Labor member of the NSW Legislative Council and former Mayor of Dubbo Stephen Lawrence MLC has been announced as the 'Duty MLC' for the state electorates of Cootamundra and Orange.
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The Labor member of Parliament, who was elected in March and lives in Dubbo, has declared he will be available to assist people across the electorate, including Grenfell residents.
Mr Lawrence was keen to explain the duty MLC system and what he hopes to achieve in the role.
"People may be wondering what a 'duty MLC' is," Mr Lawrence said.
"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".
The seat of Cootamundra is held by the National Party's Steph Cooke and the seat of Orange is held by independent Phil Donato.
"My hope is to assist people who have issues with government and to be available as a point of contact within the Labor government," Mr Lawrence said.
"I will also work with the local MP whenever this needs to occur in the interests of the community," he said.
Mr Lawrence has a background as a former Mayor of the Dubbo Region and was a barrister for eight years before he was elected to state parliament.
His legal career involved long periods working overseas on conflict and post conflict justice, including 12 months in Afghanistan with the Australian Government.
He is Chair of the Privileges Committee and a member of the Law and Justice Committee.
