Eligible businesses which are exporting, or were exporting before being impacted by COVID-19, bushfires or drought, could qualify for grants of up to $10,000 under the Export Assistance Grants Program. Businesses can claim eligible export-related expenses and I urge all local exporting businesses to consider applying.

Tamworth’s emergency response has been boosted following the official handover of a new $187,000 Light Storm Vehicle to the NSW SES Tamworth Unit. Tamworth people can be assured their local SES is well equipped should a storm or other disaster strike.

The Manilla and District Soldiers Memorial Hall will be given an upgrade with the aid of $10,000 from the Community War Memorials Fund. The funding will be used to install a new security across the front of the hall and honour rolls.. The remotely controlled shutters will give members of the public greater access to the honour rolls and to the hall’s main entrance.

The NSW Government has stepped in to bring information technology (IT) to aged care residents in Manilla. A one-off donation of $3,200 will contribute to the purchase of four iPads for those in the aged care wing of the Manilla Multi-Purpose Service to help them bridge the great divides of distance, time and generations.

Road surface upgrades and better waterway crossings to improve safety and reduce vehicle wear and tear are a step closer for motorists on Rangari Road. The NSW Government has allocated an additional $1.4 million to the rad project, taking the Government’s total commitment to $10.4 million. I am keen to see the work start as soon as possible.

Work to improve safety on the New England Highway at Kootingal will start early next year following recent community consultation. The upgrade will rebuild and widen the road, and install widened centre lines to increase the separation of vehicles on the highwy between Braefarm and Sandy Roads.

The Tamworth economy is set to benefit from 60 new jobs following a NSW Government decision to locate a TAFE NSW Shared Services Centre in the city.

It will be a service centre on steroids including student sales and support, admissions, customer enquiries and transactional activities.

The 2020 NSW Budget has delivered the much needed funding to complete the many projects underway in the Tamworth electorate.

More than $235 million dollars has been invested to improve infrastructure, provide better services and meet the demands of our local communities.

Our farming sector is a big winner in the NSW Budget with the injection of $5.8 million for a world class Food and Fibre facility at the DPI’s Tamworth Agricultural Institute.

The funding will go towards the construction of buildings to house state-of-the-art breeding facilities.

Work on a $10 million upgrade of Werris Creek Road will begin soon, delivering safer and more efficient journeys along the key route between Tamworth and Quirindi.

The work will involve improving the surface and road shoulders as well as enhancing line markings.

Calls for funding to progress the multi-million Gunnedah Hospital upgrade have been heard and answered.

It’s expected the cost of preliminary planning will be approximately $500,000 and I will be pushing for the work to begin as soon as possible.

The NSW Budget has allocated $9 million to help secure Walcha’s water supply into the future.

The funding will go towards construction of a new 300 megalitre off-steam storage facility

A major milestone in NSW’s largest school building program has been marked in Tamworth with the delivery of the 50th school capital project for 2020, more than any other year

The Minister for Education, Sarah Mitchell joined with Tamworth Public School teachers and students to open the $14.8 million upgraded school facilities

It was great to inspect the Rural Fire Service’s (RFS) new fire mitigation resources at its North Western Command Mitigation Hub in Tamworth and welcome new Mitigation Staff.

The number of RFS positions has increased from four to ten and the variety and number of fire mitigation machinery has also significantly increased.

Gunnedah locals can become part of local history through being among the first to walk over the town’s new $61 million bridge on 22 November. This is the biggest road infrastructure project Gunnedah has ever seen and I want the community to be the first to check out the new structure for themselves. Tickets will be available through the Gunnedah bridge project webpage.

The allocation of three additional ambulances to the Tamworth electorate is great news. The extra units will arrive in Walcha, Gunnedah and Tamworth in coming weeks and will be modified as necessary to suit local conditions. The additional units, with life saving equipment on board will help our paramedics help us, when we need it most.

For the first time, the Tamworth RSL Sub-Branch has organised an internet link to its Remembrance Day service in Tamworth Town Hall. It means anyone can link to the live stream from 10.30 am at https://youtu.be/JC3pP0K7bvs I encourage everyone to take a few moments to pause and reflect on the 11th hour of the 11th month.

The community has fought hard to have the Police Dog Unit return to the Oxley Local Area Command and it is pleasing to see the day arrive. Those contemplating criminal activity should consider that a police officer’s actions may be predictable, but a highly trained dog is far less so.

Customers in Tamworth will benefit from more than 90 extra weekly bus services to improve connectivity and better meet customer needs in the region. From 23 November 93 additional weekly services will provide customers with more convenience to move around the city.

Safety for students at Tamworth West Public School will be boosted by one of 98 new school crossing supervisors across the state under the NSW Government’s $18.5 million commitment to improve student safety. The new supervisor will monitor children at the crossing on Church Street as they walk to and from school.