Residents in Trangie will soon join Walgett, Canowindra and Dorrigo in having access to new co-working spaces with high-speed internet, set-up in NSW Country Women's Association halls.
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Joy Beames, president of the CWA of NSW, said particularly since COVID, a lot of rural people were looking for provisions to work close to home, and were "challenged with" the internet services they had access to.
"It will be great for people in [country] areas, also people visiting, who may need a short-term space to work," Ms Beames told the Daily Liberal.
"It's pretty hard to do stuff on the road, as I know myself sometimes, you're Zooming in for a meeting, juggling a laptop and looking at the internet reception.
"Having this available for people in these areas will be a really big help, they'll be able to pop in for a couple of hours and do what you need ...
"Even at home I struggle with internet connection, so to be able to pop into another office elsewhere, I can deal with everything now, that will be really great."
Ms Beames said a lot of her colleagues at CWA of NSW were in similar situations, looking for somewhere else to do their work, other than at home.
"They work from home or work flexibly, so they can be part of their communities and continue with their working life," she said.
Ms Beames said COVID made a huge difference to populations in country areas, with a lot of people moving out of the cities to regional communities - and now they had another option for their working life.
She said the CWA halls in question had been vacant during the day so it made sense to offer them up to workers - and it gave the local CWA teams an excuse to spruce-up their spaces.
"The ladies have got their interior design hats on, they've made them really lovely, they're really very welcoming spaces to be in. I would imagine for anyone using them they would feel very welcome and at home."
The Nurture co-working spaces at Canowindra and Dorrigo were opened in September, Walgett was opened in October and the Trangie space will be open by the end of November.
The CWA received $400,000 in 2021-22 as part of the Investing in Women grants program to establish the co-working spaces.
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The project addresses the short supply of local hireable spaces with the infrastructure or technology required to virtually work, connect, and learn in regional areas.
Minister for Women Jodie Harrison said: "The CWA have always played a vital role in the lives of rural and remote women. CWA halls have been important hubs in country communities, and the evolution of them into co-working spaces will provide opportunities for women and others in the community into the future."
The co-working spaces are equipped to cater for remote working, education and training activities, meetings (particularly with participants joining remotely), AV presentations and networking events.
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Sarah Falson
Daily Liberal journalist. I love telling people's stories. Get in touch at sarah.falson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Daily Liberal journalist. I love telling people's stories. Get in touch at sarah.falson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
