Early payment of Financial Assistance Grants good news for Wide Bay communities
28 June 2018
Early payment of Financial Assistance Grants good news for Wide Bay communities
- Wide Bay to share in early payment of $1.2 billion for 2017-18
- Program enables councils to spend their grant according to local priorities
Councils in the Wide Bay electorate will be able to start work on crucial new projects following an early cash injection of almost $16,837,539 under the Financial Assistance Grants program from the Coalition Government.
Federal Member for Wide Bay, Llew O’Brien said the Coalition Government has made an early payment of 50 per cent of the 2018-19 Financial Assistance Grants funding to councils in the region to help support the delivery of essential services and local infrastructure.
“This is Federal Government support to assist local councils which rely on untied grant funding to fund a wide range of local projects and services including in transport, health, sports and recreation, environment and employment projects,” Mr O’Brien said.
WIDE BAY |
$16,837,539 |
Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council |
$321,237 |
Fraser Coast Regional Council |
$3,629,879 |
Gympie Regional Council |
$2,694,240 |
Noosa Shire Council |
$1,123,482 |
South Burnett Regional Council |
$3,495,884 |
Sunshine Coast Regional Council |
$5,572,817 |
Minister for Regional Development, Territories and Local Government John McVeigh said the Government’s decision to make an early payment of 50 per cent of 2018-19 Financial Assistance Grants to all 546 councils across Australia will help fast track delivery of priority local projects.
“The Coalition Government recognises the importance of giving councils the power to determine local priorities in their region,” said Minister McVeigh.
“These grants are therefore an extremely important means of allowing local governments to invest substantial allocations of federal funds based on local needs.
“The Coalition Government also supports local councils through a range of other targeted funding programs including Roads to Recovery, Bridges to Renewal, the Building Better Regions Fund and Regional Growth Fund” the Minister said.
More information about the Financial Assistance Grant programme, including funding being made to individual councils across Australia, is at: www.regional.gov.au/local/assistance
ENDS