The Hon. SCOTT BARRETT (22:20): Victoria Pass, in the Blue Mountains, was opened in 1832. It was built by convicts under the supervision of Sir Thomas Mitchell, a veteran of the Napoleonic wars who served under Wellington in Spain. I mention this to give context to the time Victoria Pass was built, when New South Wales was but a small convict settlement barely pushing into the grazing lands west of the Blue Mountains. The New South Wales Legislative Council had only recently been formed. Today it is as a member of that Council that I speak of the fact that, remarkably, we seem to have been caught off guard by the failure of Victoria Pass, nearly 200 years after it was built. That failure has severed the major transport artery to central and western New South Wales. While it is hard not to look at the jockey and ask, "What the hell happened here? How do you not have a plan for this?", I am not using this opportunity to attribute blame or score political points. Rather, I raise the serious issues this failure has caused and ask for all the help available to reconnect this critical spoke.

Yes, there is still connectivity over the Blue Mountains via Bells Line of Road, but that road is not at all suitable for the bulk of our heavy haulage fleet. For many trucks, it means being towed up some of the steeper sections of the road. For others, it means reducing their payload—in some cases up to 25 per cent—meaning more trucks, more staff and more time. The other alternative is of course to detour down through Cowra, Yass and Goulburn. Again, that results in more time taken, issues around fatigue management and delivery windows and, of course, more fuel. We have seen warnings from transport companies that the price of goods will have to increase to cover the additional cost of getting things across the mountains, not to mention the increasing cost of fuel.

For residents of the Central West, there is the additional time involved in getting to Sydney. Most of us have experienced hours in traffic across the mountains. Add to that the stress of getting to a medical appointment or a job interview and the inconvenience rises. The additional traffic funnelled onto the one windy road creates driving and travel conditions many people would rather avoid. Residents of the Blue Mountains are obviously feeling the brunt of the impact. Simple things like accessing health care or getting to school, work or the kids' soccer training are all now a major ordeal. The traffic bottleneck in Lithgow is also having a huge impact.

Then there are the tourists. This is the most popular time of year to visit the Central West, given the temperature, the activities, the food and the events on offer. As we move through autumn, the colours of the trees in the streets and the parks and the glow of a sunset all make it worth the trip in their own right. I say to potential visitors, please still come. Yes, there will be some serious disruption to heavy vehicle travel, but you can still get to the Central West. You may need to adapt slightly, but it will be worth it. Why not avoid some of the peak traffic times by coming home on the Monday. Stay an extra night, grab a glass of red wine and sit by the fire for the night. Or take the long way around and go through Trunkey Creek or Binda and have a look around or have a feed. Catch the XPT—it is a beautiful journey across the mountains on the train—a highlight in itself. It is important people know that the Central West is open for business, and with open arms they will be greeted.

To the Government, remembering this is not about blame or potshots, let us see what we can do for these communities. We need to get some messaging out to let people know we still want them to come. We want them to come to the Royal Bathurst Show, to Orange FOOD Week, to the wineries or to the sporting carnival. We need to get that message out, and the Government can help with that. We need to see it now. While our visitors are in the Central West, we need to make sure they have a great time. That might mean some extra shuttle buses around town for those who fly or catch the train, or some extra flexibility around that extra night away.

We need to make sure the visitors have a good time and a good experience so that they tell their friends and want to come back. We need to talk to the groups and the businesses in the Central West to find out what help they need to increase the customer experience. Let us look for ways that we can help the businesses, the people and the transport companies in the Central West. Let us get it fixed as soon as possible. Let us finally have a modern, fit‑for‑purpose connection across the Blue Mountains, the connection the people in Far West and Central West New South Wales deserve, because it is by far the greatest place to live, work, visit and raise a family.

Mr PRESIDENT:
I give notice that on the next sitting day I will move that:
1) This house notes that:
a) The catastrophic failure of Victoria Pass and the subsequent closure of the Great Western Highway has caused severe disruption throughout the Blue Mountains, Central West and beyond.
b) The thoroughfare is one of only two routes that provide critical access between the Central West and Sydney.
c) The current bypass is unsuitable for heavy trucks with many having to be physically towed up the bypass as we speak.
d) The projected best-case-scenario of a three-month closure will be devastating for local businesses, tourism, communities, local events and the reputation of the entire Central West as a tourism destination.
e) Major freight companies are already warning that prices will have to be passed onto consumers to accommodate the extra time and money involved in getting produce to and from the Central West.

2) That this House calls on the Government to:
a) Reassure and communicate to the public that there are genuine alternative routes out to the Central West so that tourism businesses are not completely devastated during the closure period.
b) Run extra express train and bus services from the Central West all the way to Sydney not just across the closure at Victoria Pass.
c) Stop blaming previous Governments for its inability to plan for the entirely foreseeable failure of a 194-year-old convict-built bridge; and
d) Commit to building a modern, fit-for-purpose connection across the Blue Mountains to ensure the future prosperity of much of regional NSW.

NSW Farmers are being punished for doing the right thing.

Under NSW law farms are exempt from land tax, but NSW Labor has decided anyone value adding their product is no longer a farmer.

That means wineries and cherry growers who are simply boxing up their product are getting slugged for thousands by the taxman.

This is a shameless cash grab and flies in the face of decades of Government policy encouraging farmers to value add their products and diversify their incomes.

The Hon. SCOTT BARRETT (14:10): It seems that a protest is only considered important when it aligns with our own political views. People who spend any time around farming communities would hear plenty of individuals fantasising about the sorts of protests they could run, wishing that Australian farmers were more like their overseas counterparts—like those in France, who are more militant and confrontational—because that seems to be the only way to get people to listen. People talk about dumping manure on the steps of Parliament House, releasing feral pigs onto Macquarie Street to highlight the pest problem, blocking food deliveries to make a point about renewables, and using tractors to block the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Those measures would certainly grab attention, but that is not what farmers here generally do, because they are too busy with their jobs, feeding and clothing the country. They are not, by nature, people who want to deliberately inconvenience others. Unfortunately, in modern politics nice guys often finish last. Do not confuse the volume, visibility or absence of a protest for the seriousness of an issue or the impact it is having, particularly when it comes to stunts like blocking bridges or gluing people to roads. If we treat that behaviour as the gold standard for being heard, then we will encourage more of it, and I do not think we will like where it leads. I am done with people using the Australian flag as cover for childish, thuggish and un-Australian behaviour. I am also done with people treating the flag as a symbol for every mistake we have ever made. This is our flag. It has meant so much to generations of Australians.

Yes, mistakes were made under it—bad mistakes. But, rather than defining ourselves by those mistakes of the past, we should be mature enough to acknowledge how far this country has come. To me, the flag represents Cathy Freeman winning the 400 metres, or Justin Langer being carried off after his farewell test. It stood at half‑mast at Villers-Bretonneux, and it is worn on the shoulders of peacekeepers overseas. Last month it was the backdrop for 20 people who became Australian citizens in Lake Cargelligo. It is not a symbol to be destroyed or targeted with hate. It is not a cloak for cowardice, nor should it make people feel unwelcome in this country. Those who embarrass Australia with their extreme views, whether from the far right or the far left, should kick rocks. If people have something to say, say it respectfully, without hurting others and without tearing down a country that, despite its flaws, is still worth loving and being proud of. The flag represents our relative freedom and safety, which is envied around the world.