A $1 MILLION project in Port Macquarie is among the first projects to be approved for funding in the Lyne electorate under the Coalition’s new $342-million Community Development Grants Program.
Lyne MP Dr David Gillespie said the Coalition Government would provide funding for $1,051,243 for the new Operations and Training Centre of Surf Life Saving NSW in Port Macquarie. Other funding included up to $10-million for the Northern Gateway – Regional Transport Access Infrastructure project in Taree, and $3,840,000 towards the upgrade of Thunderbolts Way linking the Gloucester Valley with the New England. All funding is subject to full compliance with the relevant program guidelines.
Dr Gillespie said he lobbied to achieve the funding, holding discussions with both the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister in support of these projects.
He said the former government did not allocate funds to these projects and funding was being provided through a new program, which would be administered by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.
“I am delighted they have been able to find savings elsewhere in the budget to be able to deliver fund towards regional projects like this that provide a significant benefit to the region’s economy,” he said.
Dr Gillespie said he would continue to lobby for additional funding for a number of other local projects throughout the electorate and was hopeful of an outcome in the coming weeks.
