After the resignation of Nationals Leader Andrew Stoner and the unopposed election of Member for Dubbo Troy Grant as Leader, Member for Monaro, John Barilaro has been appointed to Cabinet, taking on the portfolios of Regional Tourism and Small Business.
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A former small timber manufacturing business owner, Mr Barilaro was elected in March 2011 and promoted to Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Regional Development in May this year.
Deputy Premier, Troy Grant said Mr Barilaro’s experience and hard work both as Parliamentary Secretary and within the Monaro community made him the obvious choice to take on these Ministerial responsibilities.
“John is in the business of getting things done, whether it’s securing funding for the $50 million Queanbeyan bypass project, or delivering a new dialysis unit for Cooma,” Mr Grant said.
“John has proven himself as a passionate advocate for the tourism sector, a champion for small business and a man with great vision for his region.
”I am looking forward to John continuing his record of delivering as he takes on these new portfolio responsibilities,” Mr Grant said.
Mr Barilaro said he is proud to be the voice for small business and regional tourism for the State, especially for the Monaro region.
“The tourism sector in my local region is mostly made up of small ‘mum and dad’ businesses,” Mr Barilaro said. “I have lived and breathed small business for 20 years; I have firsthand knowledge and understanding of the needs and challenges of small business and their importance to the state’s economy.
“Small business represents two thirds of the NSW economy and underpins much of the employment in regional areas, it’s important this vital sector continues to have a strong voice in government.
“NSW continues to outperform all other States in both domestic and international tourism and we’re on track to meet our target of doubling overnight visitor expenditure in NSW by 2020.
“This is a terrific opportunity for me to further magnify the focus of government on the Monaro region and work off the successes that have already been achieved locally,” Mr Barilaro said.
