorists who are moving about that precinct, please do so with great caution and perhaps more so than they have been in the last three years when nothing has been happening.
The traffic lights are still in place, of course, but the local residents there understandably have a lot of concerns about the safety of that precinct. There are crossroads intersecting with the Burley Griffin way. Visibility is difficult a lot of the time; there are a lot of people around there that have businesses with horses, so they're moving horse floats, they're moving horses around, and it is a real concern.
So we need to continue trying to work with Transport for New South Wales. They have been very, very difficult to work with over the last three years. They haven't engaged the community well, and that was evident when I met with the community again on Monday.
I've been a tireless advocate for this project and for that community. That will continue, and we look forward to this really sad and sorry chapter coming to an end, but we are not there yet; there's a lot of construction that's still got to take place.
I'm hopeful that we can have this new bridge in place perhaps by harvest, so we're not going into a fourth harvest under these circumstances. Those big machines that move about is always a worry to me, and also the heavy vehicles that move along the Burley Griffin Way; it is one of the major East-West routes, and it's right through our electorate. The community really does deserve better and I'll keep working with them and advocating for them, but at the end of the day, it will be great to see this project closed out, that's for sure.
Rich Spence: Yes. And that bridge, it moves a little bit, it rattles, and you mentioned the visibility problems. I noticed that when I was going along that road. It's a slight curve, a bit of a crest as well, and that doesn't help for the visibility.
Steph Cooke: Yes, absolutely. There's no doubt it is not a good situation there, and we've had to make representations previously to have the bridge tightened at times. It does rattle a fair bit, particularly given all those heavy vehicles going over it all the time, the many cars – thousands of traffic movements a day over that bridge. So, it's really important that those responsible get on with it.
But Transport for New South Wales really need to be more transparent with the community. They need to work better with local landowners around the impact on them. I mean, they're sitting right on that corner. It's been a constant source of frustration, but we won't give up,
Rich Spence: We will get there. And continuing with road upgrades, but moving out to Temora – Tara Bectric Road has had some upgrades.
Steph Cooke: This is a much more happy story on road upgrades. The Tara Bectric Road is again another really important freight route through our electorate; this time a little more to the West. And when the Coalition was in government, we announced $3.5 million to undertake significant upgrades to that road, and it included a new bridge, which was fantastic. Now the next stage of that investment has finally come to life.
Full credit to the Temora Shire Council; they have done a magnificent job really strengthening the pavement – improving the surface – and we've now got that Tara Bectric Road, which is a lot better for vehicle movements, whether they're school buses or cars or heavy vehicles, farmers moving machinery around, whatever's required for that particular area. It's now in really, really good shape thanks to this investment and thanks to the Temora Shire Council for what they've done with that project.
So it's great to see another roads project closed out. Of course, we continue to fight hard for roads funding right across the electorate, and that's an ongoing battle that we have, but one that I'm always up for because I know how important roads are to our communities.
Rich Spence: Yeah, Tara Bectric Road upgrades for Temora – terrific for that community – but there's still that bugbear of Hoskins Street and no bypass in Temora as well. We spoke about that in recent times.
Steph Cooke: Absolutely. And pleasingly, we have secured a meeting with the Regional Roads and Transport Minister for the next parliamentary sitting period in May. I look forward to sitting down with the minister again, and if there's one thing that I really must give credit where it's due, the minister has really had an open door for me and the representations that I need to make on behalf of our councils and our communities. So, we will sit down with her and talk to her again about the importance of the heavy vehicle bypass proposal for Temora.
And a bit of a shout-out to residents in that community. There is a lot of work happening to Hoskins Street at the moment. They're on the West Wyalong side – the Wagga side of Hoskins Street has now been dealt with on that sort of South side – and now looking at that North side, and the pavement's well and truly ripped up. I went through there yesterday twice, and there's a lot of work going on there.
So, just be patient as you're moving through that area. But that's very, very important work. That road has been under a lot of stress for a long time; it needs upgrading. The council are doing a magnificent job. And of course, we will now go back to Sydney and talk to the minister about a bigger and more permanent solution, which is the need for a bypass.
Rich Spence: And you're saying that Temora Council are doing a terrific job as they are, but they're fielding a lot of complaints about that road, but there's only so much they can do, other than lobby the government because it is essentially a state road.
Steph Cooke: Absolutely. It is really about needing to work in with the State Government. There's also the issue of funding, of course, and councils talk to me all the time about the fact that they need more money for roads and road upgrades, and I was proud to be a member of the Coalition Government that poured a lot of money into roads.
But the need is ongoing; it's never ending, and you cannot take the foot off that pedal because once our roads become deteriorated to a certain point, it near on becomes impossible for people to move around with certainly safely. So, it's always top of my agenda along with water security. These are the two big things for the Cootamundra electorate, roads and water. And we will continue to push up on them.
Rich Spence: And also important, upgrades to the emergency services, and their facilities and resources. It's imperative that we have top-notch operational systems in place. And there's been an upgrade or there's an upgrade coming up to the Cootamundra Fire Station?
Steph Cooke: This is so exciting. I was just about to start clapping, Rich, but then I realised I'm live on your radio station. The Cootamundra Fire Station is a much-loved building in Cootamundra. It's housed our firies there since 1913. It's a heritage listed building, and now it is set to receive a $2.5 million upgrade.
It'll see brand new engine bays built, and they will be adjacent to the existing building. So, I think it's really important to point out – and for the community to be reassured – that the heritage listed building will remain and it will not be changed, especially from an exterior perspective.
Inside there will be some upgrades to the interior and that's to make it fit-for-purpose for modern firies. So, that's around amenities, it's around toilets, locker rooms and those sorts of things. It’s really important that we provide a modern facility, but be able to do so in a heritage-listed building.
The firies themselves have had incredible input into this project, which is fantastic. And pretty much everything that they have suggested or asked for is being included in this project. So, they are very, very excited about it, as we are as a community.
And so, what the community will see there, over the next six to eight months, is some pretty extensive redevelopment work occurring. We are putting those two new engine bays next to the existing building. That will mean that the fire trucks themselves will move out of the heritage-listed building and be housed in a brand new facility that's adjacent to the building.
And then, that will allow us to put heritage doors back on the heritage building. It's going to be a good outcome at the end. There will be a little bit of inconvenience for Adams Street people in the interim with the building that's going on there, but all in all, $2.5 million being invested in that station and in that community, and in our hard-working firies, is a good thing.
Rich Spence: It certainly is. And not only the paid fire station and the employees, but also the volunteers; through RFS there's volunteers right throughout that community. Communities wouldn't survive without volunteers. And that brings me to Volunteer of the Year Awards with nominations now open.
Steph Cooke: Absolutely. This is another exciting and really good opportunity for us to recognise the volunteers that give so much of their time to our local communities. They really are the backbone of our society, and this is an opportunity to recognise the work that they do, whether it's in local charities, it could be mentoring youth, it could be advocating for really important causes.
In very recent times for example, we saw Roy Jewitt raise thousands and thousands of dollars for MND. These are the sorts of people that the awards seek to highlight; this is an opportunity to recognise their contribution, which is invaluable.
So, those New South Wales Volunteer of the Year Awards are open for nomination now. They close on the 14th of June, and those awards will be announced at a ceremony a bit later on in the year. But if you've got someone in mind and you're really not quite sure how to go about the process, again, drop into my office. We will help you, in any way that we can, to recognise someone that you believe should be honoured for the great work that they do.
Rich Spence: And there is a website you can go to, to nominate and find out all the details, volunteering.com.au/awards. And you've been very busy around the electorate, as you always are. You've had a visit to the Boorowa Men's Den, the Small Schools Athletics Carnival, and we've got Youth Week coming up as well.
Steph Cooke: Every day I'm out and about in our communities when I'm not in parliament in Sydney, and there's so much happening. There are so many people doing really, really good work and I love being amongst it. And in recent times, we've had such a strong focus on youth, and this has come off the back of years of advocacy and securing funding.
So, yesterday was the start of Youth Week, and recently we've seen the opening of the Cootamundra Youth Hub, and last night we saw the opening of the Bland Shire Youth Centre.
For those that aren't quite up to speed with what a youth hub is, it's effectively a meeting place for our young people. They're open at various hours after school and on weekends and provide a safe space that young people can drop in to and hang out with their friends. They've got all the mod-cons, whether it's the latest gaming facilities, they've got spaces to do homework, they've got large televisions that they can watch, computers set up for homework or for gaming. There's other little areas where they can play card games for example.
I sat down with the Year 9 students from the Sacred Heart in Cootamundra, and played UNO with them. Can I just say that I won – I just want to say that, this is my opportunity to put that on the record! Not that I'm competitive.
Rich Spence: And did you call out "UNO" when you're supposed to?
Steph Cooke: Well, I had to be prompted admittedly. It's a long time since I've played UNO, but I'm all up to speed now. These are fantastic facilities. It's taken years of advocacy to secure funding and again I'm so proud to have been part of the New South Wales Coalition Government that had a dedicated minister for regional youth. And both of those communities – Cootamundra and West Wyalong – secured around $150,000 each.
We've stood up these youth hubs, and I'm hopeful that over the next little while, we can see more of that in our communities.
Rich Spence: And some great table games as well, like foosball, to get involved with.
Steph Cooke: Oh, absolutely, I had a go at that. I was absolutely woeful; it was laughable! I think it was funny for anybody watching; I had much better success at UNO, and I'll be back to do that again.
Rich Spence: Yeah, foosball takes a whole lot of coordination, that's for sure.
Steph Cooke: That I don't have Rich, that's for sure.
Rich Spence: All right well we're out of time now, but thank you so much for coming in, Steph, and I look forward to catching up with you again in the very near future.
Steph Cooke: I look forward to it.
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