Senior political figures – among them the state governor and the deputy premier – attended the opening of the Country Women’s Association of NSW conference in Armidale on Monday morning.
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The event, the 96th annual state conference, was attended by more than 800 women from across NSW, who would debate motions and present resolutions to parliament.
"Governments will listen to us because we have such a huge following of women," Northern Tablelands member and conference publicity officer Leonie Hawkins said. "They have a voice; they're not just little grey-haired ladies!"
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Mayor Simon Murray welcomed the conference members to the region.
“We are extremely proud that you chose the city of Armidale to host your conference,” Mr Murray said.
He commended the support they provided for rural people, including opportunities for women to come together and network, and helping people with mental health issues.
“The CWA have been a wonderful contributor to our region, and to the country areas for many, many years,” Mr Murray said. “The work your organisation does in helping people in need and advocating on members' behalf is a real credit to you all.”
HE General The Hon. David Hurley AC DSC, Governor of New South Wales, officially opened the conference.
"You've been the backbone, and to some extent the saviour, of generations of families that live in some of the harshest and driest agrarian land, at least in the world,” Mr Hurley said. "CWA makes it possible for families to continue to live in those regions."
The NSW CWA’s more than 8000 members, he said, made it one of the state’s biggest volunteer organisations, and gave them a tremendous voice in raising policy issues to improve the lives of country people.
Over the next three days, they would discuss and vote on resolutions involving environmental, health, and social issues, from flying foxes and feral deer to plastic bags, from the Murray-Darling Basin Plan to childhood education, from aged care and electricity to female genital mutilation.
"These are not small issues in our nation today, nor in our rural and regional areas," Mr Hurley said.
The Hon John Barilaro MP, Deputy Premier of NSW, said that the CWA had the ear of the government.
“The CWA are the voices of regional NSW that really do help us shape the state that we want."
As the state government invested in rural Australia, including with $4.1 billion from the sale of the Snowy Hydro Scheme, Mr Barilaro promised it would work in partnership with the organisation.
The CWA state president, Mrs Annette Turner, read the report of the CWA’s achievements over the last year, including setting up Telstra towers across NSW. She also thanked the Hon Adam Marshall, Member for Northern Tablelands, who, as Minister for Regional Tourism, gave the CWA $13,000 towards the conference.
One issue particularly close to the hearts of New England’s CWA members is a Guyra proposal, accepted unanimously at last year’s conference, for a cardiac bus to test country dwellers for heart problems, along the lines of a mobile breast-screening clinic. A similar bus has already saved more than 2,000 lives in Queensland.
"The concept of bringing services into our communities, rather than having our communities always having to travel, is one of great merit," said the Hon Bronnie Taylor MLC, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier and Southern NSW. "In terms of prevention and diagnosis, too, that's really useful."