Whether you are in or on the water, lifejackets are the most important piece of safety equipment to have on hand this summer. It must be the correct size for the wearer, in good condition and, if an inflatable lifejacket, properly serviced.

It is a legal requirement that most recreational vessels in NSW must carry an appropriate size and type of lifejacket for each person on board. They must be stored or placed to allow for quick and easy access. Penalties may apply to the owners and masters of vessels found not carrying lifejackets, or if there are not enough lifejackets for everyone on board.

Penalties may also apply if occupants are not wearing lifejackets when they are required to do so. More importantly, if you are not wearing a lifejacket, it cannot save your life. Every year lives are lost in recreational boating incidents.

Tragically, many could have survived had they been wearing a lifejackets. Let’s have a safe, enjoyable summer on the water, for more information visit www.rms.nsw.gov.au/maritime/

Free university degrees are up for grabs for budding young teachers, as part of a NSW Government initiative to attract the best teachers to the bush.

Scholarships will be on offer in 2018 to fully fund the university degrees of 60 new teachers, paying their HECS debt if they accept a posting at one of more than 150 eligible rural and remote public schools.

The new scholarships are available to new and enrolled students, and include a stipend of $7,500 per year to assist students with their studies.

A $6,000 ‘sign on’ bonus is also provided when they start their new job to help with the cost of relocation.

For more information and advice on application dates, visit teach.nsw.edu.au/find-teachingjobs/choose-rural

It’s one of my favourite times of year (and a great Christmas gift!). This week the team and I have been busily contacting successful recipients of this year’s Community Building Partnership Program (CBP).

With 30 projects sharing in $300,000 this grassroots funding will directly benefit our community, delivering vital new infrastructure and helping to pay for much-needed improvements to important community hubs. I congratulate all those organisations that were successful in their application to receive this funding and I look forward to catching up with them in 2018.

Two local projects are among 27 shortlisted for funding in the next stage of the NSW Government’s Fixing Country Rail infrastructure program. The Newbridge to Orange bi-directional signalling upgrade has been approved to submit a full application. It would provide bi-directional signalling to the dual track sections of the Bathurst to Orange line (Newbridge to Murrobo and Spring Hill to Orange).

In addition, the Wallerawang to Lithgow bi-directional signalling upgrade has also been approved to submit a full application. The installation of bi-signalling infrastructure will help increase network capacity and reduce overlap between passenger and freight trains.

The proposals would cut delivery times and allow more goods to be transported by rail, reducing costs for both producers and consumers. The Regional Independent Assessment Panel, led by Infrastructure NSW, then considered and reviewed those recommendations before finalising a shortlist of projects.