I was honoured to host my colleague and friend, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development the Hon Warren Truss MP in Dubbo and Narromine last week.
We firstly attended the Dubbo Regional Livestock Markets with the Mayor of Dubbo Councillor Mathew Dickerson viewing plans for the upgrade of the cattle sale facilitates.
Dubbo City Council was successful in securing a $3.29 million contribution towards this upgrade work through round one of the Australian Government’s National Stronger Regions Fund (NSRF).
The Dubbo Regional Livestock Markets are a critical piece of infrastructure not just for Dubbo, but for the rest of my electorate and beyond. I am very pleased that the Commonwealth Government has been able to help facilitate this upgrade work through the NSRF and I look forward to this work commencing next year.
I also attended the AusFly Airshow in Narromine with the Deputy Prime Minister who officially opened the show. In conjunction with this event, we were also pleased to launch Narromine Shire Council’s Business and Investment Profile.
I congratulate the Mayor of Narromine Shire, Councillor Bill McAnally, his Council and the Narromine Economic Development Group for preparing an excellent profile that I hope will assist in attracting new business to the Narromine area.
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I was also pleased to join the Minister for Industry and Science the Hon Ian Macfarlane MP in officially opening the Whitehaven’s Maules Creek Coal Mine near Boggabri last week.
The $767 million coal mine has created 232 local jobs with an expected peak workforce of 450 people when the mine reaches full capacity. These employment opportunities will provide a much needed boost to many towns in North-Western New South Wales including Boggabri and Narrabri.
I acknowledge concerns across my electorate about the mining of coal. It is important to note that coal is one of our largest export earners and will continue to be an important part of the national energy mix for years to come, both domestically and throughout the Asian region.
Whilst I am very supportive of renewable energy sources and welcome such projects across my electorate, I also welcome the opening of this coal mine and the range of benefits it will bring to local communities in North-Western New South Wales.
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The Australian Government has announced $400,000 worth of grants to support and develop women leaders in Australian sport.
The Women Leaders in Sport (WLIS) programme, now in its 14th year, is targeted at increasing female representation in sport leadership roles and has provided support for more than 22,000 Australian women since its inception in 2002.
I encourage all women who are interested in and have a commitment to their sport and local community to apply for the grants of up to $5000 for individuals and $10,000 for organisations as part of the Women Leaders in Sport programme.
Further information, including the eligibility criteria and details on how to apply, is available at ausport.gov.au/wlis. Applications close this week on 9 September 2015.