He was officially opening the New England Sustainability Forum (Nessie) at NERAM which attracted more than 100 delegates from government agencies, local government, community groups and individuals.

The Forum, funded through the Department of Environment and Climate Change and Armidale Family Support, was the last event of Armidale’s 2008 Sustainable Living Expo (SLEX).

More than 5,000 people attended the Live.Garden Farm event, at the Armidale Showground between Friday and Sunday, from the local area as well as south east Queensland, regional NSW, Sydney and Brisbane.

“When support comes from within the community on issues such as climate change it is 100 per cent stronger than if it is directed from the top,” Mr Torbay said.

“People are responding with a lot of excitement to the way they can come together to work on making their communities more sustainable. They are not waiting for others to show the way or for disaster to strike but are taking the initiative.”

The MP said the Forum through its working groups would arrive at a strategic plan for economic, social and cultural sustainability in the NESAC region.

“I will stand right beside you to assist where I can to implement the plan when it has been formulated,” he said.