JENNY AITCHISON
MINISTER FOR REGIONAL TRANSPORT AND ROADS
MEDIA RELEASE - $80.3 MILLION FUNDING ROLLED OUT TO FIX COUNTRY ROADS
Vision and audio grabs available to download here
An $80.3 million funding boost from the NSW Government is hitting the bank accounts of regional councils, to allow 29 road projects to get underway to help improve freight connectivity.
Funding deeds for projects that have met prerequisite qualifications have now been signed for Round 6 projects of the Fixing Country Roads Program.
It means councils can soon access money to deliver vital freight-related road projects, with construction expected to start next year. So far, under the $543 million Fixing Country Roads Program funding, 293 projects have been completed across NSW.
The Program helps councils repair, strengthen, widen and improve strategic freight routes in regional NSW, building upon a vision for a safer, stronger regional NSW.
The latest round of funding brings the total number of projects funded to more than 360 across over 80 regional NSW councils.
There are more than 72 different types of produce that are transported by road in NSW every day. This includes wheat, rice, beef, poultry, milk and other products like cotton, wool and timber, and these goods need to get from the farms, silos and warehouses to port.
The NSW Government is committed to supporting the freight, logistics and distribution services which are the backbone of regional NSW and provide more than 32,000 regional jobs. This helps support growth and economic productivity and ultimately helps reduce the cost of getting goods to market.
On 24 February 2023, $80.3 million was announced for 29 projects across 29 regional Local Government Areas (LGAs) as part of Round 6 of the Fixing Country Roads Program; this includes one project submitted by a joint organisation of five regional councils. The full list of Round 6 projects under the $80.3 million funding allocation is available here.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison:
“The former Liberal National Government tried to rip this $80.3 million out of the Fixing Country Roads program and it was Labor who exposed this blatant theft of funds.
“I’m proud to say it’s the Minns Labor Government that’s now delivering that $80.3 million to councils that should have received the money years ago.
“The efficient movement of freight is essential to our everyday lives, from the furniture in our homes, fuel in our cars and fresh food on supermarket shelves, we rely on a connected and safe freight network.
“The NSW Government provides funding to regional councils to deliver projects that enhance the capacity, access, efficiency and reliability of the road network to improve the movement of freight.
“All these projects have been vital in helping achieve a more efficient and thriving NSW freight industry to keep this freight moving. The efficient movement of goods from producer to consumer underpins our productivity, international competitiveness, and way of life.
“These projects will have enormous benefits in the way that goods and produce are moved from regional NSW to cities, across the country and to the rest of the world.”
MEDIA: Wendy Fitzgibbon | Minister Aitchison | 0408 427 540
