Hawkesbury’s State MP has thrown her support behind a push to deliver fairer rate relief for war widows, following a unanimous vote by council last week.
Member for Hawkesbury Robyn Preston has welcomed Hawkesbury City Council’s backing of a Mayoral Minute calling on the NSW Government to change eligibility rules that currently exclude some widows from receiving concessions.
The motion, carried at Tuesday night’s council meeting on April 14, urges amendments to Section 134 of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021, specifically targeting the income and assets test applied to war widow rate concessions.
Ms Preston said 27 war widows across the Hawkesbury are missing out under the current criteria.“This is about fairness. These women should not be excluded from support because of an outdated means test,” she said. “The cost to Council is modest, but the benefit to those widows is significant, especially as cost-of-living pressures continue to rise.”
The call for reform builds on Ms Preston’s previous work advocating for veterans’ families, including during her time as Shadow Minister for Veterans.
“This continues the work I began as Shadow Minister for Veterans, working alongside the War Widows and the Families of Veterans Guild to address inequities like this,” she said.
Hawkesbury Mayor Les Sheather brought the Mayoral Minute forward, with councillors giving it their full support.
Ms Preston said the unanimous vote sends a clear signal.
“This is a strong message from the Hawkesbury community that we stand by those who have sacrificed for our country,” she said.
The proposal will now be put to the NSW Government for consideration.
