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• Association Crossover as NRMA welcome NSW Farmer's Association President to Board

Association Crossover as NRMA welcome NSW Farmer's Association President to Board

The NRMA board will welcome a new director in the wake of Graham Blight’s exit. Mr Blight will reach his 12-year board term limit in early 2015, making way for NSW Farmer’s Associations and Liverpool Plains farmer Fiona Simpson. Mr Blight said local councils desperately needed more money from state and federal governments for road infrastructure, making Ms Simpson a good fit.

Ms Simpson said her time at the NSW Farmer’s Association will affect her work at the NRMA and she will be prioritising an upgrade to the regional road network.

“The infrastructure in the bush is a huge problem,” said Ms Simpson. “We still have a long way to go to fixing some of the infrastructure backlog in the regions and its important that we help the government with their strategies towards fixing infrastructure and making the regional road network up to scratch."

Mr Blight said he was confident the NRMA is being left in good hands.

“Fiona is exactly the type of director we want,” he said. “She’s got a good grounding in the atmosphere out here and knows what needs to be done, and how to go about achieving things.”

He was also sure Ms Simpson would take up the cause of rural road infrastructure.

“The NRMA as a whole will take it up because you cannot just have rural societies declining with their infrastructure and their services to people because they live in the country.”

Ms Simpson also moved to highlight the concern behind rising fuel prices in regional areas, with a particular focus on unequal mark-up.

“Fuel is a huge cost for people in the bush who may live a significant distance from town,” she said. “In some areas they [fuel prices] are consistently higher so we need to have a clear understanding of how the fuel prices are developed in each region and each town, and we need to make sure that it’s equitable.”