MEMBER for New England Barnaby Joyce is aiming to fix major problems with small changes in the next 12 months.
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While he could talk 'til the cows come home about Dungowan Dam and Tamworth's university campus, he said there were other, more understated changes that could have big impacts on people's lives.
Bad roads and dodgy phone and internet connections are two of the things he is most focused on addressing, which are problems the deputy prime minister faces at his own property.
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With $150 million on the table to fix rural roads around the country, Mr Joyce said now is the time for people to pressure their local councils to apply for funding.
"I want people in Tamworth and the surrounding region to petition their local council to fix these roads," he said.
"If it's a road that hasn't been worked on in the last 50 years, and around about 20 kilometres long, they should all petition their local council for that road to be fixed.
"I can't really drive it, they've got to drive it themselves, but they should be sending letters in or organising a petition up and down the mailboxes and getting something in so we can get started."
He said that without pressure action will often not be taken - especially with such a high demand for road upgrades throughout regional Australia.
Improving phone and internet connection is also crucial, he said, although he admitted it is difficult to improve coverage to the level people want.
"I live with it out at Danglemah, so I've got a very good idea of what happens in those corners of the electorate," he said.
"The only thing we can do is keep investing in mobile phone towers, which we have been doing, just to make sure we're driving the region ahead.
"But as soon as you put a mobile phone tower in, people say 'you've got to put another in', but we've got to try and get this infrastructure in place.
"I believe overwhelmingly people would acknowledge we're miles ahead of where we were before I started on the rollout of mobile phone towers."
Providing touch ups to sporting facilities around the New England is something else he said would happen this year.
Mr Joyce said whether it was an oval, a tennis court or anything in-between in a small town, and it needed some maintenance, he is keen to secure funding for it as he believes sports complexes can be the lifeblood of communities.
Of course, the biggest challenge Mr Joyce will face this year is the federal election, which will likely come within the first six months of 2022.
As the deputy prime minister, Mr Joyce must not only convince his own electorate to vote for him, but convince all Australians the Coalition is their best option.
Polls suggest the election will be hotly contested, with the government's approval rating slumping heavily in the past six months.
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