Recognising sporting talent – Dubbo Sports Awards
It was a pleasure to host the 16th annual Dubbo Regional Sports Awards on Friday evening at the Dubbo RSL Club.
Member for Calare, Andrew Gee, joined me in conjunction with the Dubbo Regional Sports Council to shine a light on the outstanding achievements of the most talented sportspeople in Dubbo and Wellington, and celebrate the important people behind the scenes.
It is always a great honour to be involved in community events like this one. In Western New South Wales we are spoilt for choice when it comes to local sporting talent. I could write an A-Z list of all the sport categories that were represented on Friday evening, which ranged from cricket and touch football, right through to athletics, cycling and even ultimate Frisbee.
There are many important people who work tirelessly in the background such as parents, coaches and referees who have a special role to play in the success of our sportspeople, and I am pleased they too were celebrated at the event.
Congratulations again to all the wonderful sportsmen and women who represented their sporting endeavours so strongly on Friday night.
Photo Caption: Member for Parkes Mark Coulton with award recipient Tom Coady at the Dubbo Sports Awards.
Heritage grants
Owners and managers of Australia’s National Heritage List sites, and other organisations can now apply for funding to help protect Australia’s national heritage.
Grants ranging from $25,000 to $400,000 will help conserve and raise awareness of the national heritage we enjoy across the country, and indeed in this electorate. For the first time, this funding round includes Indigenous and natural heritage places, and those with historic heritage values.
I know there are many such sites in the Parkes electorate including Brewarrina Fish Traps, the City of Broken Hill, Moree Baths and Swimming Pool, and the Warrumbungle National Park. There may well be other eligible organisations, so I would encourage those interested to read more at www.grants.gov.au, where applications can also be made. Applications close 19 December 2018.
The National Heritage List protects more than 100 of Australia’s outstanding natural, historic and Indigenous heritage places, including ancient rock art sites, colonial buildings, beaches and parks. These landmarks are an integral part of our identity, each telling stories of the moments that made our unique history.
NBN Co boosts data allowances
Rural and regional residents on NBN Co’s Sky Muster™ satellite service are set for a broadband data boost. NBN Co has announced new plans that will no longer count the use of essential internet services towards monthly data allowances. This includes email, general web browsing, internet banking and critical software updates.
The new Sky Muster™ Plus product is scheduled to be available next year for eligible users in NBN Co’s satellite network footprint. This new product will help deliver fast download speeds by providing access to a wholesale 25Mbps product that can now go above 25Mbps wholesale speed when applications and network support allows.
The new plans mean that when a user exhausts their monthly data allowance, wholesale download speeds will not be slowed down for regular web activities like those mentioned above. For more information about this update, see www.nbn.com.au/regional.
