Tooraweenah Road Upgrade a step closer

The Liberal and Nationals Government has unlocked $22.96 million in funding for the Tooraweenah Road Upgrade, bringing the project another step closer to reality.

The project is fully funded under the Government’s Roads of Strategic Importance initiative and will deliver upgrades along approximately 56.8 kilometres of Tooraweenah Road, within Coonamble Shire.

These upgrades will improve access, reduce travel times and increase safety for all road users, ensuring motorists get to their destination sooner and safer. the project complements other infrastructure projects currently underway in the region. The Australian Government has committed about $1.55 billion towards infrastructure projects across the Parkes electorate since 2013.

Our $60 million investment is delivering new overtaking lanes on the Newell Highway in partnership with the New South Wales Government, while a further $12.5 million federal investment is jointly funding the Pooncarie Road to Menindee upgrade.

We’ve already delivered further Newell Highway pavement upgrades between Mungle Back Creek and Boggabilla, delivering $61.35 million to jointly fund these vital works in partnership with the New South Wales Government.

The Australian Government will continue to invest in and deliver the infrastructure projects that matter to locals, tourists and businesses across regional New South Wales

For more information on the Roads of Strategic Importance initiative, visit https://investment.infrastructure.gov.au/about/national-initiatives/roads-of-strategic-importance.aspx

Funding for suicide prevention training for Lifeline volunteers

Lifeline Broken Hill Country to Coast volunteers will be able to undertake important suicide prevention training thanks to a $5,000 grant provided under the latest round of the Federal Government’s Volunteer Grants program.

Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton recently visited Lifeline Broken Hill to find out how the organisation is benefitting from the funding.

Lifeline Broken Hill provides a critical service to communities throughout the Far West, delivering suicide prevention, awareness and training, counselling and other vital programs.

Volunteers are essential to the organisation, giving countless hours of their time to help others. This grant will help equip them with the skills they need to recognise and help anyone at risk suicide.

The 2021 Volunteer Grants provide organisations with grants of $1,000 to $5,000 to help purchase equipment, training and background screening checks for their volunteers.

Volunteers are integral to many Australian organisations, with more than 8.7 million volunteers across the country giving their time freely to support their communities.

Entries open for poetry competition

Entries are open for the 2022 Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards.

The Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards is Australia’s longest-running annual poetry competition for school-aged children.

The Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards are based on the literature strand of the Australian Curriculum, and the theme for the 2022 competition is ‘In my opinion’, which will generate some interesting work.

To participate, students must be Australian primary or secondary school-aged students and submit a poem for consideration by the awards judging panel before 30 June 2022.

There is a range of categories to enter and prizes to be won. For more information about the awards, go to www.dorothea.com.au.

Easing child care costs for local families

The Coalition Government is boosting the Child Care Subsidy this week to help ease the pressure on the cost of living for many families with young children.

For local families with more than one child aged five or under in child care, this increase in the CCS, means more money in your pocket each week. This is good news for eligible families who will benefit from reduced out-of-pocket child care costs, which also provides an incentive to consider either returning to work or working additional hours.

Local families know that the cost of child care – particularly for families with more than one child in care – can be a barrier to pursuing employment or working additional hours. This is especially so for local mums who may be able to use this to get back into the workforce or to increase their hours in their current job.

For further information, please visit https://www.dese.gov.au/child-care-subsidy/higher-child-care-subsidy-families-more-one-child-care