One of the highlights was discussion with Fiona Nash who has responsibility for Local Government and Regional Development. Part of her portfolio includes regional funding programs and she has recently announced the Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) to support infrastructure and community initiatives in areas outside of major cities. The new fund will assess projects across three categories depending on the size of the project. This means applications for smaller grants will not be competing with large projects for funding. 

I was fortunate to attend the Harden Kite festival on the weekend with Member for Cootamundra Katrina Hodgkinson and Member for Riverina Michael McCormack. My congratulations to the hard working committee who organised a wonderful event that attracted record crowds.

I also want to thank the Community Drug Action Team for organising the Ice Forum last week. Those in attendance listened to well informed speakers about this insidious drug and received information about the services available in the region. It is important as a community that we are informed and vigilant in the fight against drugs and ensure our children are educated about the issue to enable them to make the right choices.

In Boorowa I welcomed the South West Group of the Country Women’s Association for their annual conference and it was an honour to be able to speak with this dynamic group of women about the Hilltops Region.