Photo Caption: Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton with Acting Mayor of Gilgandra Shire Council Ashley Walker at Lucas Bridge, which will be replaced thanks to $1.25 million in funding under the Bridges Renewal Program.

A truckload of cash for our region

The Parkes electorate stands to benefit from more than $16 million for safer local bridges and freight roads, which I was thrilled to announce last week.

The timing couldn’t be better for our regions as we work towards COVID-19 recovery and strengthen our economic resilience. Many projects are being funded, including $2 million for an upgrade to Boothenba Road near Dubbo Regional Livestock Markets, $1.25 million for a replacement of Lucas Bridge near Gilgandra, $2.5 million for works on the Mitchell Highway between Bourke and Nyngan, and more than $5 million for roadworks in the Walgett Shire – among plenty of others.

Every single local job we support in the Parkes electorate by investing in infrastructure projects means safer journeys, reliable work on the books for local construction businesses and more cash flowing through local communities. Full details can be found on my website.

Money is flowing for local projects

I kicked off my week of electorate travels with a visit to Coolah, where I met with the newly-elected Mayor of Warrumbungle Shire Council, Ambrose Doolan, along with General Manager Roger Bailey and Cr Anne-Louise Capel to discuss some of Council’s local priorities and challenges. Coolah will reap the benefits of a local cash injection from the Government’s new Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) Program which will deliver more than $1.5 million for 15 roads and community infrastructure projects across the LGA.

Further south-west to Condobolin – I enjoyed a visit to the local Truck Wash which will be upgraded with $265,228 under Round 7 of the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program, to allow B-Double heavy vehicles to use facility. Lachlan Shire Council Mayor John Medcalf and General Manager Greg Tory are very pleased with the news and I know it will make a major difference to freight operators in the area, as will the upgrades to Henry Parkes Way funded with $258,000 under the same program.

Before heading out to Broken Hill in the Far West of my electorate for meetings with constituents and community groups, I was pleased to meet with members of the Copper City Men’s Shed in Cobar who have purchased a new heavy duty timber band saw with a $3,000 small grant I announced earlier this year – an even more timely visit given last week was 2020 Men’s Shed Week!

Regional Australia to reap rewards

The Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has announced that the Federal Budget will deliver a further $135 million to promote the recovery and resilience of regional Australia, which is great news for the Parkes electorate.

The announcements include $100 million for new Regional Recovery Partnerships, $30 million for the Regional Connectivity Program to improve digital connectivity in regional and remote areas, and $5 million for a new Resilient Regional Leaders initiative.

The Resilient Regional Leaders initiative will support current and emerging leaders to further develop their leadership skills, targeting emerging and current regional leaders, including members of local governments, volunteers and members of local community industries and industries.

These measures are all part of our economic plan to help the regions to drive our economic recovery.