A new Palaszczuk Government infrastructure bonanza will pump $200 million over the next two years into regional projects, supporting about 600 jobs across the state.
Announcing the program at Community Cabinet in Yeppoon today, State Development Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said the new Building our Regions program would fund critical infrastructure, including airports, transport and road projects, flood mitigation projects like levees and drainage works , and community infrastructure such as water, waste water and sewerage projects.
“This Government is focussed on creating jobs and supporting economic development in our many vibrant regional Queensland communities,” Dr Lynham said.
“We have the most decentralised state in the nation and as a government with many regional members, we know that our strength lies in those regional towns and cities.
“The new Building our Regions program will fund projects that tackle infrastructure constraints for local businesses in those communities.
“We want local governments to come to us with projects that will be catalysts in their communities for economic growth and local jobs.
“We made a promise at the election to introduce this program and today I am delivering on that promise for the people of regional Queensland.”
The Building Our Regions program is comprised of four focussed funds:
• Regional Capital Fund ($70 million over two years)
• Royalties for Resource Producing Communities Fund ($55 million over two years)
• Remote Communities Infrastructure Fund ($15 million over two years)
• Transport Infrastructure Development Scheme (TIDS) ($60 million over two years).
Councils will be able to apply for up to $5 million.
Dr Lynham said only the transport scheme would be available to all councils: the other three funds were quarantined to regional local governments.
“Building our Regions particularly will focus on resource-producing communities and will provide an opportunity to address any impacts of resource sector growth in those communities,” he said.
“We’ll be prioritising partnership projects that include funding commitments from local and Commonwealth government, business and community groups.
“I would expect to see the first projects funded and underway from July 2016 creating opportunity and jobs across regional Queensland.”
The first round of applications will be open after August, along with more detail on the eligibility criteria and assessment process.
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