Coulton's Catch Up - July 18, 2023

Strengthening Rural Communities

I’m pleased to welcome funding for several groups in the Parkes electorate under the Australian government and Foundation For Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) program. These grants are awarded for projects that sup- port small yet vital community needs, disaster resilience and COVID-19 recov- ery initiatives.

Communities from the Parkes elec- torate received funding in each of the three SRC funding streams of round 16: Small and Vital:

• Collie CWA Cultivating Comm- unity Connections - $10,000.

• Dunedoo Historical Museum Digitising of Museum Catalogue - $3758.

• Western Landcare NSW Inc. Broken Hill 2023 Western Warriors - $10,000.
Prepare and Recover - 2022 Floods:

• Lower Lachlan Community Services Inc Festival of the Lakes 2023 - $10,000.
Rebuilding Regional Communities - Micro:

• Coolah Historical and Tourism Society’s Cunningham 200-year Celebration - $10,000.

• ORISCON Dubbo’s Festival of Colours 2024 - $5000.

Round 18 is now open, with applica- tions closing in August. For more infor- mation visit the FRRR website.

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Energy efficiency grants

It’s wonderful to see that several businesses in the Parkes electorate have successfully applied for funding through round one of the Australian govern- ment’s Energy Efficiency Grants for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises program.

These grants provide up to $25,000 to support businesses to upgrade or replace equipment to improve their energy efficiency. The aim is to assist industries in reducing their energy use and emissions, and I’m pleased to see the government making grants available, as with financial pressures bearing down on so many this is not something easily achieved without support.

Eight projects received funding in the Parkes electorate, including a number of projects for businesses in Dubbo.

There was a high level of interest in round one and I am informed that a sec- ond round of grants with more available funding is planned for 2024.

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New amenities for Gwydir Fitness Centre

The Gwydir Fitness Centre has been fitted out with new amenities thanks to phase three of the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) Program. I was pleased to cut the ribbon last week to officially open the new and improved amenities with finance manager for Gwydir Shire Council, Graham Cutmore.

This program was initiated under the coalition government in order to support local governments to deliver improvements in their areas, so I’m thrilled to see practical outcomes in towns across the Parkes electorate.