On 1 March 2012 the NSW Minister for Family & Community Services Pru Goward and myself visited the public housing estate known as Apollo Estate in East Dubbo after an increase in violence and antisocial behaviour.

As a consequence on April 12, 2012 a Stakeholder forum was convened to identify a collaborative approach for agencies to address community concerns. The East Dubbo Minister's Action Group was formed.

The purpose of the MAG is to drive a program of change for the community, respond to the issues in the Estate and broader community.

A community forum was held to hear the views of the community. A number of initiatives were explored and introduced to support the on the ground work of agencies including regular collaborative meetings.

A services gaps analysis and services mapping exercise was undertaken to ensure the efficient delivery and access to currently provided Social and Human services was being optimised.

An additional Tenancy Manager was allocated to NSW Housing office Dubbo for the estate to improve tenancy inspections accountability and support.

The Apollo House youth diversionary and support program's funding was extended and a number of initiatives to improve engagement with young people were successfully undertaken.

During the forums deliberations it became clear that support for other high density public housing areas in the Dubbo LGA was needed and the forum's work was also extended to include other areas including West Dubbo.

The MAG authored a Discussion paper which was presented to the Minister on January 7, 2013. Contained within that document were 43 strategies across government to tackle systemic issues and to bring about sustainable change in Dubbo.

A further public forum was held to brief the community on the progress of the MAG and the recommendations in the paper.

A number of meetings were provided to other Minister's including Health, Police and Attorney General regarding specific recommendations in the paper.

As we start to move forward with the MAG this year we hope to develop and implement policies and procedures that will help reduce violence and antisocial behaviour across Dubbo and as boarder team of government agencies.

Please remember to report any incidents to Dubbo Police on 6883 1599 or 000.

Supporting Youth in the state

Last week the NSW government announced Uniting Care Burnside will receive up to $5.65 million across the next four years to deliver an early intervention service called Youth Hope, which will improve the lives of vulnerable young people in places like Dubbo, Orange and Parkes.

The $40 million Youth Hope initiative is an early intervention service for nine to 15-year-olds who are at risk of significant harm as a result of neglect, homelessness, domestic violence or drug and alcohol abuse.

We are taking a fresh approach for at-risk youth in NSW which will help vulnerable young people to turn their lives around and break disadvantage.

Together we will break disadvantage through providing the opportunity for young people to engage in activities that will lead them towards a better future; helping them stay at school or in education and training.

The success of the program will be measured in reductions in the rate of participating children and young people being re-reported to Family and Community Services or entering out-of-home care.

Daylight Savings

Daylight saving in NSW is synchronised with other states including Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT, which improves business operating conditions by ensuring consistency.

NSW will not act unilaterally on daylight savings and will only do so with the agreement of a majority of other state governments. If not made in conjunction with other jurisdictions, any changes to the length of the daylight savings period in NSW would create a range of new cross-border issues for communities and issues throughout NSW.

Both the Victorian and Queensland governments have indicated that changing daylight saving arrangements is not a priority for them at the moment.

Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner has appointed a Cross Border Commissioner who was charged with the responsibility of examining the impact daylight saving has upon cross border communities.

The Commissioner, Steve Toms, has found that time zone anomalies in NSW remain an issue of concern for many communities, particularly adjacent to the NSW-Queensland border, and is currently looking at strategies and appropriate interstate or intergovernmental forums to ensure this matter remains on the national agenda.

Sadly, with a large and growing coastal population clearly supporting the retention of existing daylight saving provisions, it is difficult to see how the Government can accommodate the wishes of both coastal and inland constituents.

I will continue to urge my colleagues representing coastal electorates to take greater account of the impact daylight saving has upon non-coastal communities.

Dubbo Hospital

The Dubbo Base hospital is currently undergoing a $79.8m redevelopment to meet the growing services and needs of not only Dubbo but Western NSW.

This virtual new development will help secure more specialised services in an efficient highly skilled environment. It will provide us with the highest standard of access amenities not only for patients but for their families and carers.

During the past few weeks the Dubbo electorate has welcomed 61 new nurses and midwives and Dubbo Hospital has welcomed 12 medical graduates who will start this year.

This is a great investment in bring not only bring people back to Western NSW but enhancing patient care.

We have a great hospital that has a commitment to caring for our community and I’m pleased to see these interns learning from the best.

In December last year we announced the NSW government's commitment to $600,000 to progress planning for the next stages of the Dubbo Hospital redevelopment.

In coming weeks we hope to confirm who was successful in securing the contract to move forward with the building works of Stage 1.

Dubbo is the gateway to the central west and we deserve the best health care facility possible.

Bring people to Western NSW

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional Infrastructure and Services Andrew Stoner was in Dubbo last week to visit the Crown Land’s office.

During the past year a number of key Crown Lands business areas have shifted operations to Dubbo.

The reorganisation of Crown Lands has seen the Aboriginal Land Claims Unit, the Natural Resource Services Unit, Reserves and Licences Business Centre, Far West Operations and the district office all located here.

The reorganisation of the NSW Crown Lands department resulted in an additional 23 staff at Dubbo, taking the total to 61. While some staff relocated from Sydney, Armidale and Newcastle, the majority of the new positions have been filled by local Dubbo people.

If you are new to the electorate don’t forget to check if you are eligible for the NSW government's Regional Relocation Grant.

The grant provides payments to approved applicants who have relocated from metropolitan areas to regional areas for the purpose of employment, self-employment or purchasing a home.

There are two grants available: Regional Relocation Home Buyers Grant and Skilled Regional Relocation Incentive. The Regional Relocation Home Buyers Grant is $7000 and the Skilled Regional Relocation Incentive comprises two equal instalments of $5000.

For more information visit www.osr.nsw.gov.au/grants/rrg