Councils in the Parkes electorate will now be able to plan ahead for priority projects, with funding details for Phase 4 of the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) program finally released by the Federal Government.
Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton is pleased to see the details of this critical program confirmed.
“I’ve been calling on the Labor Government to advise councils regarding the amount of funding each could expect to receive through Phase 4 of this program,” Mr Coulton said.
“It’s a great result for our communities that these figures have at last been released. This will enable councils to plan their capital works budgets and progress projects that have been on the backburner after months of major flooding.
“This funding was initially set up by the Coalition Government to assist councils during the COVID-19 pandemic and I am pleased that this has been continued.
“It has been so necessary to maintain strong support for our towns during the ongoing hardships of recent times. The window for delivery from July of this year through to June 2025 will provide plenty of time for significant recovery works to be completed.”
Mr Coulton said that while he welcomes the confirmation that $500 million in LRCI funding originally promised to councils will be delivered, further details are needed for the extra $250 million which was announced in the October budget.
“The Labor Government needs to be transparent about every dollar they spend,” Mr Coulton said.
“The Government has stated that the additional $250 million will target road projects in rural, regional and outer urban areas. While any money for our roads is more than welcome after the damage done by recent flooding, the Government needs to be clear about exactly how this funding will be distributed. There’s a big difference between rural and outer urban areas, and I would hope our rural and regional councils receive their fair share since they’ve been hardest hit.
“Until I see more details, I will continue to have questions about the methodology Labor plans to use to determine where this money goes.”
The Phase 4 LRCI funding allocations for councils in the Parkes electorate include:
- Bogan Shire Council – $911,524
- Bourke Shire Council – $1,199,903
- Brewarrina Shire Council – $820,558
- Broken Hill City Council – $310,580
- Central Darling Shire Council – $1,001,818
- Cobar Shire Council – $1,085,211
- Coonamble Shire Council – $929,818
- Dubbo Regional Council – $2,146,498
- Gilgandra Shire Council – $878,444
- Gunnedah Shire Council – $1,007,220
- Gwydir Shire Councill – $1,182,224
- Lachlan Shire Council – $2,128,508
- Moree Plains Shire Council – $1,814,888
- Narrabri Shire Council – $1,475,176
- Narromine Shire Council – $909,690
- Walgett Shire Council – $1,235,615
- Warren Shire Council – $655,258
- Warrumbungle Shire Council – $1,553,366
“I look forward to seeing how each of these councils will spend their allocated funding to benefit their communities,” Mr Coulton said.
For more information about the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, visit: https://investment.infrastructure.gov.au/about/local-initiatives/local-roads-and-community-infrastructure/