They’ve been criticised as being idealistic, but the Nick Xenophon Team candidate for Calare, Rod Bloomfield, prefers to use the term pragmatic to describe the fledgling party’s guiding philosophy.
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Blayney has seen Mr Bloomfield visit on a number of occasions throughout the campaign, and he said that unless the seat of Calare becomes marginal, we will continue to miss out on valuable infrastructure and growth.
“Blayney is an extraordinary place in the diversity of industries and employment sectors that it has within it, in fact I believe that if you lived in Sydney and you discovered the opportunities for your business and for your family, you’d move here in a heartbeat,” he said.
Mr Bloomfield believes that what Blayney needs to truly thrive are two things, educating those in Sydney about the advantages of living here, and the Bell’s Line Expressway.
“Once Sydney businesses and investors understand the advantages of moving to Blayney, how the cost of land and housing is affordable, how we have excellent transport infrastructure and industries such as Nestle Purina, how Blayney has very good educational facilities, and access to other educational facilities such as CSU, then they’ll certainly consider coming here,” he said.
To achieve that vision, Mr Bloomfield would like to see a government funded educational campaign, similar to Evocities, but focusing on regions rather than individual centres.
His greatest passion though would have to be the development of the Bell’s Line Expressway, a project that he says will transform the central west.
“Upgrades to the Great Western Highway through the mountains has created a very good suburban road, but it’s not a highway,
“With the Bell’s Line Expressway, Sydney is suddenly closer.
“Families want it, transport companies want it, and it would pay for itself within a decade,” he said.
Mr Bloomfield points to the National’s adoption of the plan as proof of the concept.”
“After 50 years, all of a sudden it’s become the National’s top priority,” he said.