Funding for National Park Road rolled out

The federal government have released long promised funding to councils as part of road and infrastructure developments. The funding is part of the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) program, “totalling $750 million.”

The phase four allocations “include an additional $250 million target to rural, regional and outer urban roads.”

It was reported in The Gilgandra Weekly in May that the Gilgandra Shire Council had been allocated $874,444 in funding through part A of phase four, which is being put towards National Park Road. This funding is now available to the council for use.

The federal government’s media release states “the LRCI program works in partnership with councils to provide them flexibility to deliver priority local road and community infrastructure pro- jects relevant to their region, creating jobs and long-lasting benefits for communities.”

In support of the release of the funds and promoting the program the minister for infrastructure, transport, regional development and local government Catherine King said “This is great news for many councils across Australia that have been struggling to maintain and improve their local road networks – especially following repeated flooding and other natural disasters in recent times. We have listened to councils and are pleased to be supporting local governments in their vital role in delivering critical infrastructure for their communi- ties, whatever that looks like based on an individual council’s needs and priorities.

“We are committed to building strong partnerships with our local governments and this Pphase four funding will help councils improve infrastructure and their local road networks for their communities.”

The minister for regional development, local government and territories minister Kristy McBain, supported these comments with a statement of her own:

“We’ve increased both the funding amount and the delivery window for phase four of LRCI, because we know that this will enable councils to progress higher-priority projects that have a last- ing impact in their communities. The feedback from the hundreds of councils that attended our recent Australian Council of Local Government was that this extension will give them more flexi- bility to plan for and deliver these works.

“Whether it’s upgrading surfaces at local sporting fields, improving audio- visual capabilities at community halls, or repairing roads that have been washed away – councils can now lock in their grant agreements and get this important work underway. Phase four will build on around 9500 projects supported nation- wide through phases one-three of LRCI and will support a number of local employment and economic opportunities - particularly in our rural, regional, and remote areas,” said minister Kristy McBain.