The Lansdowne Bridge replacement is becoming a NSW Government comedy of bad planning and a waste of public money.

So [Goulburn Mulwaree Council general manager] Warwick Bennett has said give the council the money and we will build it on time, well designed and under budget.

Roads and Maritime Services is proving to be a department that makes a mess of everything it touches.

Combining roads and water is like putting male and female patients together in the maternity ward of the Base Hospital.

The question that needs checking is the department of Roads and Maritime Services hired a Boeing 777-200 to fly the planners and their families around the world, taking photos of bridges like the Lansdowne Bridge.

Their costing of about $15 million should give them enough change to go on a junket and have enough money to build the bridge.

How come a grain company at Moree finds it more viable to transport 300,000 tonne of grain etc from Moree to Newcastle by rail and so take 6000 trucks off the roads a year (Moree Champion, December 19), and at the same time a stone company at Marulan is granted permission to transport its stone to Sydney on the busiest highways in Australia with 600 trucks a day on the Hume?

Come on, local members Pru and Angus: show some commonsense and get all the 600 stone trucks off the Hume to improve safety on our roads. 

When I saw Mel Gibson's blockbuster war movie Hacksaw Ridge a few months ago, it hit home how much Goulburn has to offer the world.

Our thriving regional city provided the spectacular cliff face for this critically-acclaimed film which could potentially earn Gibson – and Goulburn – an Academy Award. Actors and production crew spoke glowingly about our great hospitality, excellent accommodation and beautiful natural assets. Oscar-winning stuff!

Goulburn is full of award-winners ... individuals, community groups and businesses who are trying to make our region a better place to live and work for all. I met many of them in 2016 ... people like the small business owners who have expanded their enterprises in the Hume Lifestyle Precinct; or the team behind the establishment of the Goulburn Health Hub.

Last night Peter Mylonas and his supporters (many of them small business operators) put on another incredible Carols Of Hope, the 25th edition! Community, businesses and volunteers working together. Truly positive.

A new pizza shop (which my sons love) has opened in Auburn Street, there's a new gift store (which my daughters love) and I'm thrilled to learn that Greengrocer (which I love) could be up and running again mid next year.

As the local federal MP and member of a government focussed on job creation and infrastructure investment, I'm excited about the benefits of the new Wastewater Treatment Plant which received $10 million in Coalition funding. Work started just a few weeks ago on this facility which will create employment and accommodate Goulburn's growth well into the future.

The proposed new Performing Arts Centre will bring similar opportunities.

2016 saw the rollout of the NBN  in Goulburn, with more than 11,000 premises now ready for service; 30 per cent already active.

And, making for the perfect new year addition to our community, the Goulburn Headspace Centre will open very soon in Verner Street.

If this year's election result taught me one lesson, it is this: never stop listening. Goulburn people tell me they want more jobs, better infrastructure, improved telecommunications and greater access to higher education. I'm hearing you.

Thank you to the Goulburn Post for giving me this opportunity to reflect on 2016, to talk about our many positives. Take a bow, Goulburn.

On behalf of my family and team, I sincerely wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.