Six local engagement officers, chosen from over 100 applicants, have been selected and will be located within communities in the Murray Darling Basin to assist with participation in decision making around Commonwealth environmental water.
The local engagement officers will be based in Dubbo, Deniliquin, Leeton (NSW), Mildura (VIC), Berri (SA) and Goondiwindi (QLD).
I welcome these appointments because local information and experience is critical to being able to effectively manage and deliver Commonwealth environmental water.
It is essential for the effective delivery of environmental water that we have individuals involved who come from all walks of life, but who also share solid technical and local knowledge.
The local engagement officer in Dubbo, Ken Harrison, will be located within the Central West Local Land Services organisation and the Goondiwindi officer, Rosemary Milward will be located within the Queensland Murray Darling Committee.
Local engagement officers are expected to begin their appointments shortly and contact information will then become available on the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office website http://www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo
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Congratulations to Yeoval local, Pip Job, who took out the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Rural Woman of the Year Award. Pip has worked extensively within rural industry with Landcare and natural resource management. I wish Pip all the best with the further development of her project “Positive Farming Projects”.
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More than 3.7 million Australian pensioners have benefitted from the second of this year’s biannual pension increase. Single age pensions have gone up by an extra $11.50 and age pensioner couples’ pensions will now receive an increase of $17.40 extra a fortnight.
In addition to these pension increases around one million Australians will benefit from increases to income support payments such as Newstart and Parenting Payment. The Parenting Payment Single recipients will now receive a fortnightly payment of $732.30.
These pensions are indexed twice every year and this will continue to be the case under the Coalition Government.
The full details about the rates and thresholds indexed on the 20th September can be found at:
http://www.dss.gov.au/about-the-department/benefits-payments/indexation-rates-september-2014