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Councils in the Dubbo Electorate can sign up for a share of $1.3 million in NSW Government funding to deliver free events, activities or experiences to enliven local public spaces this summer. Member for the Dubbo Electorate Dugald Saunders said grants of up to $10,000 were available through the ‘Festival of Place Summer Fun(d)’ program to activate the community and encourage people to stay local. “Councils are encouraged to deliver free activities such as innovative lighting displays, outdoor markets, micro-festivals, open-air theatre, street parties, lawn libraries and street entertainment,” Mr Saunders said. “Businesses across the Mid-Western, Dubbo and Narromine regions […]

The children of the Dubbo Electorate believe the most important thing about Christmas is family, according to Member for the Dubbo Electorate Dugald Saunders. Mr Saunders called for primary-school children to help design his Christmas card this year, and the winner is 9-year-old Amelia Laws from St Mary’s Primary School in Dubbo. Hot on her heels was 11-year-old Maisie Stanley from St Augustine’s Parish School, Narromine, with 10-year-old Sienna Newstead from St Pius X Primary School, Dubbo earning third place. “There were hundreds of entries this year and the overwhelming theme was that family should be together for Christmas,” Mr

Retirement village residents across the Dubbo Electorate will be protected by new laws that increase safeguards around the sale of their property, and provide early access to their financial entitlements to meet the cost of moving into aged care. Member for the Dubbo Electorate Dugald Saunders said that the changes have increased accountability and transparency in the retirement village sector. “We have introduced a raft of new reforms that will improve access to exit entitlements, make the transition to aged care easier and cap the period of time residents pay recurrent charges for general services,” Mr Saunders said. “This is

Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders has backed a $300 million increase to the Regional Growth Fund as part of the 2020-21 NSW Budget. Mr Saunders said this transformational fund will include another round of the $100 million Stronger Country Communities Fund, which was responsible for delivering projects such as the Wellington Caves Education Zone, amenity upgrades at Billy Dunn Oval in Gulgong, a new playground at Dundas Park in Narromine and the Soil2Soul program that provides opportunities to at-risk youth in Dubbo. “The Regional Growth Fund has delivered vital projects to all parts of the Dubbo electorate. This

Tradies across the Dubbo electorate will now have greater protections to ensure they are paid on time and in full, following the introduction of new laws by the NSW Government. Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders said changes to the Security of Payments Act will deliver faster payouts for contractors and subcontractors and quicker and fairer dispute resolution. “These reforms will raise the level of protection for local tradies and subbies so they know they’ll be paid the money they are owed on time,” Mr Saunders said. “At a time when many small building businesses are doing it extremely

Tourism businesses across the Dubbo Electorate can now register for a series of free online industry events to hear expert advice about the domestic market, how to sell bookable products online and how to work with different distribution partners. The events, which include webinars and digital training, are hosted by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW and are free for businesses to participate. Member for the Dubbo Electorate Dugald Saunders said businesses and the region would benefit from this industry-focused advice. “This is free, expert advice for tourism businesses that will help our community to attract

Today the NSW Government has taken the difficult but proactive decision to tighten restrictions in NSW (see the Government’s full media release below). We understand that this will be disappointing for many but the reality is that once COVID-19 gets into the community it moves very quickly. We must contain this virus and it is indoor activities that pose the greatest risk. It’s absolutely crucial that everyone does their bit to help stop this virus in its tracks. All of us need to take some personal responsibility and do the right things. We know what those things are: stay home

Domestic violence victim-survivors across the Dubbo electorate will have more vital help available during the COVID-19 pandemic, with four local services receiving more funding as part of the NSW and Federal Governments’ recent $21 million investment. Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders said specialist support services will receive a funding boost of more than $320,000 for: Dubbo Homelessness and Housing Support Service Mid-Western Homelessness and Housing Support Service Staying Home Leaving Violence Dubbo; and Dubbo Emergency Accommodation Project. “The pandemic has caused unprecedented stress on families, and as such has increased the potential for domestic abuse in homes, so

Motorists in our region are saving up to $500 a year on the cost of fuel by joining the one million people in NSW who have now downloaded the NSW Government’s free FuelCheck app. Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders said the app provides motorists with real-time information on petrol prices for all fuel types and service stations across NSW. “We know that every dollar counts at the moment – which is why every driver should have the FuelCheck app downloaded to their smart phone,” Mr Saunders said. “The app stops the guessing game by giving motorists real-time prices