Community Update 8 May. The latest news and COVID-19 updates from Port Macquarie-Hastings Council No images? Click here COVID-19 - the changing landscapeToday our federal and state governments announce the next steps including the timing of a staged approach to easing of COVID-19 restrictions, and related actions to support the recovery of our Australian economy.Closer to home, in the Port Macquarie-Hastings, we too continue to work on a range of programs and initiatives to help support our community during and beyond COVID-19.COVID-19 staged easing of restrictionsStage 1 of easing the restrictions. What will be changing:
The NSW government are yet to determine the timing of these changes for our state, so we'll keep you up to date when these changes come into effect via our website and Facebook. We also continue to encourage everyone to remain committed to keeping our community healthy and safe, and not to become complacent. Visit NSW Government's COVID-19 hub to keep up to date with what you can and can't do under the rules. We'll keep you informed about the latest Port Macquarie-Hastings community services and facilities via our website and Facebook page. Council provides Community Grants several times throughout the year to support and advocate for community groups, events and sporting award grants. This week, we're excited to confirm 16 successful grant recipients under Round 2 of our 2019/2020 Community Grants program. Some of these great community initiatives include:
These are just a few of our latest Grant recipients. We'll share more news about these individual groups and their community projects over the next few weeks. Visit our website to learn more about our Community Grants program. Financial relief measures and hardship assistanceWhether you're a resident, or business owner, we have a range of financial relief measures in place to assist you to reduce the financial impact of COVID-19. For residents and business owners alike we are waiving interest on rates and charges, direct debit dishonour fees and credit card surcharge fees. Some of the additional measures include: For residents:
View all financial relief measures for residents. For business owners:
View all financial relief measures for business owners. Hardship Assistance and supportWe understand our community has been significantly impacted as a result of COVID-19. In response to the impacts currently being faced, we have a new hardship rate relief form designed specifically to assist residents and business owners to seek support. If you've been impacted, please submit an application for hardship assistance, and our Customer Service Team will be in touch with you to discuss your specific situation and work with you on a plan. Imagine our future as a Smart CommunityShare your Smart Community thoughts and ideas to help build our Roadmap.
Continuing to deliver for the communityWhile our customer-facing service centres are currently closed, we're still 'open for business' and continuing to deliver for our community. There's great news for residents and visitors alike with complex rehabilitation work to the Dunbogan Bridge now complete - prolonging the life of the bridge - at least another 50 years! The Dunbogan Bridge Rehabilitation was a $5 million project, with $1.5 million funded by the Australian Government through the Bridges Renewal Program and $3.5 million contributed by Council. More information on this project is available on our website. $250,000 has been provided through the NSW Government Bushfire Community Resilience and Economic Recovery Fund for events or initiatives to support local business and industry recovery, and events or initiatives to support community recovery and wellbeing. $1,416,667 has also been provided through the Australian Government Commonwealth Bushfire Disaster Recovery Fund for projects and activities that Council deems essential for the recovery and renewal of our community, to support recovery from the Black Summer bushfire season. Visit our website to find out more about bushfire recovery and the funded initiatives. Weekly update with the MayorView this week's update from Mayor Peta Pinson. COVID-19: Stay up to date and in the know.COVIDSafe contact tracing AppThe Australian Government has released a new App to assist in managing the spread of COVID-19. The more people that download the App, will also help the timing of the easing of restrictions. The COVIDSafe App speeds up contacting people exposed to coronavirus (COVID-19) - helping to support and protect you, your friends and family. Download the COVIDSafe App from: Visiting other people at their homeIt's Mother's Day this Sunday! And, while we're waiting on the latest updates from the NSW Government on the timing of easing of restrictions, we want to remind you that up to 2 adults and their dependent children are currently allowed to visit another household. You will still need to:
If you are feeling unwell, you should not visit other people at home. Even if you have only mild symptoms - like tiredness or a sore throat - find out about testing at a COVID-19 clinic. For the latest information, visit health.gov.au or NSW Health for state-specific advice. Let's work together to keep our community healthy and safe!How you can continue to do business with us.Call our Customer Call Centre on 6581 8111 Send us an email to council@pmhc.nsw.gov.au Visit us at pmhc.nsw.gov.au Stay connected and up to date with Council newsVisit our Website at pmhc.nsw.gov.au Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/pmhc2444 Watch us on YouTube at youtube.com/pmhcouncil Tweet us on Twitter at twitter.com/pmhcouncil |