State politics has been in a lot of headlines over the past few days, and largely the reasons for that haven’t been particularly good. The NSW Parliament has six sitting days left for this year, and the next two weeks are a good opportunity for us to continue to promote the good work being done by the Berejiklian government.
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Over the past week there have been some significant announcements made that impact on people from all walks of life across the electorate, and they are the things we should be focused on as we draw closer to next year’s election. One of those announcements was that the NSW Government NSW has struck its first Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with one of China’s largest airlines to boost tourism regional NSW. China Eastern Airlines is responsible for a lucrative market share of inbound flights to Sydney and the new deal is set to grow the market even further.
Over the past five years, tourism from China to NSW has more than doubled – from 391,000 to 793,000 visitors while the amount they’ve spent has grown by 153 per cent, making these travellers our most lucrative tourism market worth $3.4 billion. With Taronga Western Plains Zoo, the Wellington Caves and Mudgee’s wineries, the Dubbo electorate has some of the most appealing and marketable tourism locations available. The MoU will see investment in marketing campaigns, media familiarisations and new itineraries to drive visitation to Sydney and regional NSW from seven Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Xi’an, Wuhan and Kunming.
Construction
Last week the government also announced that we will be cracking down on rogue construction and demolition waste operators and providing incentives for good behaviour. A reform package was announced last week, which includes stronger measures to protect the community and environment. Under the changes, construction and demolition waste facilities will have tighter inspection controls and constant video monitoring. There is also a new, $15,000 on-the-spot fine and penalties of up to $44,000 for illegally digging up old landfills. From now on, landfills can only be dug up in cases of emergency or with specific permission of the EPA.
Parliament
Finally this week, on Wednesday evening I will be delivering my valedictory speech to the NSW Parliament. Politics is such an intense thing, but preparing for this speech has given me a chance to reflect on what an amazing journey the past eight years has been for me and my family. I will outline more in the speech on Wednesday, but I firmly believe I am leaving the Dubbo electorate in a better position than it was in when I first got elected back in 2011. So much has been achieved across not only Dubbo, but the outlying towns and villages that make this a terrific place to represent.
