Years can go by without us knowing that they even exist and, like the butterfly coming from the chrysalis, there they are full of promises regarding what they can do for us, as if they didn't know we've been here all the time?

The good old Barton Highway comes to the fore, as it has been doing for years, but it is interesting to hear what Premier Mike Baird's Manly electorate thinks should be his priorities and they are as follows;

-96 per cent of people surveyed are concerned about the impacts of expanding coal and gas mining on our water, forests, and farmlands.

-96 per cent of people surveyed think the NSW Government should do more to protect our farmlands, forests, and water from coal and coal seam gas.

-90 per cent of people surveyed believe coal and gas companies have too much influence over our state government.

-95 per cent of people think Premier Baird should do more to support a renewable energy future for NSW.

All these issues are of equal importance in the Goulburn Electorate and we should be hearing the candidates attitudes in these areas of concern and what they would do about them.

Regarding renewable energy, it is depressing to listen to the opponents of wind turbines which produce clean, sustainable and renewable energy and I notice that several of our candidates are against using this valuable source of energy.

This is in spite of the fact that energy from wind turbines has been successfully generated in China, USA, Germany, Spain, India, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy, Brazil and elsewhere in the world, and it is significant that, compared with other low carbon power sources, wind turbines have some of the lowest global warming potential per unit of all electrical energy generated.

In South Australia, wind power provides 26 per cent of the state's electricity, edging out coal for the first time, and South Australia has proved its viability as a clean energy source.

Our candidates have plenty to think about to promote the best  for the electors of Goulburn!