Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

Affordable accommodation for people travelling away from home for medical treatment is so important. In its short life, Macquarie Home Stay has provided that service in Dubbo for people right across western New South Wales that need to go into Dubbo for childbirth, cancer treatment—all sorts of things. It was originally kicked off by fundraising through the Tour De Oroc, organised by Dubbo Mayor Mathew Dickerson, and it is much loved by the people of the west. About 28 per cent of its visitors are Indigenous people from the west. It does a great job.

How delighted they were a couple of weeks ago when the Duck Creek Picnic Race Club gave them a cheque for $40,000! The Duck Creek races have been running for about 15 years. It was the brainchild of the Bogan Bulls rugby club to have a social function in Nyngan. They had about 4,700 people at their race meeting. They got behind the fundraising, raising $40,000 in one day for Macquarie Home Stay. Macquarie Home Stay now have plans for another 28 rooms to meet the demand, with many people coming through, and this cheque from the Duck Creek races is going to be very important for their future plans.

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