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Letter: Barnaby, it’s time to go.
Article: Barnaby, it’s time to go
I refer to the above article by R K Crosby.
I support the finding ”Almost 60% said they do not want Joyce to change his mind and run again” which is hardly an endorsement of twelve (12) years of political inactivity on behalf of the voters.
During this period the New England electorate has stagnated economically and socially due mainly to the inactivity of the ”representative of the voters (?)”. In 2013 his predecessor Tony Windsor INDEPENDENT achieved feral funding for upgrading the killer Bolivia Hill and the Scone By-Pass, now two completed projects benefiting both locals and through travellers.
The then aspiring candidate was reported as ”laughing” when the then COALition Opposition Leader struck out the achieved funding for the Tenterfield CBD By-Pass, an accident waiting to happen at any one of the three pedestrian crossings of the New England Highway. Perhaps this was personal payback for Windsor supporting LABOR after the 2007 tied election?
Nothing achieved in twelve (12) years is hardly effective representation of ”the best interests of the voters”. Still, the installation of a Telstra mobile telephone communications tower on a property owned by a billionaire ”fan” does come with an annual rental income.
Perhaps the announcement of his retirement at the next feral election has more to do with the changes in the NOtional$ New England Electoral Council, with the (shock!! horror!!) election of a ”woman” to the important position of Chairperson of the Tamworth Branch. Is this an indication that the ladies of Tamworth are over the atrocious misogynist male behaviour of the ”boys know best” club??
REGIONAL INDEPENDENTS GET THINGS DONE FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES.
What do NOtional$ do??
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Letter: Railway renewal as political spending equity
I refer to the Siri Gamage article; Merits of Regional Rail Renewal vs a Rail Trail: Failures of Decision-Making in New England (14 November 2025).
I continue to be amazed by the antics of the elected Armidale Regional Council (ARC) Councillors spending up big on developing a ”bike path to nowhere to see nothing” at a future foreseeable on-going expense to long suffering ARC ratepayers. As a political sceptic one must ask, ”Who benefits from this proposed ratepayer expense?”
The only beneficiaries appear to be the interstate trucking industry isolating New England from the world to protect their government subsidised use of highways. Or, perhaps an aspiring ARC Councillor seeking to fulfil family expectations for a political career, and prepared to spend whatever is necessary to gain pre-selection from the New England Campaign Committee that benefits from ”political donations” from the trucking industry.
I am amazed by the fact that the Main North Line (MNL) between Armidale and Jennings Wallangarra was closed by the then Nationals MP who also allowed a highway upgrade to be placed immediately on top of the rail line at Sandy Creek. Voters obviously have short memories and little interest in benefiting from politics.
The best interests of New England voters are poorly represented at federal level, and no better by the newly elected NSW Nationals MP.
Why do both these alleged representatives of the voters completely ignore the petition of about 10,000 voters demanding the same government subsidised public transport access to the world as enjoyed in the Sydney Basin where billions are spent on railway upgrades and the Rozelle rolling carpark??
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Letter: Trains North’s current petition re rail
Before supporting the Trains North petition to the NSW Legislative Assembly about reopening the former railway north of Armidale, residents should consider the facts. The petition contains serious errors and omissions.
The track is in a derelict state. Much of it dates from the nineteenth century, with bridges and culverts collapsing and sections now covered by the New England Highway. There is no realistic prospect of trains ever returning to this route.
If people want heritage trains, these can already run on the well-maintained line between Armidale and Werris Creek, which regularly hosts such services. Freight has not reached Armidale for over twenty years, and the State Government has instead invested heavily in the Tamworth intermodal terminal.
A more worthwhile cause would be securing Armidale’s daily passenger service to Sydney. Although new regional train sets are arriving in NSW, there is no guarantee they will extend to Armidale. Retaining this vital connection should be the region’s priority.
The Federal Government’s inland rail will follow the western route via Moree, Goondiwindi and Toowoomba, more than 100 kilometres of which are already upgraded to mainline standard. It will never pass through Armidale. Queensland, meanwhile, has permanently closed the Stanthorpe–Wallangarra line after bushfires burned out bridges and culverts along the line.
It is time to focus on protecting viable rail services, not attempting to revive a line that ceased any practical use generations ago.
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Letter: Rail Line and REZ
Transport and energy are both highly important and the REZ and its associated transmission lines can assist with both.
Restoring the rail lines from Wallangarra to Armidale and the existing corridor from Armidale to Newcastle could allow the operation of conventional electric trains.
Electric trains require overhead power lines above the corridor.
Why can the rail corridor not be the same route as the transmission lines thus allowing the power for the trains and for all the electricity consumers along the rail corridor including the major cities of Newcastle, Maitland, Tamworth and Armidale.
The rail corridor could also support solar panels along the corridor on each side and within the tracks as per worldwide trends.
Could the infrastructure above the rail corridor support the catenary for the trains and the transmission lines?
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Letter: Rail trail a chance for community unity?
With the rail trail back in the spotlight… again, it’s time to seriously think about what is best for both Armidale city and the broader region. I also have to disclose; I have zero skin in the game. This opinion comes free of charge from an economist born and raised as a Kelly’s Plains farm kid, who just wants to see the best outcome for the Armidale region.
Since leaving Armidale 10 years ago to move to Germany, I’ve experienced rail trails all over Europe and also some amazing (and some not so amazing) trains. This just means I like both, and both are awesome. But does that mean a rail trail is the right thing for Armidale? Lets see if we can find some answers using some of the basic principles I learned at UNE.
One of the most important lessons I had from the amazing Jack Sinden was that the key to good decision making is twofold. The first is to remain in the realm of objective, and quantifiable fact, not emotion. The second is always frame decisions in the terms of opportunity cost, that is, what is the NEXT best alternative foregone.
It’s easy to get caught up in all the possible alternatives that can be done with respects to funding, usage of land, and the competing interests of the community. But the only thing that really matters when making decisions of this nature is our ability to compare the two choices on the table, the proposed project, and the next best alternative.
This then gets to what was no doubt part of the decision making all those years ago to close the line itself. While rail is cheaper per tonne per kilometre for transportation of goods and services, the next best alternative to keeping the railway line open was to close it, and to rely on trucking and bus services to fill the void. While trucking and busses are typically more expensive compared to rail to operate, they have the advantage of being able to stop at my door, or that of any business requiring transportation services. In 2024, Armidale’s population density was 3.8, Glen Innes Severn just 1.6 and Tenterfield at just 1. (Population estimates and components by LGA, 2023 to 2024, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population/latest-release#data-downloads).
To this end, Armidale is on par with Iceland, which also has no train system, but rather relies on a well-integrated road network for the distribution of goods and services. So while the closure of the line and it’s rational can be debated by historians and arm-chair academics, the reality is that in this instant, trucking was the next best alternative. It has not only become an important replacement of the rail infrastructure foregone, but also become a vital part of economic employment across the New England region.
I get that this is also an incredibly emotive issue for many in the community. The rail trail poses a threat to the aspirations of others, like Trains North and New England Railway Inc (NERI). It would directly hinder their missions to see the Main Northern Line reopened beyond Armidale to Guyra, Ben Lomond, and even Glen Innes. For those who have been part of NERI since it’s inception in the 1990’s, the rail trail would mean many years of hard work forgone.
Another key economic concept to introduce here then is that of a Pareto improvement. A Pareto improvement is the ability to make at least one person better off, without making anyone worse off. In the context of the rail trail, it’s hard to see that this wouldn’t make it worse off for those who have already invested their time and effort into trying to reopen the line north of Armidale. But this is then where we must introduce the final piece of the puzzle. That is how to value the time and money already sunk into other ventures.
In the case of NERI, it’s been going since the 1990’s. Countless years of work have been spent both campaigning for funds and support, while simultaneously doing excellent work on restoring the three rail car sets. But the reality is that it’s no longer the 1990s… or the 2000s… or the 2010s even. The now sunk costs associated with the venture, while no doubt valuable to the people who paid them through their time and effort, does not factor into a decision that is being made now. The only thing that should be considered is the next best alternative to the rail trail.
To that end, it’s important for those who oppose the rail trail and want to use the rail corridor for something else, to come to the table with a cohesive plan as to what that actually is. For council and those debating the choices, you need to choose the NEXT best alternative, as it’s the only way to make a clear and persuasive argument against the rail trail development.
But for me, any of the alternatives being presented are going to be like de-ja-vu. While councillor Widders claims the rail trail debate is like flogging a dead horse, I see it quite the opposite. I see an Armidale, yet again, mired in debates that will ultimately lead to inaction, missed opportunities, and watching on as other regions go ahead; like Tamworth before us, and now Glen Innes ahead of us with their rail trail developments. If we are to have a reasoned debate on this, it’s important to ensure we frame the decisions in a fact based framework that uses the outlined economic principles for framing any further discussions.
I still see so many opportunities for the Armidale community to come together and support the rail trail venture. There is still a place for NERI, even once the rail trail is installed, which is linking Tamworth and Armidale with more regular tourist options, and even helping those who want to use the rail trail to access it. There is a way to achieve a Pareto improvement here, and it’s simply having a rail trail north, and tourist trains south, and Armidale as the centre of both.
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Letter: Alarm Bells Over Armidale Council’s Rail Trail Decision
After a period of silence and several failed grant attempts, the decision by Armidale Regional Council to proceed with preliminary works for the proposed rail trail between Armidale and Ben Lomond should ring alarm bells for anyone concerned about the future of this vital rail corridor.
This is not a branch line—it is an arterial connection linking New England to Queensland. The line holds enormous potential for future regional growth and prosperity if councils and governments work together to plan for its reactivation for train services, rather than converting it into a bike trail.
Ultimately, the fate of this line will be determined by the NSW Government, which is currently seeking public input for the New England Regional Transport Plan. This plan aims to better integrate all modes of transport—rail, road, and air—to strengthen regional connectivity.
Yet, two councils in the region appear determined to take us backward by dismantling the rail line for a recreational cycle trail. Their claims that the corridor could be “returned to the government” for rail use in the future are misleading. The cost of reconstructing a removed rail line could be up to five times higher than simply restoring the existing infrastructure.
If proponents are truly committed to developing a cycling facility, they should build the trail alongside the existing rail line, not destroy a valuable transport corridor. There is ample space in the region to build trails for recreational cyclists—without sacrificing the infrastructure essential for New England’s economic future.
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Letter: Rebuttal of the Barnaby Joyce pile-on
Your contributors alarming line – “Joyce Fear and Hate Corrosive for New England” is rather offensive as is his following implication that Barnaby Joyce is also somehow responsible for division?
Fear, hate, corrosive, and divisive? Rather strong accusations against a loyal Australian, isn’t it?
This is about as helpful as the rest of his diatribe against a decent Australian attempting to stop the lunacy being perpetuated by Labor, to vandalise the beautiful New England Region? Further items of wisdom such as this – “New England, like many rural electorates, has a high number of people with poor mental health – Barnaby Joyce runs a constant line of perpetual negativity – There is always something we should fear and hate according to his playbook; this constant focus on the bad affects people’s wellness”. Really?
Perhaps Mr Joyce has good reason, by attempting to expose the folly of the uncosted “renewables, and Net Zero” that is bankrupting the country. Perhaps this is the reason for the insinuation, that Barnaby Joyce alone, is somehow responsible for mental health problem.
There are many more people than not in the New England, who are against this desecration and economic madness, so are they in perpetual negativity? I note that your contributor has extensive rural interests, 13,000 acres of prime agricultural land no less, conveniently, and remotely removed from the vandalism, so should not be troubled by rising power prices, or being put upon with massive wind turbines and solar panels desecrating his prized farmland? So, that’s okay then?
Your contributors claim that Barnaby Joyce is ignoring the benefit of the borrowed millions being pumped into rural communities from the “renewables” industry, and further suggests that it is a fait accompli, since Labor has 3 more years and probably 6, to see this travesty through. I question the millions being pumped into the community?
The receipt of these millions by rural communities, are a fanciful gesture of exaggeration, just like every other of Labor’s outlandish claims. The only beneficiaries of this vandalism will be local earthmovers and concrete and steel suppliers based in major cities. These borrowed millions will not benefit small rural towns- they will be sent overseas and will only benefit China, who supply the turbines and solar panels. Your correspondent hasn’t considered that China also sells us the rope with which we will hang ourselves.
Fortunately, Mr Joyce has evidently had enough of the vandalism and wasteful spending of borrowed overseas money, as have most of the outraged New England residents. Perhaps instead of “corrosively instilling fear and hate” as your contributor suggests, Barnaby might have the courage, by raising community hopes, that his former party so clearly lacks, into taking a stand against the criminal, economic waste and vandalism of our landscape.
Mr Joyce might even start a new party, who knows, but at the very least, he demonstrates some principle.
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Letter: Yes – Barnaby Joyce should step down now
I wholeheartedly agree with Thelma that Barnaby Joyce should step down now. He has become nothing more than an abominable disgrace to our electorate. He does absolutely nothing for the people he is supposed to represent.
During his campaign, he spent half the time outside the electorate, showing a clear lack of commitment to our region. Time and time again, he has embarrassed us publicly and failed to uphold even the most basic standards of integrity.
It was also deeply unfair and deceptive for him to withhold information about his illness from voters. Transparency and honesty are the bare minimum we should expect from our elected representatives.
Furthermore, his conduct during the “No” campaign against the Voice to Parliament was shameful. He presents himself as someone who respects Indigenous culture—often giving acknowledgements of Country at local events—but when standing in front of Pauline Hanson, he conveniently abandoned those values. His last-minute, half-hearted acknowledgement that night was nothing more than an act of damage control after the crowd called him out.
Now, instead of doing the decent thing and stepping down, he intends to sit back and continue collecting a taxpayer-funded salary—behaving like the political equivalent of a dole bludger—sucking off the public purse until his term runs out. That will cost taxpayers far more than a by-election ever would.
The alarming rate of crime and youth crime in Tamworth has now reached crisis point, and Barnaby Joyce has done absolutely nothing to address this growing problem. His counterpart, our state member Kevin Anderson, is doing a little—but not nearly enough—to help the situation. There needs to be real change, both at a state and federal level, across the New England district. Neither of these men has shown the courage, vision, or leadership to make any meaningful difference. Perhaps it’s time for an Independent or Labor candidate to step up to the plate and show them how it’s done, because there is no gumption or action seen here at all.
Barnaby Joyce has proven time and again that he lacks integrity, consistency, and moral fibre. He is two-faced, self-serving, and utterly unfit to represent New England. It’s time for him to step down once and for all.
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Letter: Critical Questions for the GM, ARC About His Rail Trail Plans
Recently Armidale Regional Council (ARC) General Manager James Roncon stated that he wants to “get the rail trail back on track.”
In light of this, there are a number of important questions that need to be asked of the General Manager:
Expenditure of Ratepayers’ Funds
How much ratepayers’ money has been spent to date on preliminary work for the rail trail?
Funding from Renewable Energy Companies
How much money has been received or promised by renewable energy companies specifically for the rail trail’s construction or maintenance?
Transparency and Authorisation
Were the negotiations between ARC and renewable energy companies conducted transparently and authorised by the full council?
Process for Contributions
What is the process for receiving contributions from such companies and allocating them to community projects within the LGA?
Allocation of Funds
Of the funds received from renewable energy companies, how much (if any) has been directed to projects other than the rail trail?
Governance and Principles
Why has ARC not finalised the Terms of Reference and guiding principles for allocating funds received from renewable energy companies, to ensure they serve the greater good of the community?
Grant Applications
Has the council applied for government grants to build the rail trail?
If so, how many applications have been submitted, for what dollar amounts, and what is the current status of each application?
Council Updates
When will the General Manager provide a full update to councillors on all of the above matters?
Why has no substantive update been provided since April–May 2024?
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Letter: Net Zero needs Barnaby to “re train” the region
Barnaby to led re training for Net Zero
The Net Zero article was indeed very interesting and very thought provoking.
My mind immediately thought of changing “Net Zero” into “Need Trains”. As an ex-farmer I to have learnt many lessons from raising livestock to growing crops. I rapidly learnt that to reap the benefits of all your hard work on a large scale you needed a truck to import farm supplies and to market your pigs, cattle and sheep as well as delivering grain to the silo. My little old small truck rapidly became bigger until I had a prime mover and trailer combination. I was clocking up many miles on the New England Highway both day and night. The truck was even keeping the bank manager happy as I was generating revenue carting other people’s products. I had a run carting rabbits from the chillers in the North West and New England to the casting works at Homebush Abattoirs with the obvious back load to my hometown.
Earlier this week I topped up a modern large high efficiency truck with diesel. I put $990 worth in the right tank and almost the same in the left tank to cover the next day’s work. Two grand a day to keep harassing the cars on the New England Highway makes me think we “Need Trains” and we need them now.
Barnaby, Sam and all the other political leaders need to do some serious modelling and get on board with the majority of those living, visiting and working in the New England and Northern Inland Region who are calling for the reestablishment of a quality passenger and freight rail line from Newcastle to South East Queensland via the cities of Maitland, Tamworth and Armidale.
Whilst rail trails do not have the economic benefits or viability of a sound rail network they are, in fact an extremely harmful distraction.
Importing diesel from overseas to pump it out the exhaust pipes on our highways is not the efficient way to achieve Zero Emission.
Electrify the rail corridor from Newcastle to Tamworth, build a new Ardglen Tunnel and connect the rail line from Armidale to Queensland is the railway to achieve Net Zero in double quick time. And don’t forget to put the batteries in our new regional passenger trains.
Barnaby, the voters of the New England will love you if you can “re train” the regions transport of passengers and freight and led the way to community prosperity with achievable and sustainable emission reduction goals.
Rick Banyard
Warratah West
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