Butler takes aim at red tape
Housing shortages, red tape, water security and unreliable census data are barriers to continued growth in the western region, according to Member for Barwon Roy Butler.
Mr Butler has been in Bourke and Brewarrina for meetings with councils and community members and said a common theme across both communities was the difficulties in attracting people to live and work in the towns.
A lack of affordable housing, particularly on the rental market, was a deterrent for those considering re-locating to Bourke and Brewarrina, where there were an increasing number of vacancies for industries such as education, health, media, and agriculture.
Mr Butler said he would continue to push state and federal governments to ease the red tape that made it difficult to families considering relocation to Bourke or Bre.
“Housing in the Outback is a big issue and when I talked to Brewarrina Mayor Vivian Slack-Smith she raised the issue and asked if more could be done to provide affordable housing,” he said.
“There are almost more jobs than people in these towns and a lot of employment opportunities but there is a barrier to growing our population here and that’s housing.
“Employment brings people to our community, and they bring their families if there are services, facilities, decent housing, and education.
“In one sense it is a good problem to have because it means people are moving out here, but the problem is partly due to the last Census. […]
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