DEPUTY Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss will be in town this week, and is set to pay a visit to one of Dubbo's most significant infrastructure assets, ahead of his attendance at the opening of the Narromine Air Show.
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Mr Truss is set to visit the Dubbo Regional Livestock Markets on Friday, after the sale yards were awarded a grant under his department's National Stronger Regions Fund (NSRF) earlier in the year.
"They've contributed $3.29 million, which is fantastic," Dubbo City mayor Mathew Dickerson said.
Dubbo City Council will match the NSRF grant, with the total project valued at $6.58 million. The upgrade is set to include a new weighbridge, up to 200 additional sale pens, loading ramp and drafting area.
Dubbo's Regional Livestock Markets are the number one combined cattle and sheep sale yards in Australia by throughput, with more than 1.3 million sheep and 300,000 cattle sold each year.
"$75.6 million is injected into the Dubbo economy each year as a result of those sale yards, but you can't sit back and say we've got number one," Cr Dickerson said.
"We want to keep getting greater numbers through there, more sales and to do that we need make sure we keep updating them and keep them modern, because we're competing against modern facilities.
"I think what Warren really wants to do is to look around and really get a good understanding of exactly how the facility is utilised, and get a handle on just how much it contributes to the region. Dubbo is being noted."
