Stock theft, ice and the expansion of the jail were hot topics with residents calling for more localised services. 

Ex president and mayor of Junee Shire Dal Eisenhauer said the community accepted the jail due to railway job losses and a promise of increased police personnel. He called for a full-time manned station. 

“We do get people now who come and go because their relatives are in jail, we used to know who everyone was now you know about a third of them.

“I think the fear in town at the moment is that crime is going to be exacerbated with the expansion and maximum security prisoners.” 

Worboys ruled out a 24-hour police station, however insisted an extension to smaller stations hours where possible is on his radar. 

“My view about extending coverage is that wherever we can we should do that, and that includes Saturdays and Sundays,” Worboys said.

The centralisation of emergency call centres was also a sore point with president of the Volunteer Rescue Association, Melissa Murdoch, saying it’s put lives at risk. 

“Since the call centre has been taken away from us locally and in Wagga, the problem is when trying to communicate with farms, back roads, smaller areas that they don't know, they're not local, so their response times and their communication with us doesn't allow us to get to these situations in a timely manner,” Ms Murdoch said. 

While Worboys highlighted the importance of local emergency services flagging call centre errors at management meetings, it was cold comfort for both the representative and crowd. 

“What about the locals who are on the phone distressed while someone’s trying to break into their home having to try explain where they live?” the representative said. 

Australia’s 000 service has been operated by Telstra since 1961. NSW Ambulance 000 control centres are located at Sydney, Wollongong, Dubbo and Charlestown. 

Wagga Superintendent Bob Noble said despite residents frustrations in getting through to local police, he’d rather have his staff out in the field. 

“Quite often of an evening we’ll only have a couple of police rostered, simply because of the numbers we have, I’d sooner have those two police out patrolling, proactively looking for crime before it happens and addressing community concerns than sitting in a station and waiting for the phone to ring,” he said.  

Worboys said “a good picture” of the amalgamations and movements should be formed by the end of the year, and wouldn’t rule out a merger of the Wagga and Cootamundra LACs. 

“We see Cootamundra as an opportunity, there’s no doubt about that. Wagga is a large regional centre. I don’t have any lines that are inked up on a map and dry yet… in the goodness of time that will all firm up,” he said. 

The forum was organised by the Junee RSL sub branch.