Dubbo Photo News 06.02.2020

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Dubbo Photo News February 6-12, 2020

DROUGHT BITES AS BURRENDONG FISHING CLASSIC CALLED OFF AGAIN DUBBO

PhotoNews

REPORT NEWS EXTRA

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FEBRUARY 6-12, 2020 | LOCALLY OCALLY OWNED & INDEPENDENT | FR FREE!

CELEBRATING SWEETHEARTS Aussies are expected to spend $1 billion on Valentine’s Day this year (which is next Friday, February 14) and while our region’s economy continues to face the challenges of drought, all of us are being encouraged to spend those all-important dollars locally! 2020 is already shaping up to be the year of alternative Valentine’s Day presents and plans, as people hope to treat their sweethearts to something a bit different. Valentine’s Day isn’t just for sweethearts. It is also the perfect time to show those you’re closest to how you feel, whether they’re your friends or family members, and remember it doesn’t have to be pricey. Valentine’s Day 2020 looks like being an extra special one for Jake Morley and Shani Van Zyl, pictured. You see, this lovely Dubbo couple are engaged and will get to spend the day chatting about their wedding date which is all set for later this year. Very romantic! PHOTO: DUBBO PHOTO NEWS/EMY LOU

Inquiry into citycountry education gap A PUBLIC hearing began this week into the educational attainment gap between students living in regional areas and their metropolitan peers. Chair Andrew Laming MP said his committee is concerned that regional, rural and remote students’ achievements in education have been lower for many years. The inquiry will consider what initiatives are in place, and address barriers they may face when accessing education.

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CORONAVIRUS IMPACT China sneezes, local markets get the cold

SPECIAL REPORT By JOHN RYAN CHINA’S coronavirus outbreak has caused a global health scare. It’s also causing financial pain across the world, and Dubbo hasn’t been spared that pain. While cities like Sydney are starting to count the cost of plummeting tourism from China, and uncertainty about international students coming to study at local universities, Dubbo and the state’s west is being hit by agriculture’s exposure to China which is a dominant buyer of our export commodities.

Don Chad has operated his Dubbo-based wool buying and merchant business for decades and said this latest set-back came out of the blue. The coronavirus outbreak has seen many nations enforce travel restrictions, which has severely impacted the workforces of many overseas mills. That in turn has created uncertainty among many large importers of Australian wool, with the knockone effect of diminishing local exporters’ buying confidence. Michell’s weekly wool market reports that “the Chinese government has delayed factories re-starting af-

ter Chinese New Year until the 10th of February (around a one-week delay)”. The report further states that: “This date will possibly change and factory owners are still not sure if they will have enough staff to run production as movement across China and between provinces is very slow for staff returning from holiday.” According to Mr Chad the delay has come “completely out of left field”. “This is nothing to do with markets, demand or manufacturing,” he told Dubbo Photo News. “Actually, Chinese manufactur-

ing was increasing until now and suddenly this just hit and the decrease came on. The wool goes to China and is processed and exported to the rest of the world so the Chinese are actually the main processors of wool. That’s why the wool sold at market goes to China. “The change has come dramatically. We were on the rise from just before Christmas – just a nice, slow, steady rise in the market. Then as soon as the Coronavirus hit, it just dropped immediately about 100 cents clean, which is about 60 cents greasy.

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CALL US with your news 6885 4433 | EMAIL photos@dubbophotonews.com.au | VISIT US at 89 Wingewarra Street, Dubbo


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