By Lachlan Ellis<\/p>\n
Rural and regional councils across the country \u2013 including Moorabool Shire Council \u2013 are set to benefit from a new $250 million round of Federal road funding.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday 3 May, the Federal Government announced an additional $250 million investment in Phase 4 of the \u2018Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program\u2019, which will benefit 466 of Australia\u2019s 550 councils.<\/p>\n
The extra funding is available to councils classified as rural, regional, or outer-urban to spend on road projects, and was a commitment by the Government prior to last year\u2019s election.<\/p>\n
In total, Moorabool Shire Council will receive just over $2 million from Phase 4, with $739,315 of that money coming from the newly announced extra funding.<\/p>\n
Chair of Rural Councils Victoria (RCV), Cr Mary-Ann Brown, said the announcement was \u201cfantastic news\u201d for all of RCV\u2019s 34 member councils.<\/p>\n
\u201cRCV has been consistently advocating for extra funding for rural roads, which were in a poor state before the recent flood, and many are in even worse condition now. This funding will help councils provide better road infrastructure for rural communities, tourists, farmers, transportation, and other businesses that provide the food and other goods needed by those living in our cities,\u201d Cr Brown said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood quality roads improve road safety and cut transportation and vehicle repair costs for farmers and other businesses, helping make food and other goods cheaper for consumers, especially at a time of high inflation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moorabool Shire Council CEO Derek Madden said Council was thrilled to receive extra funding for roads, which will be allocated at a later date.<\/p>\n
\u201cCouncil welcomes the announcement of further funding under the Federal Government\u2019s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program. For Moorabool, the program assists the timely delivery of projects identified in our long-term capital works program. We look forward to receipt of the guidelines for the program to inform expenditure of the funding,\u201d Mr Madden told the Moorabool News.<\/p>\n
Regional Development, Local Government and Territories Minister, Kristy McBain, said the extra funding will \u201cbuild on around 9,500 projects supported nationwide through Phases 1-3 of LRCI, and will make a positive impact in communities \u2013 particularly those in rural, regional, and remote areas\u201d.<\/p>\n
The previous three Phases of the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program have seen the Federal Government invest $5.62 million in Moorabool Shire\u2019s roads and infrastructure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Lachlan Ellis Rural and regional councils across the country \u2013 including Moorabool Shire Council \u2013 are set to benefit from a new $250 million round of Federal road funding. On Wednesday 3 May, the Federal Government announced an additional $250 million investment in Phase 4 of the \u2018Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program\u2019, which […]<\/p>\n