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FREE TIMES TABLES POSTERS NOW AVAILABLE TO GIPPSLAND STUDENTS
Local MP Darren Chester is doing what he can to help young learners studying from home. Mr Chester has produced a poster of the times tables that are now available for free to local students and their families. “This year has been challenging for everyone, including...
CHESTER CALLS FOR 50 KILOMETRE BORDER BUBBLE TO EXPAND
Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester says residents and communities just beyond a travel bubble along the New South Wales-Victorian border should be included in the zone. The New South Wales Government has announced a single border region would be reinstated...
STAGE ONE OF STRETTON PARK’S REDEVELOPMENT PUSHES AHEAD
A $7 million project to expand and upgrade a not-for-profit community aged care facility in Maffra is quickly taking shape after a huge fundraising campaign won the hearts of locals. Stretton Park is undergoing a major redevelopment at its Kent Street site, but...
EXTRA FUNDING TO HELP AGED CARE SECTOR THROUGH PANDEMIC
Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has welcomed the announcement of additional funding to help the aged care sector through the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Chester said the extra $563.3 million from the Federal Government to extend support for the aged care...
NEW OFFSHORE PATROL VESSEL TO BE CALLED HMAS GIPPSLAND
Gippsland is expected to gain a new legion of admirers when a soon-to-be-built Royal Australian Navy patrol vessel takes our region’s name. HMAS Gippsland is one of 12 offshore patrol vessels to be built and will be involved in maritime border patrols, fisheries...
SHOW OF SUPPORT FOR GIPPSLAND FIELD DAYS
The Federal Government is helping organisers of Gippsland agricultural shows and field days struggling with the financial impact of the coronavirus. Local MP Darren Chester said a new $2.7 million funding pool would help officials to meet ongoing expenses following a...
$600,000 UPGRADE FOR BAIRNSDALE’S WEATHER RADAR
The weather radar at Bairnsdale will be off-line for around six weeks as it undergoes a $600,000 upgrade. Local MP Darren Chester said the radar would be switched off from Monday, August 31, so improvements could be made to its accuracy, reliability and precision....
NEW AVON RIVER BRIDGE TAKING SHAPE
Rail passengers in Gippsland are one step closer to faster and more frequent services, with work ramping up on the construction of the new Avon River Bridge. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack...
WELCOME BOOST TO CORONAVIRUS TESTING IN THE LATROBE VALLEY
Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has welcomed a boost to coronavirus testing capacity for people living in the Latrobe Valley. Two additional testing rooms opened this week at the Latrobe Valley Respiratory Clinic in Morwell, bringing the number of rooms to...
SMART FARMS SMALL GRANTS NOW OPEN
Farmers, fishers and foresters can now apply for funding to support their natural resource management efforts. Gippsland MP Darren Chester said applications were now open for grants of up to $100,000 as part of round four of the Smart Farms Small Grants program....
SURGE IN INTEREST IN A MOVE TO GIPPSLAND FROM CITY
Local MP Darren Chester says he’s not surprised by the surge in interest in moving to Gippsland among Melbournians living with coronavirus restrictions. Mr Chester said the increase number of people working and studying remotely now has many reconsidering their city...
CHESTER ENCOURAGES FEEDBACK ON NEW LOOKOUT CONCEPT PLANS
Local MP Darren Chester is encouraging locals in Kalimna and Lakes Entrance to have their say on the proposed design for a new lookout that promises to provide a stunning perspective of one of Gippsland’s most iconic sights. The planned lookout will be built at a...
IMPROVED MOBILE PHONE RECEPTION AT COBUNGRA
The activation of a Telstra base station will improve mobile phone reception at Cobungra. Local MP Darren Chester said the installation of the mobile base station was part of the Federal Government’s commitment to improve connectivity through its Mobile Black Spot...
CHESTER SECURES $3.76 MILLION TO FIX TRAFFIC BLACK SPOTS IN GIPPSLAND
Gippsland has secured nearly 10 percent of the funding allocated to Victoria from a Federal Government program to improve road safety black spots. Local MP Darren Chester’s electorate of Gippsland will receive $3.758 million from a pool of $38.7 million for Victoria...
BOOST BUSHFIRE RECOVERY WITH ROADWORKS: CHESTER
Federal Member for Gippsland is seeking more than $30 million in road funding to target much-needed upgrades to transport routes in regions impacted by the summer bushfires. Mr Chester has written to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Michael McCormack...
MORE SUPPORT FOR GIPPSLAND BUSINESSES
More funding from the Federal Government will be available to help local businesses in Gippsland and support local jobs. Local MP Darren Chester said changes to the eligibility requirements for the JobKeeper program would help those impacted by the re-introduction of...
PHASE 1B OF MID MODERNISATION PROJECT NOW OPERATIONAL
An important stage of a $155 million infrastructure modernisation project designed to save water and improve productivity in the Macalister Irrigation District (MID) is now operational. Local MP Darren Chester said the completion of this final stage of the first phase...
MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM TO SUPPORT FISHERS
Australia’s first industry-specific mental health program to support commercial fishers is now underway with a new pilot program starting in Lakes Entrance. The Federal Government is investing $600,000 for Seafood Industry Australia (SIA) to deliver a range of mental...
NEW LIVING UNITS TAKING SHAPE AT MIRRIDONG
The framework is now up as two new supported living units at Yarram’s Mirridong Services begin to take shape. Gippsland MP Darren Chester stopped by the site in Church Road to check the progress made on the project. “Mirridong provides exceptional services and...
WELCOME SUPPORT FOR TWO GIPPSLAND NEWSPAPERS
Two newspapers in Gippsland will receive more than $300,000 to support local journalism during the coronavirus pandemic. The Latrobe Valley Express and the Gippsland Times are among 107 regional news outlets across Australia to receive funding under the Federal...
STRENGTHENING THE FIGHT AGAINST PESTS AND WEEDS IN GIPPSLAND
The Federal Government is ramping up its fight against pest animals and weeds with the announcement of a $13 million funding pool to better equip farmers and land managers. Local MP Darren Chester said a funding opportunity for organisation with a proven research and...
75 YEARS SINCE THE SECOND WORLD WAR ENDED
TOMORROW we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and acknowledge the service and sacrifice of the almost one million Australians who served our nation, and the support and fortitude of millions of Australians on the homefront. Minister...
A NEW ERA BEGINS FOR LUCKNOW FOOTBALL NETBALL CLUB
Demolition will soon start on the old clubrooms at the Lucknow Recreation Reserve to make way for a new $1.86 million facility for players and spectators. Members of the Lucknow Football and Netball Club have cleared the rooms of furniture and equipment and packed...
HEAVY VEHICLE SAFETY FUNDING BOOST FOR GIPPSLAND
A project aimed at saving lives and reducing road trauma in Gippsland has been granted a share of funding under round five of the Australian Government’s Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI). Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester said the funding would...
WELCOME HELP FOR YARRAM’S MEN’S SHED
Yarram Men’s Shed is among four local men’s sheds in Gippsland to receive a welcome funding boost through the National Shed Development Program. Local MP Darren Chester has announced the Yarram shed would receive $2575 to buy tools and equipment. “I’ve been able to...
IRRIGATION UPGRADES FOR EAST GIPPSLAND UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB
Players, coaches, officials and families will have something extra to look forward to when East Gippsland United Football Club resumes competition next season. The club has installed a new irrigation system to improve the playing conditions at Bairnsdale’s Howitt...
HELP EXTENDED FOR FIRE-AFFECTED PRIMARY PRODUCERS & SMALL BUSINESSES
Changes have been made to grant programs for primary producers and small businesses so more Gippslanders affected by the summer bushfires can receive government support. Primary producers and small businesses in East Gippsland and Wellington shires will benefit from...
FIRST LOOK AT PLANS FOR SALE MAIN OVAL UPGRADE
Conceptual drawings have been finalised for new female-friendly changerooms at Sale Main Oval. Both the changerooms under the grandstand and under the ‘Sporties’ clubrooms will be upgraded by the next football-netball season. There will also be a new unisex toilet...
EAST GIPPSLAND NEEDS 10 YEAR RECOVERY PLAN: CHESTER
Member for Gippsland Darren Chester says East Gippsland needs more than $180 million in government funding over the next 10 years to achieve its full potential. Releasing a draft ‘East Gippsland Recovery 2030 Plan’, Mr Chester said all levels of government needed to...
MORE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT DUE TO CORONAVIRUS RESTRICTIONS
Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester is urging locals to reach out for help if their mental health suffers due to the second coronavirus lockdown. Mr Chester said the Federal Government would provide 10 additional Medicare subsidised psychological therapy...
WORLD WAR TWO VETERANS TO RECEIVE 75TH ANNIVERSARY MEDALLION
Reg Selwyn was an 18-year-old living at Cowwarr when he joined the Australian Army in 1942. Reg did his training in Queensland before he was stationed at Buna in Papua New Guinea as a driver-mechanic during World War Two and was responsible for carting freight from...
WORLD WAR TWO VETERANS TO RECEIVE 75TH ANNIVERSARY MEDALLION
Keith Grandy joined the Armoured Division during World War Two in 1941 and was ready to deploy to Libya when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour in December that year. Instead, Mr Grandy served in the Northern Territory ensuring supplies of food, fuel and munitions to...
WORLD WAR TWO VETERANS TO RECEIVE 75TH ANNIVERSARY MEDALLION
Two years ago, Bairnsdale RSL Sub-branch had 37 members who served during World War Two. There are now just 19. Among them are 96-year-old Tom Smith from Wiseleigh, Margaret ‘Peggy’ Thorne, also 96, who lives at Nicholson, and Eagle Point’s John ‘Jack’ Macartney,...
WORLD WAR TWO VETERANS TO RECEIVE 75TH ANNIVERSARY MEDALLION
Ask 98-year-old Rose Jackson what she remembers about the end of the Second World War and she’ll tell you about the bells ringing, car horns honking, people hanging out of windows and streets crammed with happy revellers. Mrs Jackson, who grew up in Seaspray and lives...
DANGEROUS INTERSECTION TO BE REDESIGNED
A dangerous intersection just outside of Glengarry will be redesigned with a roundabout to improve road user safety. The Federal Government is committing $3 million to replace the T-intersection at the Traralgon-Maffra Road and Glengarry West Road with a roundabout....
A HELPING HAND FOR TWIN RIVERS MEN’S SHED
One of Gippsland’s newest men’s sheds has just moved into its new home – and has received a double grant bonus of more than $10,000 to start fitting it out with essential equipment. The Twins Rivers Men’s Shed has been operating for around 18 months, but until earlier...
RESTORATION OF BAIRNSDALE’S CENOTAPH MOVES AHEAD
A major restoration of Bairnsdale’s heritage-listed cenotaph moved another step forward today with a de-consecration ceremony held ahead of the beginning of site work. Local MP Darren Chester, who is also the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, attended the ceremony held...
HELP TO REPAIR AND REPLACE COMMUNITY FACILITIES LOST IN THE BUSHFIRES
Community groups in bushfire-affected areas of Gippsland can now apply for grants of up to $50,000 to help rebuild and repair their facilities destroyed or damaged in the summer bushfires. Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester is urging eligible volunteer and...
FINAL STAGES OF WORK TO START ON THE ESPLANADE SOON
The multi-million dollar project to transform the Esplanade in Lakes Entrance into a safer and more welcoming and attractive precinct is about to enter its final stages. Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester said work on one of the last major components of the...
CHESTER WELCOMES PROGRESS ON GENOA FOOTBRIDGE REPLACEMENT
Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has welcomed progress on the replacement of a historic piece of infrastructure destroyed in the summer bushfires in far East Gippsland. Mr Chester said the destruction of the 93-year-old footbridge in Genoa had greatly...
SEALED RAIL TRAIL NEARLY FINISHED BETWEEN TRARALGON AND GLENGARRY
Work to seal a seven-kilometre section of the Gippsland Plains Rail Trail between Traralgon and Glengarry is nearing completion. It will be the second of two federally-funded projects along the rail trail to be finished in the past few months. Federal Member for...
BUSHFIRE RECOVERY FOR AFFECTED NATIVE WILDLIFE IN GIPPSLAND
Six projects in Gippsland have been selected to help native wildlife and habitat recover from the recent bushfires as part of the Federal Government’s $12 million Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Program. Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester said the...
SUPPORT EXTENDED TO GIPPSLAND HOUSEHOLDS AND BUSINESSES
The JobKeeper program and Coronavirus Supplement have been extended for Gippslanders under the next phase of the Federal Government’s support for affected businesses and households. Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester said the economic support was vital in...
ALBERTON TIMBER’S NEW POST PEELING FACILITY NEARLY READY
The Alberton Timber and Treatment Plant is nearing the end of a two-year $1.25 million dollar expansion to install a post peeling facility to increase efficiency and create local jobs. The new post peeling facility, built at the plant on the South Gippsland Highway in...
FIRST LOOK AT DESIGNS FOR ACCESSIBLE CIRCUIT IN LAKES ENTRANCE
Lakes Entrance residents have been given the first view of concept plans to develop an all-abilities accessible circuit which links Main Beach and Eastern Beach with a raised boardwalk. The project, which has received $50,000 in Federal Government funding to develop...
NEW CAFÉ FOR BAIRNSDALE GOLF CLUB
Bairnsdale Golf Club, located on Paynesville Road, Eagle Point, is also among the local recipients of a $10,000 grant through the #lovegippsland Stronger Community Program. The funding will go toward building a café for golfers and visitors to the club. The project,...
FIRST SNEAK PEAK AT EAST GIPPSLAND’S NEWEST LANDMARK
Passers-by can now get a good idea of how the new viewing platform at the western gateway into Lakes Entrance will look when it is complete. Wooden batons have been fixed to the curved steel frame that extends out from the hilltop as the modern, fully-accessible...
LET’S GET THE HIGHWAY DUPLICATION DONE, URGES CHESTER
Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester wants work to begin as soon as possible to complete the duplication of the Princes Highway between Traralgon and Sale to help create local jobs. News that $253.2 million in funding for the final two stages at Flynn and...
NEW PRINCES HIGHWAY OVERTAKING LANES FINISHED EAST OF GENOA
Motorists are now enjoying a new overtaking lane on the Princes Highway east of Genoa. The new west-bound lane is an important component of the $50 million package of major upgrades along the Princes Highway from Bairnsdale to the New South Wales border. Federal...
$2 BILLION SKILLS PACKAGE TO HELP JOB SEEKERS IN GIPPSLAND
Local MP Darren Chester has welcomed a $2 billion Federal Government skills funding package to train and up-skill hundreds of thousands of Australians for jobs in growth industries. The new funding package will also guarantee support for tens of thousands of...