State Matters – A Weekly Bulletin from Dave Layzell MP

Member for Upper Hunter – 10 March 2025

EWON AT THE SHOW – A NEW team from the Energy and Water Ombudsman (EWON) will be at the Upper Hunter Show in Muswellbrook this weekend.

EWON’s Renewable Energy Infrastructure Team is available for you to ask questions about renewable energy infrastructure and how the Ombudsman can help with its expanded service.

Established in December 2024, the team provides independent advice and information and delivers an investigation and resolution process for landowners and community members dissatisfied  with the way complaints are handled by relevant transmission and renewable energy entities.

EWON also provides a ‘no wrong door’ referral service for residents, connecting them with the most appropriate channels to address complaints if they fall outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction.

Visit the Renewable Energy Infrastructure Team at the Upper Hunter Show on Saturday 15 March, 9am-5pm.

Additionally, the New England Renewable Energy Zone has a pop-up event at the Show on Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 5pm.

CONGRATULATIONS, LEE! – It was a privilege to host the Upper Hunter Electorate’s Local Woman of the Year, Lee Watts, at the NSW Women of the Year Awards last week in Sydney.

Lee has made a tremendous contribution to the community through her work at the Scone Neighbourhood Resource Centre and as an Upper Hunter Shire Councillor.

Lee Watts was elected to the Council in 2005 and served as its first female Mayor, chairing the meeting that led to the creation of the undercover arena at White Park, Scone.

As the manager of Scone Neighbourhood Resource Centre, Lee has introduced the Scone Community Pantry, Morning Bites Breakfast Van, community laundry, and showers to provide assistance  to those in need.

Lee Watts has shown care and compassion through her work and provided advocacy for the community, so it is only fitting that her efforts are recognised and applauded with the Upper Hunter  Electorate’s Local Woman of the Year award. 

MOBILE UPGRADE Telstra is conducting mobile network upgrade work at Howes Valley this week which will result in intermittent mobile network disruption at different periods.

Customers are advised that the work will require temporary service disruptions from Monday 10 March to Sunday 16 March, with the vast majority of work completed between Tuesday and  Thursday with services switched off 7am-7pm each day.

Any calls to Triple Zero from a Telstra mobile when the site is off air automatically divert to any working mobile network for connection to emergency services.

Landline and NBN internet services will not be impacted allowing Telstra customers to continue making calls and sending texts during the disruption to mobile services by switching on Wi-Fi  calling.

Business owners are strongly encouraged to connect their EFTPOS terminals to their NBN or fixed Wi-Fi connection to prevent delays in processing transactions.

More information is at the Telstra network outage page: www.telstra.com.au/outages

DIGITAL ARTWORK OPPORTUNITY Applications are now open for established and emerging artists to design creative interpretations of the NSW Parliament House façade, as seen from  Macquarie Street.

The digital artwork will reflect the diverse stories and cultures of our state, to forge a meaningful, visual connection between the people and their parliament.

Up to three artists will be selected and each artist will be paid a one-off fee of $6,050 plus GST for the final digital artwork.

Expressions of interest close soon on Sunday 16 March with successful artists required to deliver their final artwork by 19 May.

Expression of Interest information including the design brief, selection criteria and submission instructions is available on the NSW Parliament website: www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/visit/Pages/facade-interpretation-eoi-2025.aspx 

SENIORS FESTIVAL The NSW Seniors Festival will reach its climax this week with events including the Premier’s Gala Concerts.

For those keen to watch the star-studded line-up you can livestream the concert on Wednesday 12 March at 2.45pm. 

To receive the livestream link via email visit: www.nsw.gov.au/arts-and-culture/seniors-festival/whats-on/premiers-concert

Hundreds of events are being held across NSW to celebrate the Seniors Festival from ballet to art classes, information sessions and museum tours. 

So, check the event finder to see what is on offer: www.nsw.gov.au/arts-and-culture/seniors-festival/whats-on

VOLUNTEER AWARDS Nominations are now open until Friday 23 May for the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards which celebrate the community service of those who selflessly give of  themselves.

Volunteers contribute $178 billion to the state’s economy investing countless hours that provide essential support and services to their communities, and the other benefits that they bring are  immeasurable.

To learn more about the Awards, including nomination guidelines, Frequently Asked Questions, Tips for Nominating and more, visit: www.volunteering.com.au/awards/about-the-awards/

For organisations wanting to submit more than 20 nominations, please contact the Awards Team via award@volunteering.com.au to receive the Bulk Nomination spreadsheets.

ED CHANGES Patients who attend some of Hunter New England Local Health District’s major regional hospitals will experience new Emergency Department (ED) staffing arrangements.

Patient flow concierge staff are being deployed to Maitland Hospital, Manning Hospital and Tamworth Hospital.

The NSW Government’s objective is to ease pressure on busy EDs by helping to improve access to inpatient ward beds and reduce the time patients spend waiting in emergency.

The new staff will identify and support discharge planning by identifying patients early on that are suitable to be discharged home with the appropriate supports in place.

The patient flow concierges are also tasked to improve patient and carer experiences and help reduce inpatient length of stay and hospital readmissions.

THANK A PHARMACIST We are being invited to take some time this week to say thank you to a pharmacist.

Thank Your Pharmacist Day is held annually in March, bringing together patients, community leaders and stakeholders from across the health sector to acknowledge the vital work of Australia’s  40,000 pharmacists in all areas of practice. 

The theme this year is, ‘Pharmacists Stepping Up’, which highlights the growing role of pharmacists in meeting the health needs of Australians by stepping up to provide timely, accessible care.

So please accept the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s invitation and celebrate ‘Thank Your Pharmacist Day’ and acknowledge the care they provide on Thursday 13 March.

PLUMBERS ON NOTICE Plumbers have been put on notice by Building Commission NSW that from June this year it will conduct targeted compliance activities across the state.

The Commission is warning plumbers to be up to speed on their supervision requirements or face fines during the upcoming campaign.

Only plumbers with a NSW Government-issued contractor licence or supervisor certificate can do plumbing work without immediate supervision to ensure work is carried out to required  standards.

If workers without the right licence are found to be unsupervised, the Commission can issue fines of up to $1,500 per breach and, in the event of repeated instances of workers being inappropriately supervised, it can also suspend or cancel licences.

An industry awareness campaign will include direct emails to plumbers, the distribution of newsletters, and engagement with peak bodies, industry and training organisations. 

To further educate plumbers on the supervision requirements, TAFE NSW and Building Commission NSW have also launched a new Plumbing, Drainage and Gasfitting Regulation short course.

For more information, visit the Plumbing, drainage and gasfitting work webpage: www.nsw.gov.au/business-and-economy/licences-and-credentials/building-and-trade-licences-and-registrations/plumbing-draining-and-gasfitting

HUNTER WATER PRICING The Energy and Water Ombudsman of NSW (EWON) is urging Hunter Water customers to familiarise themselves with the local corporation’s 2025-2030 pricing  plans.

Hunter Hunter does not set prices – the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) reviews the corporation’s proposal, and seeks customer, community and stakeholder views before  setting the prices it can charge.

The current proposal would see a typical household bill for a customer with water, wastewater and stormwater service increase by 5.7% per year, on average, before inflation.

The corporation’s proposal would increase prices after 1 July this year in five small steps, rather than one big step, to give customers time to adjust to changes. 

EWON’S policy team has made a submission to IPART focusing on affordability, vulnerability, water rebates and the cost of living impacts of the price rises.

Customers having difficulty paying their Hunter Water bill may be eligible for the water Payment Assistance Scheme (PAS) available from community welfare organisations like Vinnies, Salvos  and Anglicare.

For further details go to: www.ipart.nsw.gov.au/hunter-waters-pricing-proposal or the EWON website: www.ewon.com.au

INPUT ON TAFE The NSW Government wants community feedback on TAFE NSW with the current consultation process open until 31 March.

Whether you have attended TAFE or not, your input will help the organisation deliver services and spaces to help communities thrive.

The options for input include taking a survey to share your views and ideas for local improvements, share an idea that you think would benefit the community and to share your stories about the  ways TAFE NSW has supported your community.

Every community is different, many economies are changing, so TAFE needs to better understand local needs to enable more communities and especially people facing disadvantage.

Join in the consultation at: www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/tafensw2025

Contact:
Email address: upperhunter@parliament.nsw.gov.au;
Phone number: 6543 1065;
Postal address P.O. Box 493, Muswellbrook 2333.

www.davelayzell.com.au/news/categories/state-matters