While it has been a long-running joke that the commitments made at this time of year are either made to be broken, or simply will not be kept for the long haul, there are some we hope to see honoured.

In today’s edition we have reported on what our state member, Adam Marshall, hopes to achieve, not just in Guyra but right across his electorate in 2017, and some of these items have caught our eye.

They are commitments that we believe must be met, or are a stepping stone to other pressing requirements.

There has been a major issue confronting Guyra specifically, in terms of the security of the water supply.

The plan to build a pipeline from the Malpas Dam is the project suggested to fix this issue and was high on the local member’s agenda for the next 12 months.

We welcome this as important for the region considering how important it is for both residents and business when it comes to drought-proofing the area.

Health spending was something else that caught our eye. Specifically the redevelopment of Armidale Hospital, which is vital for our area.

While Mr Marshall has described the $60 million redevelopment as a “top priority”, we’d like to make the point that services are key to these facilities.

This was demonstrated clearly late last year in the New England region when we saw two communities left with hospitals that had no doctors available to staff hospitals.

It was a temporary situation in Glen Innes, that was soon rectified, but a more severe situation in Inverell that saw patients unable to get treatment. While we welcome every cent we can get to improve the buildings, it is wasted if health services are not there when they are needed by our community. 

At the same time, we do welcome that stance Mr Marshall took in response to hospitals in Inverell and Glen Innes being left without doctors on the last weekend of November, where Mr Marshall called on Hunter New England Health (HNEH) to “please explain’’ the situation.

It’s important as our elected representative that he gets answers, as it could be any health facility in the region that faces the same situation next. 

Looking ahead we are sure the state member will indeed have a busy year and wish him the best as he seeks to honour his commitments for Guyra.