Reflections on Rural Depopulation

The proposal to abolish the seat of Gwydir has raised a storm of protest. Once again, it seems country people have been ripped off.

Amidst all the howls of protest, nobody has really asked the important question- what is the reason for the change?

In one sense it is, as the bureaucrats in the Electoral Commission will point out, simply a matter of population change. The population of Queensland is growing more quickly than New South Wales and it is only fair that our state loses a seat so that the growing numbers of Queenslanders are more fairly represented.

Of course there are other ways this could be achieved. Some National Party politicians have called for the abolition of the Sydney electorate of Blaxland instead of Gwydir.

But here is the more important question that nobody wants to ask. Why is it that the population of most centres west of the Great Divide is static or declining? After all, if Narrabri and Gunnedah were growing as fast as, say Port Macquarie or Coffs Harbour, we wouldn't be contemplating the reality of an electorate as big in area as Germany.

I've lived in Narrabri for 15 years and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I think we have a great climate, excellent lifestyle, wonderful people and good job opportunities. On my occasional trips to Sydney, when I sit (or stand) on overcrowded trains for an hour, I think what a crazy life that must be to do this every working day of your life.

But obviously 4 million people in Sydney don't get it. Why?

Firstly I think we have been let down by all the political parties at both state and federal levels. Liberal and Labor politicians look to where the votes are, which is obviously in the major cities. The National Party has been too eager to compromise its country voter base to stay in power with the Liberals. Voters in Gwydir have been too naïve to realise that it's the swinging seats that get the political goodies.

Other countries recognise that rural areas are worth developing, but not Australia, it seems. Tax breaks for businesses in the country, investment incentives, even just plain promotional campaigns are common practice in other nations, but not in city-centric Australia.

Secondly, farmer organisations have perpetuated the myth of how tough it is in the bush. Why would anyone want to live here when its always drought, flood or bushfire and the only time that city people hear about the country is when some great disaster has once again befallen “the outback”? People don't hear the good news stories, such as the amazing lifestyle that we enjoy, the immense wealth generated for the nation by the primary industries, the huge advantages of living in a small community.

Thirdly, country people and organisations generally have a terrible lack of confidence in their ability to succeed and excel. Why do we think that nothing good can come from Narrabri (except sporting achievers) and only the big places can produce anything good? It's the rural form of the “cultural cringe” that makes all Australians believe that the best stuff comes from overseas and we really aren't as good as others.

There's probably a hundred other reasons why the population drift from the country to the city is continuing, but with a bit of vision we can reverse this.

There has never been a time like this for country people. The internet has made it possible for most workers to work from almost anywhere in the world, yes even Narrabri. The revolution in telecommunications makes it possible to build almost any business any where.

Transport, despite the cost of fuel at the moment, is relatively cheap and fast. The old days of the “tyranny of distance” are gone. I buy goods on Ebay and it doesn't matter where they are in the world, the cost of posting them is pretty much the same.

The cost of housing in the major cities is a joke. You can buy two houses in Narrabri, on a decent sized block of land for the price of one in almost any suburb of Sydney.

We have clean air, no traffic problems, no parking hassles, very low crime rates.

We have so many pluses for living here. It's time we got the word out, and started looking for constructive ways to lure people away from the dead-end no life existence that is the city.

The politicians won't do it for us- they are only interested in the staus quo. Big business isn't interested. It could be up to you and me.

Maybe the abolition of Gwydir could just be the kind of wake-up call we need.