What's News 3 July 2026
Published on 03 July 2026
NAIDOC Week commences this Sunday 5 July with the theme ‘50 Years Deadly’ marking a milestone and a tribute to the people who built the NAIDOC movement. In celebration, Council will be holding a special display of NAIDOC posters from the past five decades at an exhibition at BMEC. The display invites our community to pause, reflect and celebrate how NAIDOC has grown and changed since its beginnings in the 1970s. Bathurst Library will also have a slideshow of the poster collection running on their interior large screen throughout NAIDOC Week.
The exhibition details are as follows:
What: 50 Years of NAIDOC Posters
Where: Wattle Foyer – BMEC
Council resolved at its meeting on 17 June 2026 to place the previously adopted 2025 Code of Meeting Practice back on public exhibition for public comment after a disallowance motion was passed in the NSW Legislative Council, meaning the adopted Code was no longer valid.
Council resolved to retain a number of changes introduced under the previously adopted 2025 Code of Meeting Practice. To retain those provisions, an amendment to the Code is required.
Submissions must be lodged by 4pm on Monday 10 August 2026.
Register as an Exhibitor at the 2026 Bathurst Careers Expo
The Bathurst Careers Expo returns this month on 29 July from 9am-2pm at CSU. This free event is a valuable resource for anyone considering their next career or training move.
For employers, educational institutions and training providers from across the Central West, the Careers Expo is a fantastic opportunity to promote career pathways and employment opportunities, and there is still time to register as an exhibitor. You won’t want to miss out on this great chance to raise your organisation's profile – free of charge – among more than 1,000 job seekers and school leavers.
For more information and to register as an exhibitor, visit:
Heritage Assistance Grants
Council’s Heritage Assistance Grants are now open for the 2026/27 period. The program offers up to $5,000 on a dollar for dollar basis toward heritage conservation and interpretation projects.
Applications close on Friday 24 July 2026.
Have Your Say - Planning Proposal seeking to amend the Bathurst Regional Local Environmental Plan 2014 at 18 Lambert Street
Council is in receipt of a Planning Proposal in relation to land at 18 Lambert Street, (PP-2025-2557), Bathurst. This has now been placed on public exhibition for a period of 28 days from 22 June to 20 July 2026.
Council invites written submissions in relation to the Planning Proposal and DCP amendment. Any submission needs to be lodged with Council by 4:00pm on Monday 20 July 2026 and must include your name and address.
Any submission that you make on the proposal may be included without alteration (including names and addresses) in reports that are available to the public in Council business papers.
New Entry Cut-off Times Introduced at Waste Management Centre
The Bathurst Waste Management Centre has introduced new entry cut-off times to support safer operations and ensure end-of-day processing can be completed efficiently.
While the facility’s operating hours remain unchanged – 7:30am to 4:30pm on weekdays and 8:30am to 3:00pm on weekends – the last customers of the day must enter the Waste Management Centre 15 minutes before close; and no entry to site will be allowed after that. For more information about these changes, contact the Waste Management Centre team on 02 6338 2824.
The 2025/2026 waste vouchers will expire later this month on 31 July. It's not too late to get the most out of your vouchers!
A maximum of four vouchers (600 kg total) can be used in a single transaction. Standard fees will apply to any weight above the voucher allowance. Credit is not issued, and vouchers must be presented at the time of disposal.
The 2026/2027 waste vouchers will be included in the July rates notice.
Great Western Highway closed in both directions between Little Hartley and Mount Victoria
Traffic on the Great Western Highway is being diverted at Lithgow to travel along Main Street, Chifley Road and the Darling Causeway before rejoining the highway at Mount Victoria due to cracks discovered at Victoria Pass in March 2026. Motorists are advised to allow extra travel time. School buses will be diverting away from the area.
Announced late June 2026, Seymour Whyte has been awarded the construction contract. Major works are expected to begin in July 2026, with the current reopening timeline set for mid-2027. The engineering solution will be a new bridge structure built over Mitchells Causeway, supported by deep piling into stable bedrock, with the heritage causeway being stabilised at the same time.
Transport for NSW will be running temporary additional train services and free coach services to support communities like ours impacted by this disruption.
Australia Day Awards | Nominations Now Open
Nominations are now open for the 2027 Australia Day Awards. Categories include Youth Arts, Youth Service, and Event of the Year, covering Destination Event, Community Event, and Most Outstanding New Event.
Youth Arts and Youth Service nominations close Friday 6 November 2026. Event of the Year nominations close Friday 8 January 2027.
Media contact: Genevieve Green Media and Communications Officer