Barnaby in Scone

BARNABY Joyce was at the Willow Tree Hotel in Scone today campaigning for the seat of New England again as a result of the citizenship ruling in the High Court.

The Upper Hunter area is again in the spotlight and key areas for Federal government funding such as the Scone bypass issue are back on the agenda.

The Federal government has contributed 65 million dollars to the bypass project so far with the state government contributing 55 million, an additional 20 million dollars from the Federal government and 10 million dollars from the State government was procured after Mr Joyce was previously elected.

The Nationals candidate for the seat of New England is campaigning to be elected back into the seat of New England but is not taking anything for granted.

“It’s all part of the campaign, you start at the top of the electorate and work your way right down, I want to get around the Hunter Valley and the Upper Hunter,” Barnaby Joyce said.

“The things we are doing here, the saleyards, the Scone bypass, the Willow Tree to Merriwa Road, down at St Joey’s in Aberdeen with in excess of three million dollars in total there for upgrades to St Joseph High School, Middlebrook Bridge, you have got to go down and show people exactly what you have been fighting for and to make sure that people see your face and know that you’re trying, I’m not taking anything for granted and working as hard as I can,” he said.

“When we started the Scone bypass they needed an extra 30 million dollars and I thought that incorporated the overpass, but now the costs have blown out, that is an ongoing project, if we have to go back to the well and see if we have to get money for the overpass then we have to do that, but I am not making any promises on that, last time I made no promises for 30 million dollars but I got it,”

“It is on the agenda, you have to fight for it, I know there is conjecture about the Scone bypass, some people don’t want it, some people do,”

“I think it is really good for your town, it gets the trucks out, it gets the people in and it’s good for commerce in the street,” he said.

“I really enjoy looking after the Upper Hunter, I think we have made some big differences and hit some key areas and I just want to continue on with the job and keep working,” said Barnaby Joyce.

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