Dinner for Newman

A diverse cross section of locals and visitors made up the crowd of more than 200 people that attended a dinner for Liberal National Party (LNP) Leader Campbell Newman at the Stanthorpe Civic Centre last Thursday evening.
People travelled from Cecil Plains, Goondiwindi, Warwick and Brisbane to join a large number of locals keen to hear first-hand Newman’s proposed policies for the district and the State should he be elected Queensland Premier.
Mr Newman outlined a vision for Queensland built on the foundations of agriculture, resources, construction and tourism.
Both Mr Newman and State Member for Southern Downs Lawrence Springborg spoke of the need for the government to reinvest in regional areas and of the benefit they bring to the State.
“When the bush is doing well, the State of Queensland is doing well,” Mr Newman said.
“Regional areas are the economic powerhouses of the State,” he said.
Touching on the ongoing water issues on the Granite Belt, Mr Newman made a commitment that, if elected, the LNP would “find a way to make the Emu Swamp Dam happen”.
The water issue and the mention of the proposed dam drew a ripple of support from the large crowd.
The former Brisbane Lord Mayor also touched on his plans to empower local authorities, allowing locals to once again have some control over their destiny. He also flagged a reduction in the size of government, making a commitment to reduce the bureaucracy in George Street, Brisbane.
The touchy subject of de-amalgamation was also raised with the leader, indicating that a government led by him would not stand in the way of the process. It would be up to individual councils to present the pros and cons as well as the costings involved in de-amalgamation.
“The LNP will set up a boundary review commission, a mechanism whereby communities and local people can review their boundaries and petition the State Government,” Mr Newman said.
In response to a question regarding the resources boom and the security of agricultural land, Mr Newman said the LNP had recently released a strategic plan for Queensland Agriculture.
He reiterated the LNP’s desire to protect prime Queensland agricultural land while at the same time finding the balance between the resource boom and the rights of the individual.