The regional water supply for twenty-three local councils can begin planning their critical upgrades, thanks to round six of the Queensland Government’s Building our Regions fund.
Almost $8.3 million has been awarded to councils for 35 projects. This funding will improve their regional water supply and sewerage infrastructure throughout regional Queensland. It encompasses every region from the Torres Strait and Cape York to the Gulf, western Queensland and further south.
Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing and Minister for Water Glenn Butcher said the program was enormously successful. Without it, councils would face funding and infrastructure challenges.
Butcher said, “This program makes a real difference to Queenslanders. We heard from Mayors and councillors across the board that funding these important projects was difficult. That isn’t always obvious to ratepayers.
Regional water supplies to benefit
“Building our Regions provides vital support to regional local governments’ projects, which means their communities benefit from improved regional water supplies.”
Round 6 of Building our Regions will provide $70 million in funding over three years for local governments to improve their regional water supply and sewerage services and boost long-term liveability in these regions.
Butcher said, “Construction project applications are currently being assessed. I should be able to announce the results soon.”
Previous rounds of Building our Regions have seen more than $348 million approved for 271 projects across 67 local government areas.
These projects have leveraged over $539 million in additional funding from other sources for a total capital expenditure of over $887 million, supporting over 2,700 construction jobs.
“It’s programs like these that prove the importance of supporting our thriving regional areas,” Mr Butcher said.
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