The NSW government's Parents NSW program went live yesterday, with about one million families across the state eligible for up to $250 worth of vouchers.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Families will receive five $50 vouchers, which can be redeemed at Discover NSW and Stay NSW registered businesses, as a "thank you" from the premier to parents after a tough year.
"This is all about thanking parents for their home schooling efforts last year, helping make ends meet and supporting local businesses," Mr Perrottet said. "Parents have persevered and balanced a variety of challenges as a result of home learning, and we are grateful for their hard work and sacrifices."
Dr Saba Nabi, from Estella, downloaded the vouchers first thing on Monday morning and is already planning a trip away.
"I was talking to my husband and said maybe we can plan something and go on holiday. We've got some vouchers from last year as well, I've got a food voucher and an entertainment voucher and now this one, so we just have to play for the fuel," she said.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Lake Albert's Bron Lawrence said the vouchers would make a difference to her family.
"Discover will be good for us because we are a family of four that do a lot of sport and we travel a lot," she said.
But Mrs Lawrence would like to see the government go further and bring in vouchers that could be used for a wide range of items.
"I think it is good. But I would like to see them bring back the school kids bonus, that was really helpful with back to school," she said.
"Buying new shoes and new books and uniforms, I think the school kids bonus would be better spent ... it took that January pressure off."
Dr Nabi agreed, saying she believed that while it was a nice gesture, it didn't compensate parents for last year's home schooling.
"This won't compensate for the input we've given," she said. "The school was fantastic, they provided all the resources, but you had to pay attention to the child when home schooling."
The government also announced that its planned Stay NSW voucher scheme will be rolled out progressively from February 21.
Adults over 18 will get a $50 voucher that can go towards accommodation, and while local businesses welcome cash incentives for tourism, some worry that it might not help towns like Wagga which rely on events and corporate travel.
"The accommodation industry has suffered a lot," said Jamie Pascoe, general manager at the Charles. "Businesses have put bans on travel and you're seeing them do business in other ways.
"We need events to fill our weekends ... events are key for our area, people need a reason to come here."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Download our app from the Apple Store or Google Play
- Bookmark dailyadvertiser.com.au
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters