North Coast National Show

North Coast National Show

Congratulations to the President John Gibson and his Show Committee, volunteers, showgirls, participants and exhibitors on a wonderful show. The welcomed rain did not dampen spirits and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be present for the postponed official opening, which occurred on Friday evening. I was very impressed with the standard of exhibits in all sections. In particular the stud beef cattle again reinforced the quality and value of the industry to this area and the led steer competition certainly was equal to any in the country. I was also very pleased to see the follow-up attendance at the carcass presentation on Tuesday.

Duke of Edinburgh Awards

Last week I was honoured to present Duke of Edinburgh Awards to students at St John's College, Woodlawn. Congratulations to the students, together with the Awards Co-ordinator Ted Davey.

2003/04 Regional Sports Facility Program

I would like to urge local sporting committees to consider applying for funds under the 2003/04 Regional Sports Facility Program that provides funds to develop and enhance the network of sporting and recreational facilities that meets the needs of the general community and may incorporate uses for talented and elite athletes. This region has produced many representatives and to be able to provide local facilities to foster our future talent would benefit the community as a whole. Application forms are available from my office upon request or the Department website at www.dsr.nsw.gov.au. The closing date is 12 December 2003.

Clubs Receive GST Exemption

Last week the Coalition demanded NSW Treasurer Michael Egan ask the Federal Government to extend the GST rebate on gaming machine revenue to ALL clubs in the area. I welcomed the announcement by Coalition Leader John Brogden that he had secured the rebate for 889 clubs. This will go a long way to helping the clubs such as Urbenville Bowling Club, Woodenbong Golf Club, Bonalbo Bowling Club, Nimbin Bowling Club and other clubs within the Lismore electorate. Hopefully, as a result of the efforts put in by the Opposition, they will not only survive but will be able to continue their tremendous community work. However, there are still 508 clubs, such as the Lismore Workers Club, Lismore RSL Club and Casino RSM Club that Michael Egan is refusing to ask the Howard Government to provide the rebate for.

Stamp Duty

The NSW stamp duty crisis has escalated with new figures revealing huge increases in stamp duty right metropolitan and regional NSW. Last year the Carr Government collected a record $3.5 billion from Stamp Duty and this included a windfall of an unbudgeted $830 million. Only weeks ago, Mr Carr said another $125 million "windfall" had been collected by the State Government. The Coalition has launched an on-line petition supporting a cut in stamp duty and this can be signed at www.cutstampduty.com. Coalition Leader John Brogden will introduce into Parliament later this week a Stamp Duty Reduction Bill which would start cut stamp duty from 1 July 2004. The Bill cuts stamp duty by 5% on 1 July 2004 and rises to a 10% cut by 1 July 2006. It also provides relief for first home buyers in regional NSW by equalising the "First Home Plus" city and country thresholds. Within the Lismore electorate the cost of stamp duty in the past 12 months has risen by over 100% in Casino and between 50-75% in Lismore.

2004 Seniors Week Grants & Achievement Awards

Applications for 2004 Seniors Week Grants and Achievement Awards have opened. Grant applications are being sought from non-profit organisations, volunteer organisations, local government and community groups to assist the development and/or organisation of local Seniors Week projects. The one-off grants are available in one of three categories of funding, up to $500, up to $1,000 and up to $5,000. A maximum of two application forms per organisation will be accepted. The Achievement Awards highlight and recognise NSW seniors for their contribution to the development of our community, for their leadership and for their initiative. The Awards specifically seek to recognise seniors who are continuing to make a significant contribution to the community. One individual and one organisation per NSW region will be awarded for their achievement in each of the following categories - Business Mentoring, Community Service & Volunteering, Education/Life-Long Learning, Environment/Science, Health & Well Being and Intergenerational Understanding. Application forms and more information on the grant guidelines are available from my Electorate Office. Applications for grants close 21 November 2003 and the achievement awards on 5 January 2004.