That remains the case today, but over time the people who feed, clothe and power our nation are treated as afterthoughts by those who have lost – or never had – connection to the bush and our regions. Largely, policies are made by those who don’t know where things come from and how they are made. RELATED: Fires, floods, stagflation: Vic town bands together amid tough times Take our thriving agricultural sector, the absolute backbone of our economy. Instead of being rewarded, our farmers are
suffocated by centralised bureaucracies with complicated governance structures that over-regulate the very industries that drive our economy. Today I travel in Victoria’s west to Simpson, through the historic town of Colac where I see a proud, hardworking hub. It is the perfect example of a community underpinned by agriculture, dairy, manufacturing, forestry, and local grit. But Colac isn’t unique in its frustrations. Go up to the Mallee, head across to regional New South Wales, or travel to the most remote corners of Western Australia. From
the Western District to the Top End, regional and remote Australia, people in the Bush are singing from the same hymn book. Communities are tired of being treated like cash cows for capital cities while their own infrastructure crumbles. We don’t need patchwork band-aids; get governments out of the way and deliver us a generational overhaul, building infrastructure so we can create and operate better businesses and enable safe and efficient access to markets. Our regional roads can no longer be neglected. Every pothole on
our local freight routes, every crumbling shoulder, and every neglected highway connecting towns like Colac to the rest of the country is a hazard to our families and a tax on our productivity. These essential arteries in regional Victoria need urgent rebuilding to create fairness for those in the bush. As a Victorian, when talking about fairness one of the first things that comes to mind is the Victorian Government’s skyrocketing Fire Services Property Levy. The levy is a tax on Victorians, particularly the volunteer
firefighters in their Country Fire Authority branches, often farmers, who are being taxed more to fund bloated bureaucracies. These same volunteers are forced to fight fires with one hand tied behind their backs, using outdated and ill-suited equipment. The CFA budget needs to go on new firefighting trucks and equipment, and the volunteers should not be paying more to fight their own fires. In sponsoring the 2026 News Corp Bush Summit, we must see these important issues come to light. From Colac to Cairns, to
Cootamundra and across to Collie, people are upset. They are sick and tired of governments not listening, while putting more rules, regulation and taxes on people who create the nation’s wealth. Cut the government tape, fix our roads, back our volunteers, and give communities like Colac – and every regional town – the powerhouse future they have earned! Bush Summit: Have Your Say is supported by S.Kidman & Co.
regional Australia, red tape, roads, Colac, volunteer firefighters, Country Fire Authority, Fire Services Property Levy, CFA budget, 2026 News Corp Bush Summit, Bush Summit: Have Your Say, S.Kidman & Co
Potholes are outta control, fix the damn roads.
Sounds like “red tape” is the reason nothing gets done. But aren’t volunteers supposed to just handle it? Like, if they care, why can’t they fix potholes themselves?
So they’re saying central governments over-regulate farmers and also don’t maintain roads? I mean, I get it, but isn’t most of that on the local councils? Also “capital cities” lol as if Sydney is driving a truck into every ditch.
I read this like 3 times and I’m still not sure what the actual ask is. It’s basically ‘get gov outta the way’ but then also ‘urgent rebuilding’ which means… more government money? And volunteers get blocked by paperwork? I’m in the US but it feels the same everywhere like they never fund infrastructure until someone’s car falls apart. Roads should’ve been fixed already, not “eventually.”