Just days into his third stint as Member for Myall Lakes, Stephen Bromhead has dispelled thoughts that retirement beckons at the end of his term.
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"I'm enjoying life, I'm fit and well and I'm enjoying this," he said.
"It's up to the people to decide those things and I'll leave it to them."
He thanked voters for their support in the 2019 State election and for other candidates who campaigned.
"I'm very proud and humbled that the people have put their trust in me to deliver for them for the next four years and advocate on their behalf," Mr Bromhead said.
"This is democracy and it's great to see people put their hands up, put their time and effort into campaigning, that's how it should be."
For the first time in more than 50 years, the Liberals-Nationals coalition was returned for a third term.
"I think that's a huge honour, I think we've been a very good government but we've made some bad decisions that has impacted on us and we've got to make sure we don't make those mistakes again," Mr Bromhead said.
"We wouldn't have made those mistakes if we'd gone through the normal processes of the Coalition government."
Mr Bromhead said the $1.5 million drought subsidy and funding was "historically huge from a State government", but the process for farmers could have been handled better.
"We didn't communicate that well, the paperwork to get it was too detailed, too hard and a lot gave up trying to get it.
"We brought in councillors and financial advisers to farms too late so we've got to learn from that.
"We need to listen and then come up with solutions and put them into practice," Mr Bromhead said.
Despite claiming two seats from the Nationals in western NSW, Mr Bromhead doesn't think there is pressure from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party locally.
"They must be terribly disappointed they performed so poorly here," Mr Bromhead said.
"But you've got to remember out west, they've been in drought for two to three years and the communities out there are very unhappy as you would be."
Mr Bromhead rubbished claims that 'safe seats' receive less funding than those considered marginal.
"There's no such thing as a safe seat if you've got a lazy member- that's been proven over and over again where safe seats have gone the other way because they haven't had a good member.
"The Auditor-General of NSW in 2011 said the electorates that get the most money are blue-ribbon seats- whether they be Labor, Liberal or National, they get more money than marginal seats or independent or minor parties.
"So this thing about being marginal to get money is absolute rubbish.
"We are the only electorate and council in NSW to get a $100 million package for local roads," Mr Bromhead said.
Mr Bromhead identified his key election projects and ideas as stage two and three of the Manning Hospital upgrade and Taree Police Station's ongoing upgrade.
He identified a need for more police in the area and indicated more are on the way.
"I'm looking forward to an announcement about more police for the Manning Great Lakes command," Mr Bromhead said.
A short term plan is kick starting the proposed public hospital in the Great Lakes.
"A lot of people said that would never happen and this is all some concocted lie by Steve Bromhead to retain the seat.
"Well, I don't make promises unless I know I'm going to deliver them.
"There's already funding there for the planning, so it'll be planned, designed and built in this next term of government," Mr Bromhead said.
Identifying a suitable site for the hospital and other necessities in the planning process have been earmarked for the latter months of this year.
Mr Bromhead is also a strong supporter of two mental health specialists in every public high school in the area and a palliative care specialist for Manning Hospital.
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