Out and About in the Community

It has been great to catch up with so many community members at the Gwandalan Village markets and the Sanctuary Residential Village at Redhead, during my recent mobile office events.

This Saturday, I will be at the Pelican markets, so drop by for a chat or to discuss any local issues.

Cost-of-Living Hub

The Minns Labor Government has launched the Cost-of-Living Hub.

The Hub contains resources and tools to help ease cost-of-living pressures allowing people to access information from more than 80 government and non-government websites in one place. 

The Cost-of-Living Hub focuses on seven key areas covering everyday essentials including:

• Food and groceries – ways to save on your weekly food bill and reduce food wastage.
• Housing - NSW Government home-buyer incentives, managing rent increases and mortgage help.
• Energy and utilities - checking eligibility for Energy Bill Relief and gas rebates, reducing power usage to decrease your bills, requesting a payment plan and seeking emergency assistance.
• Managing money - accessing support and advice if you're experiencing financial hardship, avoiding scams and using a tool to more effectively manage your budget.
• Health – reviewing your private health cover to find a policy that’s right for you and understanding safety nets to access cheaper medicine.
• Families and care - eligibility for the childcare subsidy, finding children's education and care services to support working parents and affordable help around the home for seniors and older Australians.
• Transport, driving and fuel – tips for finding cheaper fuel, cost-saving driving techniques, transport alternatives and tips for choosing insurance.

The Cost of Living Hub can be viewed here.

Delivering for our Essential Workers

The Minns Labor Government is delivering for our local essential workers. As part of our commitment to convert 10,000 teachers and 6,000 support staff to permanent positions.

In Swansea, 177 teachers and support staff have taken up permanent positions. While across NSW over 12,000 teachers and support staff have taken up the offer across the state.

This comes on the back of the Rural Health Workforce Incentive scheme payment being doubled to $20,000 to attract health workers to our regional and rural hospitals.

Class 359 Attestation

It is always an honor to welcome the newest Police recruits when they attest at Goulburn Police Academy. I joined the Police Commissioner at the attestation of Class 359 as 159 new recruits attested to commence work at police stations right around the state. This included new Police at both the Lake Macquarie Police Area Command and Tuggerah Lakes Police Area Command.

I had the chance to address the new recruits and expressed my admiration for their hard work and determination to make NSW a safer place.

Liberals Come Clean on Plan to Sack Nurses

Former Liberal Treasurer Matt Kean came clean in question time last week that had the Liberals been re-elected they planned to sack 1,112 nurses.

The Former Treasurer claimed the nurses were only hired to handle a patient surge during COVID-19. We all know the challenges our health system faces and the need to retain and train more nurses.

The Liberal's plan would have seen 138 nurses sacked in the Hunter and 57 on the Coast.

The Minns Labor Government is committed to investing and rebuilding our health system.

Belmont & District Residents' Action Group

The Belmont & District Residents' Action Group is a local community group that advocates on behalf of Belmont and surrounding suburbs on a range of local issues. The group engages with local, state and federal levels of government. The group is seeking new members and if you would like to join, please contact Robin Gordon on robingordon1942@gmail.com.

Habitat Action Grants

Calling all local anglers, community groups, and land managers. The latest round of Habitat Action Grants are now open.

Grants of up to $40,000 are available for projects including the:

• removal or modification of barriers to fish passage
• rehabilitation of riparian lands (river banks, wetlands, mangrove forests, saltmarsh)
• re-snagging waterways with timber structure
• removal of exotic vegetation from waterways and replace with native species
• bank stabilisation works.

Applications close at 5pm on 29 September. For more information or to apply visit the website.

Belmont Hospital Volunteer Auxiliary

The Belmont Hospital Volunteer Auxiliary truly are a great help to hospital staff. Beginning 50 years ago with a trolley service to patients and staff, the Auxiliary now has a team of more than 30 volunteers who provide 3 services:

• Patient Care which does administration work for all the departments within the hospital. It also sells craft and personal items to assist our patients and visitors
• Meet & Greet work from the foyer and assist visitors navigate around our hospital
• Kiosk provides food and beverages to staff, visitors and patients

All services run 5 days per week. The Auxiliary are always looking for more volunteers to join their team. They work on a weekly or fortnightly roster (with the option to work full or half days). If you are keen to join this wonderful team call Fay Smith (President) on 0427 488 499 or Doris Lack (Vice President) on 0405 059 747.

Savings for Pensioners 

The rise in the cost of living has been hitting many people hard, especially pensioners. Here are 10 ways for NSW pensioners to save:

1. Council rate rebates: Pensioners are entitled to up to $250 a year off their council rates. For more information visit the Lake Macquarie City Council and Central Coast Council websites. 
2. Electricity rebate: The Low Income Household Rebate will shave up to $285 a year off your electricity bill for households with a retail provider.
3. Gas rebate: This rebate will give you a discount of up to $110 a year.
4. Water rates: Eligible pensioners can access a quarterly rebate, shaving hundreds of dollars a year off a typical household bill. 
5. Revenue NSW Unclaimed Money: Find “lost” money waiting to be claimed from inactive bank accounts, shares and investments, insurance policies, unpaid wages, unclaimed super and deceased estates.
6. Travel vouchers: Pensioners are entitled to four Pensioner Travel Vouchers each calendar year. They can be used for two return or four single trips, giving access to free or discounted travel in economy class on NSW TrainLink Regional services within regional NSW.
7. Free car rego: Pensioners in NSW don’t pay registration fees or motor vehicle tax on one of their cars. They also receive free driver’s licences, free driving tests and concessions on the cost of Mobility Parking Scheme permits.
8. Free glasses: You can get yourself one pair of single vision glasses or one pair of bifocal glasses in a two-year period under the NSW Spectacles Program.
9. Seniors Card: The NSW Seniors Card is packed with discounts for thousands of retailers and services across the state from groceries to tradespeople and insurance.

I encourage all seniors to apply for these savings if they haven't already.