Water restrictions
Naturally, I support water restrictions, but I hope that, in future, 80 per cent will trigger Level One and rangers will be more active against those with beautiful lawns, obviously the result of abundant watering.
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Mike McKenzie, Hillvue
Tablelands growth
Armidale region better population growth than Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne - Higher growth rate than Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne. If Armidale shops are closing maybe their products or prices are not what people want to buy. Assuming the figures quoted here are right!
Why not interview the retailers and ask them where they are getting it so wrong in absolute boom times for population growth of well over 2.2 per cent per annum ( 4.3 per cent over 22 months)
A delighted Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall welcomed the ABS report and said the growth rate during the 22-month period exceeded the region's growth rate in the previous five years.
"These are an incredibly exciting and pleasing set of figures, especially in the midst of one of the worst droughts in living memory," Mr Marshall said. "This growth in such a short period is virtually unprecedented for our region. In the past, growth has been inconsistent, but now every single community is firmly on the move."
Armidale Regional Council Mayor Simon Murray thought the city was heading in a good direction. An increase of 1258 people since the Census, made Armidale one of the fastest growing local government areas (LGA) in regional NSW.
"Our population has increased to 30,707, rather than decreasing," Cr Murray said. "By the look of this report, with a 4.3 per cent growth rate, that's very good for a country regional city and there would be a number of reasons for this growth."
Phil Rothwell, Ebor
Joyce: "APVMA locked in"
Barnaby Joyce believes that it is too late for a new government to turn this project around. You state they would have to "build a new building in Canberra" and "would have a vacant building worth $24 million in Armidale". Have you factored in the cost of the empty building the move left in Canberra and the economic disruption to the employees and families there. A large number of the staff in Canberra refused to move and I believe the same would happen here if the APVMA decision was to be reversed. Many of the 100 staff here are Armidale residents who just changed employers and would not want to relocate to Canberra. Armidale's "gain" is Canberra's loss.
You seem to have ignored the fact that the new building will also house Centrelink. The new $24m building would not be "vacant". However, the current, purpose built Centrelink building will be. Wastage of public money is no concern for your government. I refer to your vacant offices you set up in Armidale and Tenterfield at a record cost of $780,300.25. Your reasoning was: "It gets very good usage, and Armidale is a lot easier for rural people to get to see me...". (The Guardian 4 Dec 2015). True, but only if you choose to meet people, which you refused to do leading up to the 2107 by-election.
Why did you close this office if it was so important to Armidale especially, given your most recent change of mind about debates. (Express 17 April 2019)
Wayne Cannon, Armidale