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If we have learned anything this year, it is how our nation needs the bush.
War and another collapse in our global supply chain has delivered a brutal reminder of the integral role rural and regional Australia plays in all our lives.
It feeds us, it clothes us and it helps pay the bills to keep the country running.
And when diesel dried up as the Middle East erupted, that reality, hitherto hidden from city eyes, came crashing home.
That is one reason News Corp Australia’s Bush Summit, now in its eighth year, is so crucial.
HAVE YOUR SAY NOW IN OUR BUSH SUMMIT POLL
The Bush Summit has grown to be the nation’s largest – and most vital – conversation between the bush and powerbrokers.
It captures the mood outside of the big cities, where mateship, ingenuity and resilience are key ingredients to everyday life.
It’s also where locals — not citybound politicians and bureaucrats — identify the issues that matter most, whether it’s the long drive to see a doctor, the cost of diesel, dangerous roads, or the scarcity of fertiliser.
And it’s where prime ministers, premiers, ministers and MPs come to listen, learn and take action.
The Bush Summit proudly offers local voices – inventors, innovators and local leaders – a national stage to express their views on the challenges and opportunities that matter most.
It’s about making things better.
And, ultimately, the Bush Summit is about getting things done.
The Bush Summit was launched by The Daily Telegraph at Dubbo in 2019 when country Australia was in crisis.
One of the worst droughts on record was crushing farmers and sending a ripple of devastation across the hinterland.
NOMINATE YOUR TOP AUSSIE BUSH CHAMPION NOW
Since then, the Summit has notched up a vast list of achievements.
It brought about a billion dollar low interest loan fund for farmers.
It produced a Regional Youth Taskforce for Mental Health and a billion dollar Regional Growth Fund for communities.
Every year now, it tackles challenges which vary from state to state, region to region.
In NSW, the Bush Summit led to a $155m program to fix rural roads.
In Victoria, it has meant $15m in biosecurity grants to protect livestock.
In Queensland, the Bush Summit inspired a $1m grant for a new athletics centre in Toowoomba ahead of the 2032 Olympics.
The Bush Summit champions grit, endurance and the nation’s can-do spirit.
It’s a catalyst for meaningful change, whether the obstacles are drought, pandemic or war.
It’s about improving the lives of rural Australians who too often feel overlooked or neglected by big-city priorities.
The Bush Summit advocates for necessary change.
It identifies strategies and solutions for the biggest issues facing Australians who live outside the nation’s metropolitan centres.
As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rightly said, Australia’s regions are the backbone of the nation.
It’s in everyone’s best interest, from coast to coast, to ensure that they thrive.
Bush Summit: Have Your Say is supported by S.Kidman & Co.
Originally published as Why the Bush Summit is ‘so crucial’ for rural NSW and Australia
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