Go west, young council worker...

Working in local government – as anyone who has ever laboured in our third tier can testify – is no easy route to earthly riches and Dubbo, like most bush councils, is often short of specialised staffers.

Good news then with the recent announcement that a successful scheme to lure city workers out west has now been extended to councils under the “Welcome Experience program”.

The innovative NSW Government initiative has been successfully running for three years and aims to attract essential workers and professionals to regional NSW.

The program has now been extended from health, aged care, education, veterinary services, policing, and emergency services to include local government, and it couldn’t have come at a better time, mayor Josh Black believes.

”It’s always difficult in regional and remote areas to recruit and retain staff, so anything that can be done, is very welcome” Cr Black told Dubbo Photo News.

“We know that the ‘Welcome Experience’ has been used for a whole range of positions and professions, so this will be great,” he enthused.

The program involves essential workers utilising a dedicated “Local Connector” who provides practical, on-the-ground support – from finding housing and accessing childcare or schools, to liaising with community and sporting groups, and also identifying employment opportunities for partners.

An extension of the initiative will now cover essential jobs in regional councils such as road maintenance, town planning, engineering, and childcare services – some of the most urgently-needed for cities like Dubbo, the mayor revealed.

“I know that most country councils have trouble with staff in a variety of specialised fields where there is high competition for workers.

“This includes professions such as in planning, sewer and water workers, and in engineering.”

Why wouldn’t you want to head to “the golden west” rather than live in one of the congested and ever-extending suburbs in Sydney’s west and south-west?

“It’s a great life; the cost of living is cheaper here and at least you can afford a house in Dubbo,” Cr Black said.

“Travel times to-and-from work are also a lot less, and you can enjoy a fantastic quality of life in the Dubbo region,” he added.

Current vacancies at Dubbo Council include maintenance officers, project engineer, planning and assets and infrastructure manager, curator, and operations staff.

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Signs of the time for illegal e-bikers

Following community concerns about rampant e-bike and scooter misuse in our CBDs, council at its most recent “ordinary” meeting decided on a report into “practical options” on improving pedestrian safety over these devices in high pedestrian areas.

Councillors also noted the lack of signage banning use of these unlicensed and dangerous transport vehicles in Dubbo and Wellington business areas and also in the precincts of Boundary Road, Bourke Street, Myall Street, Tamworth Street, and Victoria Street.

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Testing time for smart water meters

With council currently suing their smart water meter provider over alleged widespread device malfunctions, councillors at the Wellington May meeting called for an investigation on 25 of the currently-operating water meters causing the most concern.

These are units in which there was a greater than 50 per cent increase over the corresponding summer billing period from the previous year, with the results to be presented to council at the July meeting. Council will also inform residents about issues surrounding higher water bills experienced last summer and their current investigation into the issue.

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What a load of rubbish, as pre-booked pick-ups continue

In good news for locals who have found themselves collecting more than they need over the years, council is continuing its pre-booked bulky rubbish collection service until mid-2028.

This decision follows positive feedback from residents for the service that also helps divert recyclable waste from landfill, Director of Development and Environment, Steven Jennings, said.

“With the pre-booked bulky rubbish collection now extended, council will continue promoting the service to the community while the Customer Experience team remains available to assist residents with booking collections if needed,” he added.

The scheme allows ratepayers to place up to one box trailer load of rubbish on the kerbside the Sunday before their booked collection date.

Council is also investigating offering interchangeable tipping vouchers and bulky rubbish collection services so residents can annually choose either one of each, or two of one.

The pre-booked bulky rubbish collection has been operating for the past two years with 5765 collections made through the service.

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Get bookish this winter, with reading challenge

Now’s the best time to get into a good book, with the recent launch of the Winter Reading Challenge at Macquarie Regional Library (MRL).

The challenge is for all ages and runs until Friday, July 31, mayor Josh Black – a great reader himself – revealed, also encouraging locals to stay indoors in the warmth and enjoy some good books from their local library.

“Designed to develop long-lasting reading habits, the Winter Reading Challenge is not just about reading, audiobooks count as well,” our bookish local leader enthused.

“Each year the number of participants continues to grow, and this year is sure to be the same,” he added.

The competition is free, although participants must be a member of MRL and can then download the Beanstack Tracker app and register.

Participants then earn “virtual badges” for every 20 minutes of reading they log and also go into the draw to win weekly prizes, MRL's Kylie Clarkson revealed.

“While reading is its own reward, there are also great prizes to be won in the Winter Reading Challenge,” Kylie explained.

For more information, visit www.mrl.nsw.gov.au.