NSW Cabinet to meet in Bourke
In a first for any NSW outback town, the Premier, Deputy Premier and all State Cabinet Ministers will visit Bourke this month to talk to locals about their issues, and to conduct a cabinet meeting here.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Deputy Premier John Barilaro and all her Cabinet Minister will be in Bourke on Monday 25th November.
Announcing the visit, Premier Berejiklian acknowledged the hard times that people in the Bourke District have been experiencing lately.
“These are incredibly trying times for people in Bourke and across regional New South Wales.
“This visit is an opportunity for cabinet ministers to listen and meet locals who are experiencing the drought – farmers, small business owners and community organisations,” Ms Berejiklian.
“The NSW Government has already committed $3billion to drought affected communities, but we know there is more to do, Ms Berejiklian said”
Deputy Premier John Barilaro said this will be the first time a state cabinet meeting is held in Bourke and the furthest west the state government has travelled for community cabinet.
“The NSW Government is proud to accept the invitation from the Mayor of Bourke Barry Hollman to hold the next community cabinet in Bourke.
“Bourke is one of Australia’s most iconic and resilient towns, but even hardy communities like Bourke are battling under these severe drought conditions.
“This will be a historic occasion with every minister from the NSW Government travelling to Bourke, making the town the epicentre of government for the day.
“The entire cabinet will experience first-hand the tough conditions in the Far West and witness the resilience and ingenuity of these communities,” he said.
Recent rain has also brought hope to the region with 94mm falling in and around Bourke ten days ago, causing water to run over the Bourke weir on the Darling River for the first time in over a year.
Bourke Mayor Barry Hollman said he was extremely pleased that the Premier and Deputy Premier had accepted the invitation of Bourke Shire Council to host a Cabinet Meeting in Bourke and was looking forward to welcoming the cabinet to Bourke.
“Bourke has benefited considerably from the grant funding that had been made available over the past few years allowing council to complete a number of projects which would have otherwise been impossible to achieve,” Councillor Hollman said.
“The fact that the Premier and Deputy Premier have elected to come to Bourke is a clear demonstration of their support for rural and remote New South Wales and their willingness to see the problems that have being faced by rural communities through this extended drought.
“It is also a great opportunity for members of the Bourke community to be able to showcase what they have been able to achieve with the funding provided,” he said.
A cabinet meeting will be held at the Back O’Bourke Exhibition Centre, and Premier Berejiklian and her ministers will make themselves available between 10am and 11am on that day to hear directly from the community about important issues and priorities.
And community members are invited to join the Premier and Cabinet Minister for Morning Tea from 11am until 12 noon.
Community members wishing to speak to a Minister must complete an online form by Monday 18th November 2019 at www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/communitycabinet/meettheministers
When Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Deputy Premier John Barilaro visited Bourke in May this year, Mayor Barry Hollman (centre) invited them to hold a cabinet meeting in Bourke. They both said yes! PHOTO TWH