Boosting teacher numbers in the bush

More teachers are on their way to public school classrooms across NSW, particularly in the regions, with the next round of applications for two popular NSW government teaching programs opening today. The FASTstream and Mid-Career Transition to Teaching programs were first offered last year and the response was amazing. The FASTstream program received more than…

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New freight transport advisory council launched

Nationals Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway has launched the new NSW Freight Transport Advisory Council (FTAC). Mr Farraway said the new council would replace the Freight and Logistics Advisory Council (FLAC) and the Road Freight Industry Council (RFIC) and represent the entire freight chain across different transport modes with a single body.…

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New flood recovery centres open

Two pop-up Recovery Centres will open to flood-affected communities on the Central Coast today. Nationals Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said the Recovery Centres, located at Spencer and The Entrance, would assist communities transition from response into clean-up and recovery. “Recovering after a flood event is an…

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Targeted help for schools to succeed

All NSW public schools will benefit from high quality support aimed at improving educational outcomes for their students, with a strong focus on lifting reading and numeracy results. Nationals Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said the targeted support, a central aspect of the School Success Model, means schools receive high impact programs…

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Support rolled out in flood-impacted regions

In the 12 days since the first disaster declarations were made for this devastating flood event, around $1.5 billion of support has been committed to the recovery from the NSW Government in partnership with the Commonwealth. In addition to the financial response, on-the-ground support from NSW emergency services and the Australian Defence Force today reached…

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Historic milestone as new Maitland Hospital opens

The Hunter Valley community is celebrating first-class health care close to home, with the official opening of the new $470 million Maitland Hospital. The major strategic priorities for the new hospital are: • Emergency services, Emergency Short Stay Unit (ESSU) and Psychiatric Emergency Care • Intensive care and critical care • Medical and surgical inpatient…

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Accommodation support for flood victims

A new $285 million Temporary Housing Support Package will provide accommodation support to flood victims who have lost their homes to ensure people can access more immediate and medium term accommodation support. The housing support package will have the capacity to assist around 25,000 households and be focused on allowing people to move out of…

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Rethink weekend travel through the Blue Mountains

Sydney visitors to the Central West and those from the west heading to Sydney are urged to delay their weekend travel across the Blue Mountains, with continuing impacts to road and rail networks from recent flooding. Deputy Premier, Minister for Regional New South Wales, and Member for Bathurst Paul Toole said flood damage along the…

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Regional kids buckle up for safer school bus journeys

Students in regional communities can now buckle up and ride to and from school more safely with seatbelts installed in every dedicated school bus in rural and regional NSW. Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the $237 million seatbelt program would give regional students, their families and entire communities the reassurance…

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Doors open at flood recovery centres

Dedicated community Recovery Centres are now operating in Ballina, Casino, Kyogle, Lismore, Mullumbimby and Murwillumbah to provide face-to-face support for locals affected by the unprecedented flood event. Resilience NSW staff at each Recovery Centre will help flood victims navigate through the recovery process. Deputy Premier Paul Toole said the Recovery Centres would allow impacted locals…

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Historic Prince Alfred Bridge memorial options

The NSW Nationals in the state government have commissioned a heritage expert to memorialise the Prince Alfred Bridge at Gundagai. Conrad Gargett Group Pty Ltd will assess community feedback and identify the most appropriate tribute for the timber road viaduct. Nationals Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the nearly 140 memorial ideas that had been…

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Activating eco-tourism at Flirtation Hill

Mudgee is set to add another family-friendly attraction to its abundant tourism offerings, thanks to a partnership between the NSW Nationals in the state government and Mid-Western Regional Council. Nationals Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders has announced $375,000 from the Regional Tourism Acceleration Fund for the Council to develop tourism infrastructure at Flirtation Hill. “Mudgee’s…

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