In the wake of the 2020 lockdown earlier this year, the NSW government announced an ambitious stimulus scheme to inject much-needed dollars into the tills of hospo and entertainment venues. While the Dine and Discover initiative wasn’t without its hiccups – the majority of vouchers ended up being spent at juggernaut fast food and cinema chains rather than needy mom-and-pop establishments – it boosted the local economy by more than $500 million.
The expiration date of already-claimed vouchers had already been extended three times during NSW's most recent lockdown, with Dine and Discover codes remaining valid until June 2022, but newly installed NSW premier Dominic Perrottet has now announced an expansion of the scheme as the state gradually exits lockdown – and the pandemic – for good.
People in NSW will now be eligible to claim two further $25 vouchers – one for dining out and one for entertainment – which will also be valid until June of next year. “People right across the state have gone out and used their vouchers, and importantly, spent more. It’s driven the economic activity in New South Wales. It’s got people back into work. We know that they’re popular,” Perrottet said. “We said as we were going through the economic recovery period that we’d look at those programs that worked. That’s exactly what we’ve done in relation to this.”
For more details on how to claim your Dine and Discover vouchers, head to the Service NSW website.