They will attend in the hope that this time someone will have the courage to 'call a spade a spade' and reveal the terrible waste of water and poor policy that is crippling Aussie food producers, especially throughout southern NSW and northern Victoria.

I have attended numerous meetings and rallies and it is hard not to get disenchanted with the process. Most recently, I was at the Finley meeting as part of the socio-economic inquiry being conducted at considerable taxpayer expense ($3.2 million) by Robbie Sefton and her panel.

At the meeting experienced local farmers and businessmen expressed their grave concerns about the damage being done in our community by the Basin Plan.

Yet upon reading the interim report from the Independent Assessment these comments and concerns were downplayed.

I worry that the true extent of the social and economic damage will be watered down in the inquiry's reports, as the interim report has not filled me with any confidence.

Will they be ignored, like just about everything we try to tell politicians about the Basin Plan and what it is doing to us?

So is it any wonder that regional communities have lost faith in government and 'independent' reports.

I only hope that Inspector-General Keelty can start the long process of restoring some faith, and help our communities believe that there are people who care for the future of our region and are prepared to take a tough stance to protect it.

I fear that if it's left up to the politicians, we will continue along the same sad pathway of the past decade or so.

Almost one quarter of young Australians are experiencing psychological distress, according to the latest Black Dog Institute and Mission Australia Youth Report.

Treatment alone is not enough to fix this growing problem.

Rather than scapegoating technology as the root cause, it's time we considered how teens can use screens for good.

The Black Dog Institute is excited to be running a world-first study - Future Proofing - to see whether smartphone apps can enhance and protect youth mental health.

This five-year trial with 400 schools and up to 20,000 Year 8 students will test apps at scale, collecting sensor data from smartphones such as sleep patterns and activity levels to give researchers the clearest snapshot yet into young people's health and wellbeing.

This unprecedented trial is the first step towards empowering our young people, from kindergarten to Year 12, with the tools to thrive, connect and succeed in a rapidly changing digital world.

We encourage NSW-based schools to get involved in the study ahead of term two, 2020 by registering their interest at futureproofing@blackdog.org.au.

Let us know, email us at letters@areanews.com.au, drop a letter to the editor in to our Banna Avenue office, or use the form below...