Colac Otway Welcomes Federal Budget Funding for Infrastructure
October 8, 2020
Colac Otway Shire Council Chief Executive Peter Brown says the Federal Government’s funding commitments for rail, roads and infrastructure projects will enable significant improvements across the shire and provide vital job opportunities.
“There is some great news for our shire in the 2020-21 Federal Budget, particularly for rail, roads and job creation, along with opportunities for more community infrastructure projects which are important for our smaller communities,” Mr Brown said.
“The Federal Government’s $208-million investment for Stage 2 of the Warrnambool Line Upgrade will pave the way for the introduction of Velocity trains and more frequent daily passenger services through Colac and Birregurra.
“Council has been advocating for many years for improved rail services and more recently Colac Otway has been involved in advocacy for the fast rail project and duplication from Melbourne to Waurn Ponds to enable a quality commuter service through to Colac.
“The Budget also includes a second round of Local Roads and Community Infrastructure funding, which will provide an additional $1,702,316 for Colac Otway Shire Council by the end of 2021.
“Council received the same amount in round one which is enabling us to deliver 13 projects across the shire including footpaths in our small communities, road upgrades, and infrastructure projects such as a netball court upgrade and a new playground.
“The second grant will take the LRCI funding total to almost $3.5 million for important projects for our community that we may not have been able to fund through the Council budget in the foreseeable future.
“The funding for roads in the Federal Budget is also significant, including the continuation of existing programs including Building Better Regions, the BlackSpot program and funding for bridges.
“Colac Otway Shire also welcomes a new Road Safety funding initiatives and we look forward to seeing the guidelines for all programs introduced in the 2021-21 Federal Budget to see how our priorities fit with these funding opportunities.
“Council is responsible for the maintenance of 557 kilometres of sealed roads, 1,014 kilometres of gravel roads and a further 48 kilometres of formed roads across the shire.
“The condition of every road is important for the safety of our residents, visitors and our industries which provide food and goods for the national and international markets, which is being recognised through these new road funding initiatives.”
Council Enquiries
(03) 5232 9400