SYKES: SURVEY REVEALS – COPS, WEEDS AND HEALTH – TOP CONCERNS

Visible police presence, weeds and pest control and health services, particularly public dentists, were top concerns for the more than 340 people who responded to a survey conducted by The Nationals Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes.

Dr Sykes said, “I am not surprised that people rank police issues such as community policing, police in schools and staffing of country police stations so highly. People of all ages want to feel safe and a visible police presence both deters criminals and acts of stupidity.

“Similarly there is 100% support for retaining the Police Schools Involvement Program – with the exception of Premier Steve Bracks and Chief Commissioner, Christine Nixon. I will continue to push the Government on both these issues.

“That the Minister for Agriculture, Bob Cameron, is virtually washing his hands of any Department of Primary Industry responsibility to assist weed control on private land is obviously of considerable concern for people in the Benalla Electorate.

“The DPI has been gutted of front line weed control staff and research is grinding to a halt due to a chronic under funding and facilities falling below minimum bio-security requirements.

“Foxes, wild dogs, rabbits, deer, wild pigs and feral cats cause great cruelty, economic loss and threaten native flora and fauna… but the Government continues to wind back its funding.

“The fact that country Victorians can spend up to 4 years waiting for public dental treatment has been a major concern for a long time – the Government needs to come up with realistic salary packages to entice dentists to country Victoria.

“Funding for roads and bridges also feature as a significant concern. Adoption of The Nationals policy of allocating 1% of GST to local councils and initiating a fund of $120m for road and bridges, particularly in smaller shire areas, would address many of these problems.

“The lack of natural gas was also of concern to many people, especially in light of high energy costs and Melbourne Labor’s failure to honour its promises of connecting natural gas to community such as Alexandra, Bonnie Doon, Mansfield, Myrtleford and Bright.

“At a local level the following issues were considered most important:

Alexandra:

roads, bridge and weeds;

Benalla:

weeds and pests, Police Schools Involvement Program, community policing, roads and bridges, public dental services;

Bright:

weeds and pests, natural gas, community policing, Police Schools

Involvement Program, Aged Care;

Eildon:

police numbers, hospitals and emergency services, roads and bridges;

Euroa:

hospital emergency services, weeds and pests, community policing, public dental services;

Glenrowan:

Police Schools Involvement Program, weeds and pests;

Mansfield:

weeds and pests, Police Schools Involvement Program, roads and bridges;

Mount Beauty:

police numbers, public dental services, community policing, weeds and wild dogs, natural gas;

Murchison:

Police Schools Involvement Program, public dental services, hospital emergency services, roads and bridges;

Myrtleford:

weeds and pests, natural gas, public dental services, roads and bridges, police numbers and Police Schools Involvement Program;

Nagambie:

natural gas, police, public dental services;

Strathbogie:

Community policing, weeds and pests, roads and bridges;

Violet Town:

community policing, public dental service, weed and pests;

Whitfield:

roads and bridges, weeds and pests, policing;

Dr Sykes concluded, “The comments from our surveys add to the views expressed to me by the hundreds of people I talk to each month and the media coverage of local issues. Clearly, country Victorians are missing out on basic services, many of which our city cousins take for granted.

“My staff and I will continue to focus on these problems and emerging issues as they arise. As we have demonstrated recently, with issues such as retaining taxis in our small communities, a lot can be achieved if community, media and all levels of government work together on a common cause.

Media contact: Bill Sykes (03) 5762 2100 or 0427 624 989