I'm pleased to announce the NSW Government will introduce an e-Tendering initiative to enable local tradies to procure school maintenance jobs in the region.
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Tradies in Bathurst, Lithgow, Oberon, Blayney and surrounds will have precedence when it comes to procurement for maintenance jobs at their local public schools, with the new online system allowing businesses to engage directly with the NSW Government on projects in the region.
The online procurement process will ensure businesses in the Bathurst Electorate are better supported throughout the drought.
This new approach to tendering for school maintenance projects will provide approximately 25,000 opportunities to quote for work across the State, with an estimated total value of $50 million.
We know it's not just our farmers doing it tough at the moment; the knock-on impact of the drought is felt throughout the whole community. As a Government, it is crucial we continue to prioritise the employment of local businesses where we can.
This initiative is part of the Government's continued commitment to stimulating local economies during this unprecedented drought.
We need to give local businesses every opportunity to keep money local and the economy ticking over.
The 2019-20 NSW Budget provides more than $620 million to clear the school maintenance backlog in all public schools by July 2020, bringing the total maintenance investment to more than $1.3 billion over five years.
It will be the first time in the state's history that the school maintenance backlog will be wiped to zero.
Employers urged to hire people with disability
Participation and leadership were the themes of this year's International Day of People with Disability and that should extend to the workplace.
We see many positive examples of people with disability achieving their career goals in our community but we want to do everything we can to see more people with disability in stable jobs.
The rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in NSW is opening up more opportunities for people to find meaningful work for people in Bathurst.
There are more than 108,000 NDIS participants in NSW with the latest quarterly report from the National Disability Insurance Agency demonstrating positive results for inclusion.
There are 1.3 million people living with disability in NSW and many of them want to contribute to our society through paid employment.
Research shows staff and customers are more loyal to businesses that value diversity and inclusion. In addition, workers with disability often have lower rates of absenteeism and stay in their job for longer.
So, I'd like to encourage more employers in the Bathurst Electorate to find our more information on disability inclusion planning: www.facs.nsw.gov.au/inclusion/advisory-councils/disability/inclusion-plans.
I'm proud that our government is working towards doubling the proportion of people with disability employed in the public sector by 2025.
Bathurst community groups invited to apply for grants
I'd like to encourage organisations in the Bathurst Electorate to apply for funding to support local community projects under the NSW Government's Infrastructure Grants program.
$12.5 million is available in 2019/20 for new or upgraded facilities across sport and recreation, arts and culture, disaster readiness and community infrastructure.
This is a great chance for local organisations to seek funding for a project to provide long-term tangible benefits to the community.
Infrastructure Grants can fund construction, alteration, renovation, completion and fit- out of buildings and community infrastructure.
These projects are all about creating resilient, healthy and connected communities, promoting participation in sport, recreation and arts, and boosting social inclusion and disaster resilience.
Applications for the second round of funding for 2019/20 are open until Monday, December 16. To find out more information or to apply, please visit responsiblegambling.nsw.gov.au