Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party MLC Robert Borsak called out former Nationals MP Katrina Hodgkinson for failing to deliver on her 2011 campaign promise to keep Cowra Police Station open and staffed 24/7.

“How can the National Party be trusted to improve Police numbers when they can’t deliver on a promise for just one Police Station?” Mr Borsak said.

“In 2008 and 2011 former Cootamundra MP Katrina Hodgkinson campaigned in Opposition for Cowra Police Station to keep Cowra Police Station open and staffed 24/7, but even with a seat at the Cabinet table, she failed to deliver.

“I asked the Nationals about this in Question Time on Tuesday and they waffled, refusing to even pass the question to the Police Minister.

“Clearly, after Minister Grant’s performance last week the Nationals are running a ‘Troy Grant protection racket’.

“We’re calling for a boost in ‘authorised force strength’. Weasel words promising ‘boots on the ground’ is a tricky attempt to mislead people about a promise they once again don’t intend to keep.

“The Nationals won’t guarantee an increase in authorised force strength for every Police Station in the Cootamundra electorate because they’re just cost-cutting for the Liberal Party with the forced amalgamation of Police Local Area Commands.”

Mr Borsak also responded to Ms Cooke’s online petition on Police numbers.

“Ms Cooke’s online petition shows she’s out of her depth. Her petition on Police numbers has a goal of 50 signatures when 10,000 are needed for a debate in the Legislative Assembly. It’s also useless because the Parliament doesn’t even accept digital petitions.

“Further, Ms Cooke’s party is in Government so she doesn’t need to petition them. All she needs to do is pick up the phone and lobby the Minister directly.

“Since Katrina Hodgkinson failed to do this even as a Minister in her six years in Government, I have no doubt that her replacement Stephanie Cooke won’t do any better.

“The Nationals need to be carrying a stick when fighting for rural communities, not a feather duster.

“We answer to the people who vote for us, not the Liberal Party powerbrokers.

“Cootamundra deserves better.”

Former NSW Nationals MP Katrina Hodgkinson had a long history of fighting for Cowra Police Station to be open and staffed 24/7 but failed to deliver:

2007:

"We need to make sure for the sake of the benefit of the local police themselves and also for the community that we continue push for 24-hour policing [at Cowra]"

• Katrina Hodgkinson MP, 8:17am, 1 June 2007, ABC News

2008:

"I believe it is the most important area for 24 hour policing of anywhere in my constituency.

"Looking at the statistics as I have done, talking with the people on the street,at every opportunity and just the continual feedback that I get from residents of Cowra is that there is a very real, very genuine need for 24 hour policing."

• Katrina Hodgkinson MP, 2:39pm, 30 October 2008, ABC News

2011 State Election:

"I'll be fighting to see Cowra with a 24-hour, seven day a week Police Station."

• Katrina Hodgkinson MP, 28 February 2011, Cowra Guardian, page 3.

Download Robert Borsak's press release here.