Speaking in NSW Parliament last week, Mrs Dalton quoted German economist Max Weber, whose 150 year old theory of bureaucracy still rings true today.
“Our farmers aren’t battling drought or flood right now - they’re battling red tape,” she siad.
“They’re tangled in a web of rules created by people who don’t live in the bush, don’t understand it, and aren’t elected.”
In her speech, Mrs Dalton exposed the way farmers have had their water sources reclassified as “wetlands” by bureaucrats far from the Riverina, often without their knowledge, leading to severe penalties and business collapse.
She also slammed the Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) for failing to provide appropriate medical services to the Western Riverina.
“We need a Western Riverina Local Health District. We are sick of being dictated to by distant bureaucrats who wouldn’t last five minutes in our hospitals or GP clinics.”
Mrs Dalton is calling for:
• An end to unnecessary water buybacks;
• Urgent changes to Water Sharing Plans;
• Breaking away from MLHD;
• Decisive action on rural health and infrastructure; and,
• A return of decision-making power to regional communities.
“If you want Australian food on your table and Australian fibre on your back, cut the red tape and let us do what we do best - provide for the nation,” Mrs Dalton said.
