REGIONAL CITIES NSW SEEK FREIGHT SOLUTION

NOTHING BEATS A WARM ‘FURRY’ COAT

walk around with my bare paws, so there!

Oooh, how nifty. I’m feeling ever so so much more physically effervescent following my bout of unwellness & then teeth removal.

I even climbed up my favourite tree just a bit to-day ‘til ‘Mum

Jane’ shouted at me to get down; some things just never change. (It’s ‘Leemo Cat’ back.) I must relate something about Mum I found most peculiar, even for her. I was lying in a sunny patch in the room where she gets dressed & stuff and witnessed her holding up 2 big fat woolly socks. She then put the nozzle of her hairdryer in each one (separately) and turned the dryer on high. Her socks stood up all on their own like one of those brightly colored Wind Socks used at airports to help Pilots determine wind direction.

Meteorologists also use them to help with weather predictions. As Mum certainly cannot ascribe to either of these fne Professions, I queried what in the heck she was doing? In a most condescending ‘know-it-all tone’, she informed me that ‘cos it was so cold, she was warming her socks before she put them on. She went on to do so, then put her ‘warm sock’ clad feet into Ugg Boots smiling contentedly. Obviously, I just had to say something, didn’t I?

So I did. ‘Mum, don’t you think you’re being somewhat ridiculous?

‘I’ Leemo, don’t need to wear socks when I frisk on the cold grass or driveway or our cold wood foors. I just

I’m obviously tougher than you!’ Whoohoo, didn’t THAT earn me a ferce glare! She spoke in a meanie kinda timbre. ‘Leems, you may or may not have noticed, but YOU are covered in thick black fur from nose to paws so of bloody course you’re warm. You lounge around most of the day on Plush Blue Blankies or out in the sun doing NOTHING except check your food bowls intermittently. Your only exercise is actually eating and your grooming consists of LYING DOWN whilst licking your coat. You don’t have to take off all your fur and hop in a shower to get clean like I do. So just keep your ridiculous comments to yourself.. gottit?’ I deduced I should respond in a conciliatory manner to placate the silly old woman. Hmmm?

‘Mumsie, how come YOU haven’t tried growing fur like mine then? You’ve tried just about everything else to try to improve your looks; like freckle removing, a nose change, hair straightening & coloring, potions, face creams & stuff…why not just grow fur ALL over your body, even in your ears and between your toes, like me? You will never ever again have to be concerned about ANYthing, and you’ll always be so snug & warm.” (I COULD have added that if the ‘fur’ she grows resembles her current hair she’ll end up in a zoo; I sensibly refrained!) Eeeek. My truly considerate well meaning words had the same reverberations as a small tornado whirling around; I was inside it…aaargh! There was much banging of pots and stuff in our kitchen with rude words emanating from within.

‘tis time for me to head outside to lie on the warm grass and do my grooming. Nitey nite with bemused purrs. Leemo.

Regional Cities New South Wales (RCNSW) will use a regional roadshow to the City of Lismore today as an opportunity to advocate for a statewide solution to regional freight choke points.

The RCNSW Board will meet with Lismore City Council during a special visit to Lismore and take the opportunity to highlight the issues plaguing the regional road network.

RCNSW Chair Cr Mathew Dickerson explained that while signifcant planning and coordination of freightbased infrastructure is undertaken for the State road network, no such planning is undertaken of the local road network –the majority of the NSW road network.

“Regional Cities NSW has identifed this as a huge gap and critical failing in our state’s road network,” RCNSW Chair and Mayor of Dubbo Regional Council Cr Mathew Dickerson said.

“Freight transport networks are not defned by local government boundaries and require a coordinated response to identify constraints, and provide viable solutions,” Cr Dickerson explained.

Infrastructure Australia noted that between 2011 and 2031, the total domestic land freight task will grow by 80 per cent and that the transport and logistics sectors of the Australian economy are estimated to contribute 14.5 per cent of GDP, making strategic planning critical.

Regional NSW accounts for 30 per cent of NSW Gross State Product (GSP) and 33 per cent of goods manufactured in NSW. Regional NSW’s freight task is forecast to grow from 255 million to 286 million tonnes in the next 5 years.

RCNSW was successful in securing funding from the NSW Government to develop a Program Business Case, to demonstrate the signifcance of local road freight choke points and identify viable solutions to such constraints.

The fnal business case is required to be completed by 30 September 2023.

“We know that the NSW Government’s Freight and Ports Plan 2018-2023 called on governments and industry to collaborate on clear initiatives to make the NSW freight task more effcient and safer.

“We know that this project will deliver the results the NSW Government’s Freight and Port Plan had envisaged, we hope they fnd funding for the delivery of this key initiative in the next budget,” Cr Dickerson said.

RCNSW has been a strong advocate for improvements to the State’s infrastructure planning and was recently asked to provide input into the State’s Strategic Infrastructure Review, with a fnal report being presented to Cabinet by the end of the month.

“RCNSW is rolling up its sleeves to identify freight choke points in the local road network and we would like to thank the New South Wales Government for funding the frst step of this important project,” Cr Dickerson concluded.