State Matters - 11 August 2025

OPEN, DRIVE WITH CAUTION

IN WELCOME NEWS, Thunderbolts Way is set to reopen to traffic between Gloucester and the New England region on Monday 11 August following emergency repair works after the May floods.

However, roadworks will continue along the route for some time with traffic control and reduced speed limits to remain in place.

MidCoast Council is asking motorists intending to use Thunderbolts Way to please allow extra travel time.

I echo the huge thank you from the council to the crews who have worked around the clock since late-May to restore this vital road connection, and to the community for its patience during the work.

Council now moves forward with wider restoration efforts across the road network and will provide updates at the Roads Hub: https://haveyoursay.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/midcoast-roads-hub

HTP DEVELOPMENTS

EnergyCo has advised that a State Significant Infrastructure Application for the Hunter Transmission Project (HTP) will be lodged the Department of Planning, Housing, Infrastructure.

The proposal is for the construction and operation of approximately 110 kilometres of new overhead 500 kilovolt (kV) double circuit transmission line.

Two new switching station will be established at Bayswater and Olney, upgraded made to the existing Bayswater and Eraring substations, adjustments and upgrades will also be made to existing transmission lines.

An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project will be displayed and the public invited to make submissions.

The Department of Planning will exhibit the EIS with further information at the planning portal: www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/projects/hunter-transmission-project

SERVICE RETURNS

Service NSW is returning to the Upper Hunter electorate over the next few weeks with stops in Stroud, Murrurundi and Scone.

The Mobile Service Centre will be at 62 Cowper Street Stroud on Friday 22 August from 8.30am until 12.30pm.

Murrurundi hosts Service NSW at the Visitor Information Centre and Community Connect Service in Mayne Street on Tuesday 2 September, 9am-3pm.

Driver testing appointments will be available during Service NSW’s two-day stopover at the Upper Hunter Shire Council, Scone on Wednesday and Thursday, 3-4 September, between 9am and 4pm.

Mobile Service Centres offer similar services to the physical Service NSW sites including

driver licence, photo card applications and renewals, driver knowledge tests, Working With Children Check applications and applications for birth, death and marriage certificates.

Discover more at: www.service.nsw.gov.au/mobile-service-centres

PAYPHONE TO GO?

Telstra has given public notice that it is proposing to remove the payphone located outside 1 Moore Street Blandford.

The telecommunication company is calling for public submissions to guide its decision with feedback required by 5 October.

If the Blandford payphone is removed, the next available public telephone box will be six kilometres away, outside 89 Mayne Street, Murrurundi.

Your comments on the Blandford proposal can be made in writing to the Telstra Payphone Siting Manager, Locked Bag 4850 Melbourne VIC 3001, email payphones@team.telstra.com or call 1800 011 433 and select Option 2.

For more information on payphone services, including any applicable payphone consultation documents see: https://telstra.com/payphone

ROAD SAFETY GRANTS

NSW Centre for Road Safety is calling applications for the 2025 Community Road Safety Grants program.

Only community-based and charity organisations can apply, including incorporated community associations, community trusts, registered not-for-profits/charities and social enterprises. 

The Community Road Safety Grants program helps community groups to implement small scale, local projects to increase road safety awareness and encourage safer behaviour on our roads.

Projects funded through the program will align with the 2026 Road Safety Action Plan and the Safe System approach to improving road safety.

Grants up to $5,000 are available for local community road safety projects to increase road safety awareness in specific community groups or locations.  

A limited number of $30,000 road safety grants are also available for larger projects which involve a broader reach within the community.

To apply, submit your application online by 15 September using the SmartyGrants portal.

Further information at: www.transport.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/community/community-grants

SALEYARD FUNDING

Singleton Council has secured $3.73 million from the NSW Government’s Regional Economic Development and Community Investment Program to upgrade the Hunter Regional Livestock Exchange (HRLX).

The funding will construct a new commercial centre, upgrade livestock handling facilities and develop a modernised livestock weighing station.

The upgrades to HRLX will see safer, more efficient livestock handling for farmers and buyers, supports local producers and will strengthen the local agricultural sector.

Cattle throughput at Singleton’s weekly sale currently generates more than $40 million in livestock sales annually.

C’MON OUT!

New data from Tourism Research Australia has confirmed Regional NSW as Australia’s leading destination for visitors seeking agritourism experiences.

Last year, regional NSW attracted 32.7 per cent of domestic overnight visitors who participated in agritourism experiences in regional Australia, the highest share of any regional area in the country.

NSW also welcomed 700,000 international visitors who participated in agritourism experiences during their stay spending a total of 15.7 million nights in the state and contributed approximately $2.5 billion to the economy.

Destination NSW’s NSW First program is supporting agritourism businesses to better understand the tourism industry and develop market-ready visitor experiences.

The program includes the NSW First Agritourism Toolkit, which offers practical advice for new and established operators.

Destination NSW is also supporting the second annual AgriTourism Summit being held this week in the Orange region.

WAT FUNDING BOOST

NSW’s Wheelchair Accessible Taxi (WAT) fleet is expected to get a boost from operational support grants and a new round of interest-free loans.  

The NSW Government is offering the $2,500 grant for eligible WAT vehicle owners to address the ongoing shortage of Wheelchair Accessible Taxis in the state. 

It will help with the higher costs associated with operating a WAT vehicle on the road compared to a standard taxi and is now open for applications.  

A new round of the Wheelchair Accessible Taxi Loan Scheme is also open to assist taxi operators to put new and additional accessible taxis into operation.

The maximum loan value increases to $125,000, with the interest-free loans to fund the cost of purchasing, modifying and/or retrofitting a vehicle for use as a compliant WAT vehicle.

Wheelchair Accessible Taxis are an essential part of the NSW transport system and help people with disability to get to health appointments, engage in employment and education and participate in social activities.

Further details on both the operational support grants and the loan scheme are available on the Transport for NSW website: www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/programs/point-to-point-transport/accessible-point-to-point-transport-initiatives

WOMEN OF THE YEAR

Nominations for the 2026 NSW Women of the Year Awards and grant applications to host Women’s Week events in March next year are now open.

The awards, which are also a culmination of NSW Women’s Week, aim to recognise and celebrate incredible women who improve the lives of people in our state.

The Awards to be presented at the International Convention Centre, Sydney on Thursday 5 March 2026 are seeking nominations for women and girls until 9 September.

There are six categories including NSW Premier’s Woman of Excellence, Community Hero, Young Woman of the Year (aged 16-30), Aboriginal Woman of the Year, Regional Woman of the Year and young girls (aged 7-15) can be nominated in the Ones-to-Watch award category. 

Expressions of Interest for grants close 19 August with organisations hosting NSW Women’s Week events able to apply for up to $50,000.

Visit the NSW Women's Week webpage for more details: www.nsw.gov.au/grants-and-funding/2026-nsw-womens-week

LINE CAST

Recreational fishers are being asked for their thoughts on the NSW Government’s proposed independent peak body to represent their interests.

More than $1 million has been earmarked to fund the new body and to assist it drive on ground outcomes for the state’s one million recreational anglers.

The new independent recreational fishing representative body would complement the role of the existing Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council (RFNSW).

Public consultation is now open with recreational fishers encouraged to have their say by 1 October at the NSW Government’s Have Your Say website: www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/peak-body-rec-fishing

COST OF LIVING TIP

If you are struggling to pay your telco bill then the tip from the Telecommunication Industry Ombudsman (TIO) is to ask for help.

You are entitled to ask for assistance and there are types of support telcos are obliged to offer under the Financial Hardship Standard that took effect last year.

Telcos must keep your services connected while you’re in financial hardship, disconnection should only be a last resort, they are also obliged by law to offer you at least six options for assistance when you’re facing financial hardship.

If you are finding it hard to pay your bills, the TIO recommends contacting your telco as soon as you realise you might have difficulty keeping on top of payments and be clear that you are experiencing financial hardship and ask what support options are available.

For the TIO’s guidance and more information about your rights and what to expect from your telco go to: www.tio.com.au/news/struggling-pay-your-telco-bill-how-ask-help-and-what-expect

ONLINE SPECIAL!

NSW Parliament is this week celebrating the election of the first female member of the state’s Parliament.

‘Skirts on Sacred Benches’ will be an extraordinary event on Wednesday 13 August, 5.30-6.30pm to celebrate the centenary of the 1925 election of Millicent Preston-Stanley.

This special event in the Legislative Assembly is the very same chamber where Preston-Stanley affected change as the only woman member in the legislature at the time. 

Former High Court and Supreme Court judge, The Hon Virginia Bell AC, SC, will tell the fascinating story of the passing of the NSW Women’s Legal Status Act in 1918. 

A historical re-enactment will be staged to recall Millicent Preston-Stanley’s motion to bring in the Guardianship of Infants Bill to improve rights for women. 

To watch the Livestream online register at: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/online-skirts-on-sacred-benches-100-years-of-women-in-nsw-parliament-tickets-1448340006949?aff=oddtdtcreator

ART PRIZE ENTRIES OPEN

Artists living in the Dungog, Muswellbrook, Singleton and Upper Hunter Shires can now enter this year’s Viola Bromley Art Prize.

The Viola Bromley is a celebration of local art across the disciplines of painting, works on paper, sculpture and photography with artists of all backgrounds and identities strongly encouraged to participate.

Viola was part of a small group invited to arrange the Festival of the Valley Art Prize in 1958 – the forerunner to the Muswellbrook Art Prize.

She then played a significant role in the construction of an art gallery at the Muswellbrook Town Hall site in 1976, and in gaining regional gallery status for the newly-built Muswellbrook Municipal Art Gallery.

A $500 prize will be awarded to the winner of each section of the Art Prize, with one work selected as the Overall Acquisitive Winner, receiving a $2,000 prize and joining the Muswellbrook Shire Art Collection.

Entries close 6 October with the exhibition launch and announcement of winners on 25 October and the exhibition at Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre continuing until 10 January 2026.

For more on the Viola Bromley Art Prize visit: https://artgallery.muswellbrook.nsw.gov.au/prizes/#page-section-4

BOUTIQUE COMPETITION

Boutique winemakers have until 18 August to submit their entries for the Hunter Valley Boutique Winemakers Show.

Now in its 35th year, this annual event continues to celebrate the region’s finest boutique producers, shining a spotlight on the depth, diversity, and craftsmanship that define the Hunter Valley wine community.

A panel of esteemed industry experts will assemble at Maitland Showground over two days in mid-September to judge this year’s field of entries.

The show luncheon and exhibitor tasting is scheduled for Maitland Town Hall at noon on

26 September, further details at: www.hvboutiquewineshow.com.au

SPRING CLEAN 

Across September and October we are being encouraged to emerge from our winter hibernation ready for a spring clean.

The Great Spring Clean Up is back and will be happening Australia-wide.

It’s another opportunity for the community to come together and take action for the environment after Clean Up Australia Day, which takes place annually in March.

The Great Spring Clean Up initiative aims to tackle litter in our towns, streets, parks and waterways. 

Get your Clean Up crew together - family, friends, school, local community or work colleagues - and register to host your own local event at: www.cleanup.org.au/the-great-spring-clean-up-2025