Former mayor of Dubbo Stephen Lawrence has been announced as the ‘duty MLC’ for the Barwon Electorate, Labor’s local representative in the area. 

Stephen Lawrence was elected to the NSW Legislative Council (Upper House) as a part of the Labor party in March this year.

Now, he will be Labor’s eyes and ears on the ground for people looking for assistance. 

“People may be wondering what a ‘duty MLC’ is. The system is that in every electorate where the Labor party does not hold the lower house seat, we appoint an upper house MLC (Member of the Legislative Council) to represent the seat in the Labor government and to assist residents”. Mr. Lawrence said.

“My hope is to assist people who have issues with government and to be available as a point of contact within the Labor government. I will also work with the local MP whenever this needs to occur in the interests of the community”.

In his inaugural speech to Parliament, the Dubbo resident declared his interest in bettering the state of health and education in the region, as well as infrastructure, transport and economic development. 

“I’ll be visiting regularly and look forward to hearing from you, meeting you and advocating for you,” Mr Lawrence said in a statement. 

“Our regional and rural communities are the very best of what NSW is and I’m committed to contributing to the progression of our communities.”

Mr Lawrence is also Chair of the Privileges Committee and a member of the Law and Justice Committee, the State Development Committee and Portfolio Committees 1 and 5.