Category Archives: Junee Shire

Junee’s historic Athenium Theatre is set to receive a major enhancement thanks to a grant totalling over $1.5 million through the NSW Government’s Creative Capital program.  

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke and Minister for the Arts Ben Franklin announced the funding which will ensure the community can access a greater variety of arts and culture performances.  

“The Athenium Theatre is a historical landmark for the region and through the support of the NSW Government it can now present high-calibre performances and shows for the enjoyment of the local community,” Ms Cooke said. 

“This upgrade will re-work the kitchenette and entry space to become a new multi-purpose area, additional backstage dressing rooms and rehearsal space will also be created as part of the upgrade. In addition to this, a solar panel system will be installed. 

“The works will enhance Junee’s iconic Athenium Theatre to be a fully functional performance centre, allow more of the building’s potential and capacity to be realised.” 

Mr Franklin said this project will upgrade the Athenium into a venue of choice for touring programs, regional performances and events within the Riverina region and NSW.  

“This important investment will improve the theatre’s capacity as a premier venue to attract a greater variety of cultural experiences and community uses,” said Mr Franklin.  

“Increasing the possible entertainment options of the theatre will strengthen the regional tourism offering and boost the Junee economy.”  

Junee Shire Council Mayor Neil Smith said Junee’s iconic Athenium Theatre is an important place for the community to experience exciting arts and cultural activities.  

“I am confident this state-of-the-art facility will significantly benefit our community by ensuring everyone can access creative experiences and further enticing visitors to the beautiful Riverina region,” Cr Smith said.  

Further details on the Creative Capital program are available on the Create NSW website at www.create.nsw.gov.au  

An innovative program that helps victim-survivors of domestic violence to stay safely in a home of their choice is being expanded to 14 additional local government areas across the state.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said that the expansion of this important program builds on the NSW Government’s strong response to supporting people impacted by domestic and family violence.

“The expansion of the Staying Home Leaving Violence program is an important addition to our community and will provide women with a safe location where they can receive the support they need,” Ms Cooke said.

“This program has a proven track record, and I am thrilled that the expansion to include additional areas within the region will mean more women will be able to access this vital service.”

Minister for Women’s Safety and the Prevention of Domestic and Sexual Violence, Natalie Ward, said the expansion of the Staying Home Leaving Violence program would provide support to more vulnerable women across NSW.

“The Staying Home Leaving Violence program provides support to women and children who have suffered domestic violence by allowing them to stay safely and heal in their own home while the perpetrator is removed,” Mrs Ward said.

“Earlier this year I announced phase one of the expansion, including $20 million for 28 existing Staying Home Leaving Violence service providers to extend their service reach from 33 locations to 70,

“Today we’re announcing $12.5 million to deliver phases two and three, to deliver 11 new locations and trial the program in three additional locations, to help even more victim-survivors.”

The Local Government Areas to have the program for the first time include:

• Junee and Wagga Wagga
• Cowra, Parkes, and Forbes
• Mid-Coast
• Muswellbrook and Upper Hunter
• Armidale, Uralla and Walcha
• Canterbury and Burwood
• Georges River
• Sutherland
• Bathurst and Lithgow
• Mid-Western
• Queanbeyan-Palerang

Under phase three, the program is being trialled across three Local Government Areas where demand is lower, or where there are geographical barriers to accessing mainstream services, including Weddin, Lachlan and the Blue Mountains, and Snowy Monaro Regional.

The trial will include combining technological solutions and outreach services to deliver safety planning and case management support.

Support available to victim-survivors through Staying Home Leaving Violence can include improved home security, intensive case management, legal assistance, and financial advice.

For confidential advice, support and referrals, contact: 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), The NSW Domestic Violence Line (1800 65 64 63), NSW Rape Crisis (1800 424 017) or Men’s Referral Service (1300 766 491). In an emergency, call Triple Zero (000).

The “Reconnecting the Junee Shire” project by Junee Shire Council has been successful in receiving funding under the NSW Government’s $25 million Reconnecting Regional NSW – Community Events Program.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said that this funding of $239,651 will help bring the township of Junee and surrounding villages together in a series of eight events and fun days.

“I am excited to see these events go ahead. There is so much in store for Junee and the surrounding villages, there will be something on for everyone,” Ms Cooke said.

Events being delivered include:

• Christmas on Broadway
• Junee Roadhouse 75^th Anniversary Festival
• RECONNECT at the Broadway Museum
• Junee Rotary Farmers Markets
• Movies at the Athenium
• Summer Sessions at the Athenium
• Village Community Fun Days (x 6)
• Reconnecting History

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the Community Events Program will support the state’s events and hospitality sectors while bolstering economic recovery. 

“The NSW Nationals in Government are backing events that bring local communities together and this funding will help contribute to a sense of improved wellbeing and connectedness in 2022 and beyond,” Mr Toole said.

The $25 million Reconnecting Regional NSW – Community Events Program is part of the $200 million Regional Recovery Package, designed to support economic and social recovery across regional NSW that will create new jobs and support community events, shows and festivals to boost tourism.

For further information, go to: nsw.gov.au/CommunityEvents.

For more information on Junee’s events, go to www.youmeandjunee.com.au

Pensioners and other concession card holders in the region can now pick up free rapid antigen tests (RATs) from any Service NSW Service Centre, Mobile Service Centre or Disaster Recovery Centre.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said eligible customers in NSW will now have access to up to 10 free RATs through Service NSW Centres, in addition to existing distribution points at more than 200 neighbourhood and community centres located across the State.

“Although we are heading out of winter, the risk of COVID-19 remains and we want to ensure RATs are easily accessible for pensioners and concession card holders in our community,” Ms Cooke said.

“We are committed to supporting our local communities and helping to drive down the cost of living where we can for vulnerable people.”

List of locations:

• Cootamundra Service Centre
• Cowra Information & Neighbourhood Centre Inc
• Cowra Service Centre
• Junee Community Centre Inc
• Gundagai Neighbourhood Centre Inc
• Narrandera Service Centre
• Temora Community Centre Inc
• West Wyalong Service Centre
• Young Neighbourhood Centre Inc
• Young Service Centre

The roll-out is part of the NSW Government’s program to provide millions of free rapid antigen tests to ensure they are readily available to support our state’s most vulnerable. 

Eligible customers need to show Service NSW staff their Commonwealth concession card at any one of our 113 Service Centres, four Mobile Service Centres or Disaster Recovery Centres across the State.

This once again shows the NSW Government is ensuring no one is left behind, especially seniors.

This builds upon our earlier commitment to pick up the Federal Government’s Concessional Access Program, which it dropped at the end of last month.

The program will run until the end of October 2022. Eligible Commonwealth Concession Card holders in NSW include:

• Pensioner Concession card
• Commonwealth Seniors Health Care card
• Health Care Card (including Low Income Health Care card)
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold, White or Orange cards.

For more information visit Free rapid antigen tests to support vulnerable communities | NSW Government or visit any Service NSW Service Centre.

Local students are set to benefit from improvements to their school facilities thanks to a $148 million investment across the State, earmarked in the 2022/23 NSW Budget.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke has announced six projects will receive funding under the Minor Capital Works program to upgrade and improve facilities.

“School environments play a crucial role in students’ learning experience, so it is important that we provide quality teaching and learning spaces,” Ms Cooke said.

“This funding will help to ensure students have the facilities they deserve and the projects will also be a welcome boost to school pride.

“Local businesses will also be encouraged to bid for the works through the Local Trade Scheme so that they can also benefit from this funding. This will help ensure the investment supports our local tradies, particularly in regional communities.”

The Minor Capital Works program includes the following:

• Cowra High School – Solar Panels
• Grenfell Public School – Toilet and Playground Upgrade
• Illabo Public School – Covered Outdoor Learning Area
• Murrumburrah Public School – Covered Outdoor Learning Area
• Young Public School – Building Modifications for Special ED

During a recent visit to Grenfell Public School, Principal Michele Morley said they were excited about the upgrades announced for the school.

“They have been a long time coming and will add to all the great work we are doing here, like the our indigenous artwork installations that all year groups have been working on,” Mrs Morley said.

The NSW Government is investing $8.6 billion in school infrastructure over the next four years, continuing its program to deliver 160 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW. This builds on the more than $9.1 billion invested in projects delivered since 2017, a program of $17.7 billion in public education infrastructure.

Seniors in the region are continuing to embrace digital with more than 100,000 people across the state now taking advantage of the digital Seniors Card.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said while there would always be a non-digital version, it was great to see so many seniors taking advantage of the digital option to access discounts and benefits on dining out, entertainment and travel.

“This milestone shows the seniors of regional and rural areas are confidently using digital products and demonstrates the real impact and benefits these solutions can have in all age groups,” Ms Cooke said.

“The Seniors Card has come a long way since it was first introduced in 1992, it is now the largest program of its kind in Australia.”

“After a successful pilot in March involving 4,000 people, we are currently seeing more than 30,000 people across the state getting their digital Seniors Card each month.

“It is great to see 100,000 people take up the digital option in just a few months.”

For 30 years, it has been helping ease the cost of living for card holders by providing access to discounts and rebates at shops, travel, entertainment, and professional services providers.

“There are more than 6,500 businesses and service providers across NSW with discounts, and I encourage more to follow.”

To find instructions on how to add a digital Seniors or Senior Savers Card to the Service NSW app, or to learn more visit service.nsw.gov.au/campaign/nsw-seniors-card-program.

The NSW Government’s Narrandera Fisheries Centre has played a vital role in freshwater fish breeding and stocking across the State.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said more than 5.3 million fish have been released in NSW in 2021-22, including a record 1.26 million Murray cod.

“The Murray cod fingerlings are part of the State’s largest-ever breeding program, aimed at sustaining populations in NSW lakes and rivers following years of drought,” Ms Cooke said.

“In addition to Murray cod, there are also golden perch, silver perch and endangered trout cod bred at the Centre and stocked throughout NSW.”

The Narrandera hatchery is currently undergoing a major upgrade to increase production capacity for native sportfish and threatened species.

The upgrade, which includes a new hatchery building fitted with state-of-the-art fish breeding technology, is part of a $6 million grant from the NSW Government.

The NSW Government is committed to breeding millions of native fish each year to keep our lakes and rivers well stocked.

Local and visiting recreational fishers will also benefit from hundreds of thousands of native sportfish stocked into local waterways.

Last season, 125,000 Murray cod were released into Wyangala Dam as well as 10,652 Golden perch and 2,955 Murray cod released into local waterways by the Jugiong and Narrandera Fishing Clubs, as part of the Dollar-for-Dollar program, supported by the Recreational Fishing Trusts.

These ongoing stocking events not only maintain and enhance recreational fisheries, but also benefit our local communities through tourism and economic opportunities.

The 2022-23 season has already commenced with broodstock collection and stocking already underway and this year’s season is expected to be one of the biggest yet.

For more information about fish stocking in NSW, visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au

Entrepreneurs in new and emerging industries in regional NSW will be supported to grow their business, revenues, raise funds and create local jobs through the NSW Government’s $2 million Accelerating Regional Innovation Fund.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said this is an opportunity for growth in both business and sustainable practices.

“Businesses across our region are known for adapting to hurdles presented to them,” Ms Cooke said.

“The Covid-19 pandemic is a perfect example where we saw local businesses implement new ways of supporting the region and this fund will only encourage further such innovation.”

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said regional entrepreneurs face additional challenges to their metropolitan counterparts, including ready access to supply chains, partners, funding, and even customers.

“We know our regional and rural areas are places where you can turn a dream into reality, and I’m so pleased this fund is helping these pipeline ideas come to life,” Mr Toole said.

“This new fund will assist businesses access the right expertise to improve their capability and competitiveness, drive economic growth and will equip regional entrepreneurs with the skills they need to lead change.”

The Accelerating Regional Innovation Fund will provide grants of between $300,000 and $700,000 to accelerator and incubator programs in regional NSW, Newcastle and Wollongong that support regional entrepreneuers and start-ups in emerging sectors and future industries. 

The Accelerating Regional Innovation Fund supports the 20-year Economic Vision for Regional NSW and the NSW Government’s priorities and plans to achieve
long-term economic success for regional NSW communities.

Applications open on 4 August 2022 and close on 30 September 2022 at 2pm.

For further information about the Accelerating Regional Innovation Fund, including program guidelines and eligibility criteria, go to: www.nsw.gov.au/ARIF

Local community organisations planning events which foster community harmony are encouraged to apply for the next round of Multicultural NSW’s Stronger Together Program.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the NSW Government is committed to supporting eligible grassroots organisations with projects designed to celebrate our cultural diversity. 

“Multicultural events and festivals are a great way to recognise the cultural diversity in our communities and bring people together in family-friendly environments,” Ms Cooke said. 

“While bringing people together they will also help break down barriers between cultures and build mutual understanding and respect of each other.” 

Funding of between $20,000 and $40,000 is now available to groups wanting to develop projects that help drive social cohesion in their local area. 

Funding will be available for projects to be delivered between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023.  

Applications for these grants opened on Monday, 1 August and will close at 5pm Friday, 26 August.  

More information about the grants can be found at https://multicultural.nsw.gov.au/grants  

Applications for the NSW Government’s Energy Bill Buster program to help households slash their power bills by up to $600 a year opened this week.

The 2022-23 NSW Budget included $128 million to help up to an initial 30,000 eligible households install solar or replace appliances with more energy efficient ones.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke has welcomed the NSW Government’s announcement of the program and encouraged eligible households to apply.

“The NSW Government is committed to supporting families with the cost of living and help them reduce their energy bills across the region,” Ms Cooke said.

“This program is designed to help take the pressure off families and put more money back into household budgets.”

The Energy Bill Buster program provides eligible households with more choice on how they manage their energy bills. 

The program enables households to make decisions that will deliver long term savings on their energy bills while making clean energy improvements to their homes.

Those renting or living in apartments who are unable to have solar installed may be eligible to swap their current annual rebate for a suite of energy efficient upgrades, helping to reduce demand on the grid and lower power prices for everyone.

Appliances available in the package include energy efficient fridges, dryers, air-conditioners, and hot water systems as well as upgrades such as window shading and draught sealing valued at up to $4000.

The benefits are not just for private homeowners and tenants. The solar swap will also be offered to eligible land and housing corporation tenants later this year.

Eligible households include pensioners and Department of Veterans Affairs Gold Card holders receiving the Low-Income Household Rebate who can receive ten years’ worth of rebates upfront to put towards solar or appliance upgrades.

Households can check their Bill Buster eligibility and apply from Monday, 1 August, 2022 at www.energysaver.nsw.gov.au/rebate-swap.