WHO is going to be the new Minister for Agriculture in the Western Australian government?
As the Avon Valley and Wheatbelt Advocate was going to press on Tuesday the members of the Liberal Party’s 46-member party room had deliberated behind closed doors to see who would lead the party and ultimately be the Premier of WA.
History now shows that Colin Barnett was retained as Premier, despite a challenge from Dean Nalder.
But to a lot of people living in the bush, the real issue was who is going to be at the helm of the massive Agriculture portfolio.
For many years the contribution that the massive farming industry had made to the state and national economy has gone largely unrecognised.
Only in recent times has it been more prominence – thanks to a downturn in the mining industry and solid seasonal outlooks in farming.
Mr Nalder was up until the weekend, the Minister for Agriculture, and was overseeing a raft of policies and reviews that would, hopefully, have been of benefit to agriculture.
Where all that work sits right now is anyone’s guess and we suspect there could be delays in completing those projects with a new minister being appointed.
And let’s not forget we have an election next March where we will elect a party to government for the next period.
That could mean yet another Minister for Agriculture.
It’s no wonder people in the bush sometimes feel like they are not understood by politicians in the big smoke.
The picture on the front page of today’s edition highlights stolen property police have uncovered in a raid in town last week.
It’s a pretty impressive haul and highlights that there is strong local criminal activity.
On this occasion police have been able to recover stolen goods and lay charges.
Police have warned the public of the need to take as many precautions as possible to keep their possessions secure
“While we have people doing this sort of stuff, people have to do their best to help themselves,” police are reported in the story on page 4.
And on top of that, if you suspect a crime has been committed, then make sure you report it.
Failure to do so means you are allowing criminal activity to continue in your town.
