Torbay welcomes first step to resolve cross border issues

Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay has welcomed first steps by the NSW and Queensland Governments to resolve long-standing cross border issues.
Mr Torbay described the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Tuesday as a breakthrough and a positive response from the government following his reintroduction of the Cross Border Commission Bill to Parliament in May.
“It has been a long time coming but at last we are seeing some action to overcome the many frustrations encountered by the Tenterfield, Bonshaw, Mingoola, Yetman, Jennings and other border communities,” he said.
“The governments should waste no time to appoint a Cross Border Commissioner with the authority to establish the true costs, anomalies and inconvenience of living and working within two legislative regimens.
“A glaring recent example was during the January floods, which devastated Mingoola and Bonshaw, but the differing regimes meant that NSW Category C grants to assist flood victims were only $15,000 while in Queensland they were $25,000.”
Mr Torbay said anomalies in payroll tax, duties that exist in some states but not others, disruptions caused by daylight saving; variations in the formulae to calculate workers’ compensation premiums; differing licensing agreements for the fishing industry; tax disparities; content of education courses; varying rules to establish a business, school bus schedules, differing Occupational Health and Safety standards and licensing and registration of tradespeople were key issues.
“It’s a long list and not exhaustive,” he said. “There are also cross border concerns regarding policing and health services, which need to be addressed.”
In his speech to Parliament in May, Mr Torbay called for a Cross Border Commission of NSW to be established, with a chair and between four and eight part-time members appointed by the Premier.
Commission members would be qualified to represent cross border issues in the interests of consumers, business, farmers and local government.
The members would be residents of NSW but not sitting members of the State or Federal Parliaments to avoid politicisation of the issues and to promote solutions to issues with bipartisan support.
“It is good to see the two governments are now prepared to engage in talks to address the issues and I join with the border communities in the hope those discussions will move quickly and result in action to resolve them,” Mr Torbay said.