CONFIDENCE among Riverland business owners and primary producers stood out for an independent politician touring the region last week.
Independent South Australian senator Rex Patrick visited several Riverland towns last Wednesday, meeting with representatives of numerous local industry and business groups.
Mr Patrick said agriculture and horticulture producers in the Riverland were overcoming financial challenges caused by the COVID-19 crisis.
“It was good to see people in the regions perhaps having a better outcome than what may be occurring in the cities, because that’s a turning of the tables,” Mr Patrick said.
“Throughout COVID, all the produce that is grown here was needed and that is part of the strength the Riverland has.
“The Riverland suffers in drought, but it turns out in a pandemic, you’re resilient in those circumstances.”
Mr Patrick – who also serves as deputy chair for the Select Committee on the Multi-Jurisdictional Management and Execution of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan – said he would engage with local growers and irrigators to highlight water availability issues.
“It’s quite a diverse group of (water) stakeholders, so even finding agreement amongst them will involve compromises,” he said.
“The Murray-Darling is a complex system and political advocacy is important if you want to be heard.
“I’m a senator who can take some of their messages forward.”
Mr Patrick said a meeting with Loxton Chamber of Commerce business and events manager Sonya Altschwager revealed high levels of confidence among local business operators.
“(Sonya) was very positive about everything that was happening in Loxton,” he said.
“Then I was trying to see how JobKeeper, and some of the other government programs, had helped the businesses she represents.
“I almost didn’t want to leave Loxton.”
Mr Patrick – who recently left the Centre Alliance party to run as an independent – said visiting rural communities would continue to be a priority.
“I often pop out to the regions, although I haven’t done it in a while because I’ve been restricted by COVID,” he said.
“I consider it my role to visit all corners of South Australia and the Riverland is clearly a place where there’s constituents. They’ve got issues and I need to hear what they are.
“That helps inform me on what I should do, and how, in Canberra.”