The McDonald's Bathurst Ice Rink ran at 80 per cent capacity over the two-week period, which was on par with last year.

Multiple sessions were booked out, especially for Ignite the Night and Brew and Bite. Over the warmer days of the festival, the skating sessions also tended to sell out. We even had a group of keen skaters who returned to the ice rink every day of the festival.

Ticket sales for the ice rink were around 50 per cent from the 2795 postcode and 50 per cent from outside of this area.

Ticket sales for the ferris wheel and carousel hit 40,000. On average, excluding the feature events, we had more than 3000 people attend the winter playground each day of the festival to skate and/or enjoy the ferris wheel and carousel.

Ignite the Night and Brew and Bite attracted more than 10,000 people to each of the events.

One of the festival highlights for me personally was the LiveBetter All Abilities Day. The event gives people of all abilities an opportunity to have a skate on the ice at a reduced capacity with carers from LiveBetter to assist.

It started as a small initiative just three short years ago and has grown into a major event in the region's calendar, attracting hundreds of participants.

This year we partnered with LiveBetter to provide a transition to work program for people with a disability. This enables them to undertake paid work experience and develop skills needed for the workforce.

Two participants took part in the program last year and this year that number grew to seven. This program is a great initiative to give back to our community and provide equal opportunities for everyone.

Another highlight of the festival was Charles Sturt University's Winter Playground Takeover Day. Charles Sturt University was a major supporter of the Winter Festival this year and the Takeover Day celebrated the university's 30 birthday.

IT'S great to see the NSW Government deliver on its election commitment to address attacks on farming families such as those carried out by Aussie Farms.

I am sure most fair-minded people will back the NSW Government's decision to impose on-the-spot fines for activists who invade private farming properties and, in doing so, jeopardise their biosecurity.

This week's announcement is part of a broader range of measures being considered by the NSW Government to protect farmers' right to farm.

Biosecurity is key to the ongoing viability of NSW agriculture.

Now if an activist takes it upon themselves to invade someone's property which is in violation of their biosecurity plan, they will be guilty of an offence.

Activists who want to cause trouble for farmers are now firmly on notice. This is step one. We are looking at even more penalties.

Farmers have had enough, my constituents have had enough and so has the NSW Government.

The new penalties will come into effect on August 1 and authorised officers such as NSW Police will be able to issue the $1000 on-the-spot fines.

Further penalties will be available to our courts, including $220,000 for individuals and $440,000 for corporations.

To access the new offence, farmers will need to have a biosecurity plan in place and appropriate signage.

Visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurityact.

Record tourism

THE latest industry survey shows record visitor numbers, visitor nights and tourism-related expenditure in regional NSW.

The National Visitor Survey shows that in the year ending March 2019, Sydney residents were the top source of visitors to regional NSW, accounting for more than a third of domestic visitors, bed nights and expenditure.

The survey reveals that 9.6 million visitors to regional NSW were from Sydney.

The number of visitor nights from these Sydneysiders increased by almost 16 per cent from the previous survey, which equated to a total $4.5 billion in tourism-related spend.

The Bathurst region's businesses will continue to welcome Sydneysiders to our city.