Minister for Customer Service, Victor Dominello, was at the Australian Reptile Park on February 4 to encourage eligible Central Coast businesses to register for the NSW Government’s Dine & Discover NSW voucher program.
The program, which will start in March, aims to boost dining, arts and tourism industries in the area by offering anyone aged 18 four $25 vouchers; two to be used for dining and two for discovery.
The Australian Reptile Park is one of more than 70 businesses on the Central Coast which have already signed up for the program.
Dominello said registering is simple and easy and can be done online.
“Whether it’s a café, restaurant, wildlife park or museum, this program will be a game-changer for local economies and will give businesses a much-needed boost after the busy summer period,” Dominello said.
“The past 12 months have been incredibly tough for businesses, and we want this voucher program to not just keep the doors open, but to help businesses grow.
“Central Coast businesses can register online now, and for those who have questions about how the program works, there is a dedicated team of Service NSW business concierges who can assist with the registration process and tips on how to redeem vouchers.”
Dominello said to get the most out of the vouchers, people should use the full amount of $25, as credit left on the voucher cannot be used.
He also explained that both $25 vouchers could not be used simultaneously to pay for the same bill, which he said is to encourage people to share the spending.
Following a brief pilot in February and the statewide roll out from March, Dine & Discover NSW will run until June 30.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said customers could download the Service NSW app now in advance of the statewide rollout.
“After the triple whammy of fires, flooding and COVID-19 this stimulus is exactly what our community needs to boost business and get people out and about in a COVID safe way,” Crouch said.
“I encourage everyone to do themselves a favour – download the Service NSW app now so you’re ready to reap the rewards when the Dine & Discover NSW voucher program goes live.
“Eligible locals will be sent an email from Service NSW with details on how to apply for Dine & Discover vouchers online.”
Australian Reptile Park CEO, Tim Faulkner, thanked Dominello for the rollout of the Service NSW app.
“From the Reptile park perspective, as a business, we closed last year for the first time in 70 years for three months, and it was terrifying,” he said.
“But thanks to the Minister, (through) an economy that has been opened through a pandemic managed well, (we are) in a position where we haven’t lost a staff member, haven’t stopped our production of antivenom for saving lives and haven’t had a decrease in our conservation measures.”
Business NSW Central Coast Regional Director, Paula Martin, said the introduction of the $500M digital voucher scheme was a welcome boost to local businesses operating across the region’s 12 town centres and would help to sustain businesses outside traditional peak seasons.
“By getting out and about in our local towns, we are helping our hardest-hit businesses to continue to operate and keep their staff working in these challenging times,” Martin said.
Downloading the app only takes a few minutes and it can also be used to download a Digital Driver Licence and renew registrations.
A non-digital solution will be made available to customers who don’t have a smartphone or compatible device.
For more information, go to: www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/dine-and-discover-nsw.
Jacinta Counihan