The SCREEN Fund will assist our local independent cinemas who have experienced significant decline due to the pandemic, with a one-off business continuity grant of up to $85,000.

The fund will support local cinemas like the Plaza Theatre at Laurieton and 390 like it across the country.

I know from my discussions with David that the pandemic has had a devastating impact on cinemas, which have struggled to recover due to circumstances that were out of their control, such as capacity restrictions and a reduced flow of new release films by major distributors.

Independent cinemas represent around 30 per cent of the cinema exhibition sector in Australia, and play a key role in supporting Australian made movies as well as providing a popular, low-cost and COVID-safe way for people to go out and enjoy a movie as part of a community - particularly in regional areas.

The SCREEN Fund builds on the government's investment of over $800 million in additional arts and entertainment funding announced in 2020, on top of its annual investment of around $750 million in regular funding.

HomeBuilder delivers the boost the nation needs

Thanks to HomeBuilder, Australia's tradies can look ahead and plan with confidence.

HomeBuilder has delivered a secure pipeline of construction work that will keep hundreds of thousands of tradies in work who would have otherwise been facing the unemployment queue.

The numbers are in and the HomeBuilder initiative has delivered a 2.3 per cent boost in GDP across NSW, backed 45,476 jobs and has supported $5.05 billion worth of residential building activity across the state.

The program has given many young Australians the opportunity to buy their first home, and an opportunity for many others to start an apprenticeship in the building and construction industry.

One local builder has told me HomeBuilder has given the industry certainty with three years of work now in the pipeline.