It was an honour to attend Anzac Day services in Warren and Dubbo last Sunday, paying my respects to our veterans for the great service and sacrifice they've made over the years, providing us with the freedoms we enjoy today.
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After not being able to commemorate as we normally would last year, it was nice to see such good attendance numbers at both the dawn service in Warren and the morning service in Dubbo on April 25.
The Parkes electorate has a proud military history, and it was great to speak to some of the people who have contributed to this. I had the honour of speaking with Royal Australian Air Force Squadron Leader David Mann, who returned home to Dubbo and was this year's special guest. I also had the opportunity to speak to some of the ancestors of Goodooga's Harold West and George Leonard - Indigenous men who served during the Second World War but were never recognised.
Powering community groups
I am currently taking expressions of interest from community groups in the Parkes electorate for a new Federal Government program to lower energy costs, support local jobs and help reduce global emissions.
There is a total of $67,700 up for grabs under the Powering Communities Program to fund 12 projects in the Parkes electorate. Grants of between $5,000 and $12,000 will be available to eligible community organisations to lower their energy bills by installing solar panels or a battery, upgrading air conditioners, hot water systems or a refrigerator with more efficient models, replacing lighting with LEDs or conducting an energy audit.
I encourage local community to groups to submit an expression of interest to my office by Friday 11 June. The EOI form is available online and can be submitted to my email mark.coulton.mp@aph.gov.au or by mail to Suite 3, 153 Brisbane Street, Dubbo NSW 2830.
For guidelines and additional information, go to: business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/powering-communities-program.
Helping job seekers relocate
In a win for local businesses looking to fill vacancies across the Parkes electorate, the Coalition Government recently announced payments of up to $2000 for job seekers who relocate to take up ongoing work.
The Federal Government's Relocation Assistance to Take Up a Job program currently provides up to $9000 in support to encourage eligible job seekers to take up ongoing work in a new location. Once a job seeker has accepted an ongoing job, this support is available to help reimburse job seekers for some of the costs of relocating.
From May this year, job seekers may be able to receive up to $2000 of that support in upfront payments.
For more details on the Relocation to Take Up a Job program, visit www.dese.gov.au/rattuaj
