NSW Government is Investing $252M in Local Jobs in Local Councils
The NSW Minns Government is working with local Councils to create new apprenticeship, traineeship and cadetship opportunities. A total of $252 million dollars has been made available to create more than 1,300 funded positions inside of Councils.
The benefit of this program is being felt right here, in our community.
Singleton Council and Lake Macquarie Councils have each been approved for 13 of these positions while Cessnock City Council has been approved for 10 of these positions. The Cessnock State Electorate touches on all 3 of these local LGAs.
Often these positions are taken up by local young people that are just starting out on their careers and just last week I had the opportunity to meet several of the apprentices working for Cessnock City Council in the Parks & Gardens team. They were proudly preparing Col Brown Memorial Park for the Anzac Day Services over the weekend.
A Government has to recognise a problem and then put their money where their mouth is and try to solve the problem. In the coming years, more than 1,300 people across NSW will have a new qualification and career mapped out in front of them, thanks to this $252M investment.
Picking Up The Pieces When Animal Ownership Goes Wrong
As family pets, cats and dogs don’t get a say in who their owner is and how well or how badly things work out. Fortunately, many of these animals will find themselves in the hands of good carers who genuinely look after them.
But not every “pet experience” is a good one. In fact, some animals that were meant to be loved pets, will experience a shocking life. When this happens, hopefully the animals are rescued from that terrible situation and given a second chance of ownership and life.
Across the Cessnock Electorate we have some incredible people that give so much of their own time, money and property to those animals in need.
Last week it was a pleasure to announce more than $150,000 in funding for 5 organisations across the Hunter that offer recovery and re-homing of neglected cats and dogs.
With Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig, I had the incredible privilege of visiting one of the successful organisations – the Hunter Valley Animal Facility and Rehoming Centre at Neath. They were the recipients of $46,440 to assist them in their work but in all honesty, after seeing their facility and hearing the story of how much work they are facing, I would have loved that amount of money to have been ten times that much.
Other local animal rescue organisations that received funding included: Hunter Valley Cat Haven – $18,900; Blackroo Community Indigenous Corporation – $29,700; The Stay Foundation – $24,300; and Maitland Animal Rehoming Centre – $32,940.
This is all a stunning reminder that the ownership of an animal is an incredible responsibility. During these tough financial times, pet owners may face the very difficult decision of needing to let their loved animal go. Help is available if you know of an animal that needs a second chance at a good life and the NSW Government is proud to partner with these incredible local animal care providers.
