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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

More families will have access to preschool thanks to a new round of funding creating additional places in preschools for children on waitlists. The NSW Government is continuing its commitment to increase access to preschool for communities across the state with another round of Start Strong Capital Works Grants for community preschools. Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders said he understands that preschool is incredibly important to a child’s development and their performance later in their schooling. “Not only are we helping cater to growing demand for more places in preschools with these grants, we’re also supporting jobs in

Businesses are encouraged to sign up for a free-of-charge webinar to learn about NSW Government support for workers and their employers, with a focus on insurance, workers compensation and workplace relations. Funded by the NSW Government, the NSW Small Business COVID-19 Information Webinar – Business Support and Wellbeing is targeted at business owners and will launch on Thursday, 25 June. The event will be facilitated by Small Business Commission speakers and will include representatives from the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), NSW Office of Industrial Relations and icare. The webinar will cover topics such as:  Understanding health and wellbeing; the