The government is holding a regional Cabinet meeting in the Northern Tablelands and Tamworth this week as part of a week-long government focus on issues affecting the state electorates in those regions.

As part of this government focus, Councillor Smith and Mr Arnold have asked for a meeting with the Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water, Phil Koperberg, to discuss the construction of a dam on the Mole River.

This meeting would be a follow-up to one that Councillors Smith and Nick De Stefani (along with Mr Torbay) had with Mr Koperberg’s senior advisers at Parliament House on October 18 on the matter.

The objective was to try to get the Mole River Dam, on the agenda for the National Plan for Water Security.

Councillor Smith said, “Construction of a dam on the Mole River would enable environmental flows of water to be directed into the stressed Murray-Darling river system.

“I believe that this is a simple solution to a very serious problem; that is, the lack of water in the Murray-Darling river system.”

Today’s meeting is the second they have attended this week, seeking support for the dam

Yesterday, they attended the Armidale meeting of the Rural and Regional Taskforce, which reports directly to the Premier, Morris Iemma.

Former NSW Premier and Cabinet Department Director-General, Dr Col Gellatly, is chairing the taskforce.

Its other members are the Member for Northern Tablelands and Legislative Assembly Speaker, Richard Torbay, and the Member for Monaro and convenor of country Labor, Steven Whan.

The Armidale meeting is part of a series of meetings the taskforce is holding in rural areas of the state (outside the Hunter, the Illawarra, the Central Coast and Sydney) to get feedback from local communities on key economic, environmental and social issues.

As a result of these meetings, which started in Parkes in late August and will finish in Broken Hill on November 19, the taskforce will advise Mr Iemma on issues and challenges facing rural and regional communities, and possible options to address them.

Mr Iemma has requested that the taskforce provide its final report in February 2008.

The establishment of this independent taskforce was one of the commitments that Mr Torbay sought from Mr Iemma when he accepted the Speaker’s role.

Tomorrow, Councillor Smith and Mr Arnold will attend a public reception, at the New England Regional Art Museum in Armidale, to welcome the Premier and Cabinet members.