On a hot and windy day weeks out from the New South Wales (NSW) election, Orange independent MP Philip Donato meets a group of retirees and a guide dog named Rusty.
Standing on the town’s single train platform, the rail action group is pushing for more services between Sydney and the growing regional centre in the state’s central west.
Donato has long supported their calls for better links to the city for healthcare, work and tourism.
Before a press conference, he kindly tells one of the group—also named Phil—to move away from the platform edge.
“Don’t step back Phil. I’m a bit worried about where you’re positioned there,” Donato says….