During the federal election campaign, re-elected Member for Page Kevin Hogan made a raft of pledges to communities in his electorate, pending the Coalition’s election to government – the Independent compiled a list of these promises, mostly focussed on the Clarence Valley. Mr Hogan announced that a re-elected Coalition government will invest $1.8 million to “ensure the long awaited upgrade to the Maclean River Board Walk [between Mclachlan Park and McNaughton Place] becomes a reality after [his] relentless campaigning” for the funding. Mr Hogan announced that the North Coast Primary Health Network was selected as one of four lead sites across Australia, to implement a new $192 million suicide prevention program. “This is exactly what I have been advocating for to reduce suicide in our community,” Mr Hogan said. He announced that a re-elected Coalition government would commit: • $70,000 to upgrade the Wooli Tennis Courts; • $1 million to boost to Casino Beef Week to “ensure the event continues to flourish and grow into the future”; • $200,000 for CCTV cameras in Grafton under the Coalition’s Safer Communities Fund; • $30,000 to upgrade the Rushforth Park soccer complex in Grafton; and, • $10,000 to upgrade the Coutts Crossing Cougars Football Club. Mr Hogan announced that the Page electorate would “receive a major boost through a $10 million Coalition initiative to build and upgrade wash-out facilities – reducing effluent spills and improving road safety”, through a joint initiative – Fixing Country Truck Washes – with the NSW Government. He said this included “upgrades to facilities like Grafton Regional Livestock Selling Centre, which processes 1,000 head of cattle a week”. Mr Hogan announced that the Coalition is delivering NBN to the north coast “faster and cheaper than under the Labor plan … [it] will be rolled out across our communities during 2017 – three years before the NBN is rolled out nationally”. “Fibre-to-the-node is 80 per cent as fast as fibre-to-the home-and is only 40 per cent of the cost,” he said. “Fibre-to-the-node is being rolled out quicker than fibre-to-the home would be. It is also cheaper to the consumer due to the decreased costs.” Mr Hogan said “an array of extra mental health services are about to be provided in the Clarence Valley due to extra resourcing”. “There will be an outreach of Headspace from Coffs operating in the Clarence before the end of the year,” he said. “There will also be more resources allocated at the acute care level of mental health.” Mr Hogan announced that the sugar industry would benefit from an investment of “more than $3.5million in a new R&D project to find ways to reduce mechanical harvest losses in the sugar industry”. “The grant will be matched by more than $4.5 million in cash and in-kind contributions from Sugar Research Australia and its partner organisations,” he said. Mr Hogan said that a $25 million North Coast Jobs and Investment package was “something I have been advocating for a while”. “The package will attract state government and private sector contributions, which will see the total investment in the region expected to exceed $50million. “I set up a local Job Strategy Group over six months ago to bring companies looking to expand to the north coast.” He said areas in Page would receive a share of an additional $60 million to extend the “successful Mobile Black Spot Program”. “New mobile base stations in Nammoona, Ramornie, Yorklea, and Kyogle will bring a much-needed boost to mobile coverage, providing benefits to emergency service operators, businesses, and residents,” he said. He said 91 black spots had already been fixed, including “11 new or upgraded base stations”, including at “Copmanhurst, Nymboida, Babyl Creek, Ettrick, Lower Peacock, Hernani, Piora, and Culmaran Creek”. He promised, through a Senator Fiona Nash media release, that he would scrutinise the sale of farms to foreign investors. “We want to sell the produce, not the farm,” Senator Nash said. “The people of Page clearly don’t want our local farms sold off to foreigners without any checks and balances.” He said commitments to community groups in Page, already earmarked to receive a grant, would be honoured, to help “lower their power bills and reduce emissions” by providing $100,000 towards the cost of installing solar: Alstonville Preschool ($10,000), Bonalbo & District Community Hall ($10,544), Casino Golf Club ($10,000), The House with no Steps ($10,000), Kyogle Family Support Service ($10,000), Lawrence Golf Club ($9,000), Lifeline Northern Rivers ($9,286), Meals on Wheels Yamba ($10,000), Woolgoolga Seniors Centre ($9,500) and Yamba Surf Lifesaving Club ($10,280).