Member for Bega Andrew Constance said in his media release today that the 2021-22 budget cements major project spending in the region and will continue to deliver hundreds of jobs and provide essential infrastructure.
Mr Constance said, the NSW Treasurer has today confirmed that major projects announced or underway continue to be funded and will be delivered by the NSW Government.
“Projects that will have such a massive impact on our local communities will continue to progress, boost employment and our economic growth across the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla shires.
• NEW learning support unit at Moruya High School
• NEW Eden safe harbour project
• NEW Moruya racecourse upgrades
• NEW Sapphire Coast racecourse upgrades
• Eurobodalla Hospital
• Nelligen Bridge replacement
• South Batemans Bay Link Road
• Southern Eurobodalla Water Storage
• Water Filtration for Brogo, Bermagui, Bega and Tathra
• New Bega Police Station
• Batemans Bay TAFE
• Bega TAFE Specialist Trade Centre
• Mogo adventure trails
• Continued Princes Highway upgrades including, Moruya Bypass
In addition to our local infrastructure projects the NSW Government has increased the Community Building Partnership funding program for local community organisations from $300,000 to $400,000, allowing more organisations the opportunity to receive funding.
“This budget reinforces the NSW Government commitment to deliver for regional areas at a magnitude never seen before,” Mr Constance said.
“The strong economic management of this Government is why we continue to deliver the infrastructure that those across our region should have access to.
“Not only will our region see major infrastructure investment in many important projects and upgrades, we are also supporting families and those in community wherever we can.
“Locals know better than anyone that investment in diverse regions like ours – with everything from farmers through to small business and tourism operators – health, education and emergency services make a huge impact on the state’s overall economy and community function,” Mr Constance said.
Key highlights in the 2021-22 budget that will see benefits realised across our region include:
• $117 million Regional Seniors Travel Card Scheme
• $1.1 billion to continue the state’s response to COVID-19
• $1.9 billion NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS), Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW), and NSW State Emergency Service (NSW SES).
• $2.3 billion for vocational education and training
• $500, 000 for fixing country roads and bridges.
• $6 billion in rebates, concessions and cost of living measures which benefit households across the region.
• $82.8 million over four years to continue strengthening specialist palliative and end of life care
• $5 billion in joint Federal and State funding for bushfire response, recovery and preparedness efforts, with more than $460 million for the NSW Government’s response to the NSW Bushfire Inquiry including:
o $268.2 million in additional funding to continue vital projects to bolster the future of our fire agencies and the preparedness of communities, following the devastating 2019-20 bushfires.
o $590.4 million for the Storm and Flood Recovery package which includes, in partnership with the Commonwealth:
o $215.3 million to clean up storm and flood impacted properties;
o $203.7 million for Recovery Programs to assist community, infrastructure, industry and environmental recovery, with further Commonwealth funding being sought;
o $171.4 million for disaster recovery grants to support small businesses, non-profit organisations and primary producers.
· $44 million program will make a $100 voucher for swimming lessons available to every pre-school child aged three to six in NSW
· $30 million Regional Tourism Activation Fund to deliver high impact tourism and events infrastructure;
· $20 million Regional Events Acceleration Fund to bring major events and visitor dollars to regional towns.
“Regional families have one less financial concern with our government investing $150 million to provide free preschool in NSW, including more than 350 regional and remote preschools, saving families up to $4,000 a year per child.
For more information about the NSW Budget, please visit https://www.budget.nsw.gov.au/
