By TANIA PHILLIPS
Strap: Barnaby sends reinforcements to Tenterfield…
FEDERAL Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has opened an electorate office at Tenterfield, at the top of his New England electorate.
Mr Joyce said the office, which would have one permanent staff member and one part-timer, was the first in the town for more than 100 years and fulfils an election promise made during the 2013 campaign.
The opening comes less than two months after the National Party came close to losing the state seat of Lismore, which now includes Tenterfield, to the Greens.
Re-elected Member for Lismore, Thomas George undertook the official duties to help Mr Joyce open the office on Friday 1 May 2015 and was joined by about 70 constituents and National Party faithful.
A spokesman for Mr Joyce said the office had “been in the planning for the past 12-14 months” but had been “held up by bureaucracy”.
Mr Joyce, whose main office is in Tamworth said Tony Windsor, the previous Member for New England had an office in Inverell.
However with Senator John Williams, who works closely with the Agriculture Minister, already having an office in Inverell, Mr Joyce decided it would be more beneficial to open in Tenterfield “the officially-recognised home of Australia’s Federation”.
Mr Joyce said Tenterfield was a vital and important community in the north of the electorate and its place on the corridor of commerce – the New England Highway.
The proof of that importance, he said was reinforced with Federal Government funding for the Bolivia Hill re-alignment and the Tenterfield Heavy Vehicle Bypass.
Mr Joyce said he was looking forward to using the Tenterfield electorate office as a base to service the northern end of the electorate and to undertake meetings with constituents.
His spokesman said as Agriculture Minister the office’s proximity to Queensland was also a consideration.
He said Mr Joyce was looking to get to the office “as often as he can”.
