Greyhound owners across the region will have their registration fees waived for another 12 months. This is great news for our local owners and trainers as we’re seeing an easing in restrictions, which in time will allow more people to return to tracksides.

With community sport and recreation about to kick off, a Community Sport Recovery Package has been announced to provide financial support and assistance. This is great news for our sporting teams and clubs across the region with grants of up to $1,000 to assist them for when sport resumes on 1 July.

Barriers imposed by social isolation restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic will be tackled and eased with a grant of $11,258 to Gunnedah’s Winanga-Li Elders Link. The funding will ensure that Aboriginal Elders in Gunnedah, Tamworth and around the district can participate in and contribute to their community during their experience of COVID-19 distancing or isolation.

A Local Sport Grant of $5,000 will help to create opportunities for junior baseball players in Tamworth, with a plan to subsidise fees and to buy uniforms and playing equipment. This is great news for baseball in Tamworth, it is a sport that is a solid fixture in this region.

The consultation process for the next NSW Ageing Strategy is now open and locals are encouraged to contribute to the planning for managing an ageing population in the region. Individuals and organisations are invited to be part of the opportunity to help shape the new strategy by providing input via online consultation forums or submitting a survey response.

Local construction businesses can now register their interest to help build the $480 million Dungowan Dam and Pipeline project through a new online WaterNSW portal aimed at increasing local involvement. If you own or operate a local business in the Tamworth region please register with WaterNSW so we can share your details with our project delivery partner and contractors.

A common sense approach has prevailed in relation to holding critical water supplies in Chaffey Dam for as long as possible during one of the worst droughts on record. This breakthrough has come after a series of meetings with the NSW Government and key local stakeholders .

Gymnasiums, yoga, indoor pools and dance studios can reopen within a fortnight and kids’ community sport can resume across the region from 1 July, as more COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. This is great news for those people who are really missing the physical challenge that going to the gym, a yoga class or a session on the dance floor can deliver.

It’s time to hitch up the boat as the gates to local dams and associated recreational areas are open in time for the Queen’s Birthday long weekend as COVID-19 lockdown restrictions continue to ease. WaterNSW will be opening their picnic and barbecue areas, walking tracks and public toilets to dams like Keepit, Chaffey and Split Rock for day use only.

Canteen facilities for Gunnedah’s Junior Rugby League are about to receive an upgrade with a $1,208 Local Sport Grant. The upgrade of storage cabinets and patching some holes in the roof of the Longmuir Playing Fields canteen will make life much better for the volunteers who run it during the footy season.

Applications are now open for the $15,000 Bert Evans Apprentice Scholarships and all hard working apprentices are encouraged to make an application. The scholarships support apprentices who are experiencing financial or personal hardship, demonstrate a high aptitude for vocational education and are committed to their on and off the job training.

The show is certain to go on with $327,705 to four local showgrounds to upgrade and improve the safety, use and condition of their buildings and support jobs in the local economy. This is great news for these towns. It has been a difficult time in our region with the impact of the drought, the bush fires and of course the COVID-19 pandemic.

Female toilet facilities at the Gunnedah Pistol Club are in for a long overdue makeover with a $4,100 Local Sports Grant. This is great news for the Club as the facilities are pretty much unchanged since the Club was established about 50 years ago.

A perfect pick-me-up for COVID-19 blues presents on Monday, 1 June with beauty and nail salon operators allowed to begin treatments under strict COVID-safe guidelines. This is great news for these small businesses who have been doing it tough since the social-distancing restrictions were introduced a couple of months ago. But we should always be aware, the key to the relaxing of this restriction is introducing practices to protect the safety of both customers and beauticians.

Domestic violence victim-survivors in the region will receive vital help available during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a share of more than $21 million invested to boost frontline services and other supports. This package will be a great boost to locals impacted by domestic violence or provide help to protect women and children and ultimately to save lives

Nominations are officially open for the 2020 Hidden Treasures Honour Roll. The Hidden Treasures roll shines a spotlight on the contribution of women in this region who willingly lend their time and skills to make the community a better place. Female volunteers from Barraba to Bendemeer, Werris Creek to Walcha and Manilla to Nundle keep local organisations running, lend a helping hand where it is needed, fight bushfires and so much more.

Preliminary works for the $480 million Dungowan Dam project are expected to begin in October after the signing of agreements today with partner company WaterSecure to oversee the project. Water is one of the most important issues affecting Tamworth’s residents and this is why I have fought tooth and nail to fast track this project.

The forestry and timber industry in the Walcha area will benefit from the planting of 500,000 softwood seedlings after the summer’s disastrous bushfires. The rejuvenation of burnt-out forests over the next 12 months will grow into timber for house frames, floorboards, decks, fences, bridges, power poles and other essential renewable timber products.

Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson has congratulated semi-retired Tamworth farmer, Keith Harris, who has been elected to his second term on the board of the North West Region of the Local Land Services. Mr Anderson said while the impact of the drought was no longer visible, the long-reaching effects of an unprecedented drought were still in play.

The appointment of two full-time Patient Experience Officers at Tamworth Rural Referral Hospital will create a welcoming and safe environment for everyone who arrives at the emergency department.