Northern Rivers Echo

Ministerial visits

Last week I was honoured to have three Ministers visit the Lismore electorate. It is always a privilege to be able to show and discuss local issues first hand.

On Monday Stuart Ayres, Minister for Trade, Tourism, Major Events & Sport attended a workshop with local exporters and met with local sporting organisations.

On Wednesday Rob Stokes, Minister for Planning launched the Draft North Coast Regional Plan and announced the finalisation of the environmental zoning reforms for the Far North Coast. This will enable local councils to confirm the most appropriate zone for environmentally important areas while ensuring agricultural land is protected.

On Friday Pru Goward, Assistant Minister for Health launched the Stimulant Treatment Program (STP) for Northern NSW to help fight Ice addition in the region.

Operating as a hub-and-spoke model and co-located with local drug and alcohol services based in Lismore, the highly effective, specialised program will service the hotspots of Tweed, Casino, Grafton, Ballina and surrounding areas.

This new STP is good news for locals who need to access highly effective drug and alcohol treatment programs and services as well as appropriate follow up, and ultimately improve health outcomes.

Local Woman of the Year

Minister Goward also joined me in announcing the 2016 Local Woman of the Year for the Lismore electorate is Maree Burke from Murwillumbah.

Maree’s nomination recognises her outstanding achievements over 60 years of hard work and dedication as a committed community member and volunteer.