WE’VE got our road back!

After days of lobbying, the New South Wales Government on Thursday morning finally listened to reason and has added the Sturt Highway from Mildura to Robinvale of its new border zone.

Member for Mildura Ali Cupper said the change was welcome relief for commuters who would again have access to a permit to allow travel along the highway on the NSW side of the border between Mildura and Robinvale.

“This decision caused more than just inconvenience, it became a matter of public safety given the Hattah-Robinvale Road is not up to the standard required for a large amount of commuter traffic,” she said.

“It’s pleasing that our concerns were actually heard, and acted on.”

The border zone was also expanded to include Cabarita, Colignan, Koorlong and Cardross.

It comes after NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard also made exemptions to the stricter rules to allow residents from Gol Gol and Buronga to cross into Mildura to buy food, fuel, hygiene products or access disability support services.

People in Euston can also now travel to either Swan Hill or Robinvale for the same reasons.

Ms Cupper said the changes this week showed the NSW Government had failed to do due diligence before implementing such drastic changes.

“It does bring into question whether those making the decisions in the NSW Government have a good grasp on how their border communities work,” she said.

“The need to make these changes could have been avoided if the government actually consulted with community leaders before making decisions.

“Instead, they just got bureaucrats in Sydney to draw lines on a map outlining ‘border zones’ despite knowing nothing about the practicalities and impact it would have on border communities.”