The new bridge will provide one in 100 year flood immunity, reduce disruption to traffic caused by road closures, and improve safety for motorists.  Work on the new bridge will start on Tuesday 7 March and take around one year to complete.  A side track will be constructed to maintain access for road users during work with a reduced speed limit of 60km/h in place for the safety of workers and motorists. For the latest traffic updates, you can call 132 701, visit livetraffic.com or download the Live Traffic NSW App.

The first round of 2017 funding for the Community War Memorials Fund (CWMF) is now open.  The CWMF is designed to protect and repair local war memorials, which preserves the Anzac legacy. I urge Councils, veterans groups and community organisations around Barwon to apply for the fund, which provides the opportunity for all NSW communities to access up to $10,000. 

Ensuring local war memorials remain in great condition is an essential part of honouring Australian service men and women who sacrificed so much for our nation and the CWMF ensures communities have the opportunity to protect and conserve war memorials. 

The CWMF recently funded the painting of the Bellata War Memorial Hall and a conservation assessment report for the Broken Hill War Memorial. Applications will be assessed by the State War Memorial Committee, which is made up of NSW RSL, Public Works Advisory, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and Veterans’ Affairs. For more information, including application forms, go tohttp://veterans.nsw.gov.au/heritage/community-war-memorials-fund/

The NSW Government will spend $48 million to provide an enhanced insurance scheme with a minimum of five years’ income protection for on duty claims, and a specialised health program for NSW Ambulance Service paramedics. The funding will ensure the state’s frontline health providers can get the support they need to stay healthy and are supported to get back to work if they are injured.  Our paramedics provide an invaluable service to the community and work tirelessly to help keep us safe and healthy.  It is important that we do everything we can to help them stay safe and healthy too.  They work in difficult and dangerous circumstances and need appropriate support if they are injured at work.  In addition, our new wellbeing program will further help prevent mental and physical injuries and support paramedics to return to work.  The $48 million investment includes:

NSW Ambulance staff will vote on the proposal in coming weeks.

This week is a rare week back in the Narrabri Shire to catch up on a number of local issues, before I head back to Parliament House again at the end of the week.  I will be in and out of the Narrabri Electorate Office, so please feel free to get in touch if you would like a meeting.

Thumbs up to the appointment of Steve Bradshaw as the Recovery Coordinator for the Sir Ivan bushfire.  Steve is a common sense, no-nonsense bloke who will work with the Recovery Committee, Council, Government and non-Government organisations to ensure assistance gets to those who need it and gets there quickly, and I’m glad we’ve got him on board for this job.