Councils will have the opportunity to get extra funding from this year’s State Budget.
The State Government has allocated more money in the Budget to help councils be better prepared for natural disasters, and build or upgrade vital infrastructure.
The government will also expand its commitment to the Transport Infrastructure Development Scheme (TIDS), which provides funds to councils each year for local infrastructure projects.
Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said this year’s Budget initiatives include:d
- $10 million for the Community Resilience Fund, to help councils better prepare for natural disasters
- $28.3 million to the Local Government Grants and Subsidies Program, to progress shovel-ready community infrastructure projects
- expanding TIDS funding from $40 million to $70 million for the next three years
The Budget was welcomed by the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), which said it reflected the priorities the LGAQ proposed in its pre-Budget submission.
Apart from tipping a further $10 million into the Community Resilience Fund, the LGAQ welcomed the State Government’s expansion of the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program, and the commitment of an additional $15 million to leverage Commonwealth Mobile Black Spots funding.
The LGAQ also welcomed an increase in the Building Our Regions program funding by $85 million over two years, the $70 million a year TIDS funding to 2020, and $28 million in new funding for the Local Government Grants and Subsidies Program.
The LGAQ said it was also pleased the State Government had guaranteed that pensioner concessions remain fully funded, at a cost of about $56 million per year over and above the state’s existing contributions.
This would offset the Commonwealth’s withdrawal of funding support, they said.
Budget Wrap-Up:
