Andrew,

I remember attending your meet the candidate meeting in a shearing shed back three years.

You seemed enthusiastic, stating (among other things) your hope that one day an expressway would be built across the route of Bells Line of Road.

I keep my ears and eyes open, but don't seem to hear a great lot from you as our federal member (unlike our state member).

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I think you and all local members, state and federal, should be shouting from the highest hills in support of John Barilaro with his push to build new dams, bypassing all the greenie-checks, etc.

This country (mainly because of the greenies, I fear) hasn't built a major dam for about 45 years.

The population of Australia has more than doubled in that time.

It was announced recently that a new dam and the extension of another will go ahead forthwith.

But John and his team can only operate within NSW. I am sure he has some ideas where the Federal Government can step in with a bigger wallet.

The Murray-Darling scheme has been a disaster for some time now and I think the only real solution is to build a couple of huge water storages (Lake Argyle size) in Queensland where the tropical water just goes to waste. These storages may need several dam walls to contain the water.

Then pipe the water to the headwaters of the Paroo River (or build canals).

Something of this nature must be done to help drought-proof this country. Up until now, everyone has been sitting on their hands.

The Queensland scheme I have mentioned would cost billions alone, but we must bite the bullet.

John Barilaro is the first politician with the guts to say what he has recently.

Another thing. I'm just an ordinary person, not a bleeding heart, but how long are those people on Manus Island going to remain locked up like animals in a zoo?

Our borders are secure and people are apparently doing the same thing by plane now. That puts them here, on the ground.

Mr Dutton needs to go back to reality school.

The money that's being spent on this endeavour could probably build a new dam.