There will not be much time to shake off the sun, sand and sunburn from Christmas and New Year holidays before the Riverina is faced with yet another election campaign.
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Or should we say election campaigns.
Wagga residents will still be working on the summer Sudoku and trying to make their New Year’s resolution stick when the second of three campaigns in nine months start up.
First up is the state election for Wagga in March, followed by a likely federal election for Riverina in May, with a federal budget in between.
Politicians have been struggling at the best of times to get their message across to an increasingly disengaged electorate, so trying to get attention in the dying days of summer will be quite an ask.
It won’t be helped by the fact that voters would have had just a handful of months to evaluate life as an independent electorate under Joe McGirr.
For his part, Dr McGirr will likely still be asking the government about all its byelection promises from September as the next round of pledged grants and projects start being announced.
It’s all enough to make you throw up your hands and give up, but it would be a mistake for Wagga and the Riverina to do that.
Wagga has been included in the NSW list of regional growth hotspots and the council, state and federal governments will need to keep up the effort to maintain growth while expanding infrastructure and services.
Wagga is still in the running for the second-round Qantas regional pilot academy.
Whether or not the city can secure that investment, Wagga still need a plan to keep the vital air passenger services both regular and competitive.
The Riverina’s solar panel boom will continue to gather pace, representing a potential new industry but requiring close consultation with existing landowners.
The inland rail project is finally taking shape, but Wagga’s place in its development plan is far from certain.
Campaigns can be a turn-off, but don’t miss your chance to have a say in the city, the region and the nation’s future in 2019.