As the Federal Election looms closer, Muswellbrook residents are settling into their new electorate of New England and sharing some of the issues they’re hoping to see addressed by candidates and the Federal Government.
Garth Belford is a senior pastor at the Hope City Church Muswellbrook and shared that he would like to see a youth focus this election.
“I’d like to see whether there’s something that we can do for them,” he said.
“Working with some youth in the area, it’s a big net that needs to be thrown out and we’ll see what the needs are in those areas.”
Muswellbrook resident Natasha Cotter is concerned how a move away from mining might affect Muswellbrook and would like to see the Federal Government address these concerns.
“We are very much a mining community and with the push on all renewable energies at the moment, that is leaving Muswellbrook open to revamp itself for different industries,” she said.
“If the mines close is there the potential that Muswellbrook is going to become a ghost town? What more can be done that’s not just about renewables?”
Natasha shared she is concerned that the local community is not being heard when it comes to discussions regarding renewables.
“The Government seems to be very forceful on the renewable energy, but they’re not looking at the long-term effects it will have on this community and they’re also not listening when it comes to what this town was built on.”
As a small business owner, Natasha is also hoping the federal government will look at options for downturn.
“We look to do rent assistance for people needing homes but it’s the same, the costs for small businesses for rent alone is massive,” she said.
“We’re trying Muswellbrook while the rates of rent continue to rise in the commercial industry but it is becoming harder and harder to be a small business owner and maintain longevity.”
Just up the highway, registered nurse Peggy Smith lives in Gundy, a 15-minute drive from the Scone CBD and is the delegate for the Muswellbrook branch of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association.
Peggy is concerned that Muswellbrook and Scone will be left behind with the change in electoral boundaries.
“While we do have aspects of farming and equine industry down here, certainly the concentration for any kind of federal funding has always felt like it’s hit higher up around the Tamworth area,” she said.
“Down here is still very much based on the mining industries which we’ve relied on to subsidise a lot of our living, with sporting and even our local emergency department.”
As a nurse, Peggy would also like to see increases to regional healthcare.
“At the moment, all of our health that requires something a little more than just basic level care has been shuttled off to John Hunter Hospital,” she said.
“We’re spending hundreds of thousands of dollars every year in transferring patients to facilities away from their families.
“Even down to our maternity services now, they have to go to Maitland or John Hunter and particularly for First Nations people, that means they can’t give birth on land which is a huge step back in closing the gap.”
While she has seen the affects of local coal mining on health, Peggy is concerned that a poorly planned transition away from the industry would see the collapse of the community.
“If we don’t have a plan in place during this transition process to clear, renewable energy, we are going to lose our whole community,” she said.
“When we talk about coal miners losing their jobs and leaving the area, it’s also their partners they take with them, taking our nurses, teachers and early childhood educators.
“We’re going to be left with no structure in our communities if we don’t have assistance from the Federal Government to create a just transition plan.”
Healthcare is not the only thing on the minds of Upper Hunter residents, with TransCare CEO Garry Lane worried about aged care within the region.
Transcare is a provider of aged care and community services in the Muswellbrook Shire Council and Upper Hunter Shire Council areas, servicing hundreds of clients across the region.
One of their biggest services is driving clients to medical services which are more than often two hours away in Tamworth, Maitland and Newcastle.
Garry says he is unsure of the future of their services due to financial difficulties and changes coming from the Department of Health and Aged Care.
The New Aged Care Act will come into effect on July 1 2025, following the 2021 Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
In preparation for the Act, the Federal Government implemented the Stronger Standards, Better Aged Care Program, changing how it assessed the quality of aged care and services.
“The new program coming from the Department of Health and Aged Care is hard to follow as a provider, when your time is consumed delivering services and it’s hard to keep going when we’re not seeing support of providers despite promises from the Government,” he said.
“It is also becoming increasingly difficult to fund a service that is semi-remote, particularly when we are hearing from a lot of our clients that they are suffering from the cost of living,” Garry shared.
Garry hopes to see more opportunities for engagement with the Federal Government and more outcomes from those conversations.
Jill Hamling is the owner of Café on Kelly, a social enterprise that offers disability supported employment.
Starting with one in 2023, the café now has four employees with a disability who are gaining the invaluable experience developing their employment and life skills.
“I’d love to see an increase in recognition of programs like these and support so we can get in and assist these people,” she said.
Don’t miss any of the important stories from around the region. Subscribe to our email list.