FEDERAL funding for local roads has recently been announced in the fourth stage of the Commonwealth Government’s ‘Local Roads and Community Infrastructure’ program.

Five local Councils within the Federal electorate of Lyne have been allocated a grand total of almost $12 million.

The total amounts for Phrase 4 (‘Parts A and B’ combined) are, by Council: Maitland City: $1,376,182; Port Stephens: $1,230,752; Dungog Shire: $906,393; MidCoast: $5,349,312; and Port Macquarie-Hastings: $2,880,252.

“The Program has now become critical for regional Councils in infrastructure delivery,” said Dr David Gillespie, Federal Member for Lyne.

“In my recent Vision 2030 Plan survey of 3,000 households across the Lyne electorate, roads were the number one priority, this program will go some way towards getting more road projects on the agenda.”

The Federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (all one Department) stated that Councils will be able to access their Phase 4 funding allocations from July 2023.

“I’ve discussed the need to not only maintain existing levels of funding for infrastructure in regional areas like ours, but also further investment given the importance of roads to our region and the economy,” Dr Gillespie told NOTA.

With close to half of the overall Federal funding within Lyne electorate going to MidCoast Council, one may hope that the Myall Way, among several other desperately damaged arterial roadways, may finally get some attention.

“In government, The Nationals put in place a number of good programs for regional Australia.

“These programs, combined with the regionalisation agenda we took to the last election, should be embraced if Australia is not only to bring regional infrastructure up to standard, but also move the growth out of our major cities and into rural and regional towns,” Dr Gillespie added.

However, given that the existing list of MidCoast Council’s ‘Major road and bridge projects’ only specifies three planned projects south of the Lakes Way, the southern section of the LGA is likely not a priority.

By Thomas O’KEEFE