Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce, said the Federal Liberal and Nationals Government will help keep drivers safe on local roads by delivering an additional $11.8 million in funding to New England councils under the Roads to Recovery Program.
Total funding locked in for the New England under the 2019-20 to 2023-24 Roads to Recovery program is now $59.3 million.
“Every council in the New England stands to benefit from this additional funding for improvements to local roads,” Mr Joyce said.
“These upgrades are vital for rural and regional areas like our own where public transport options are few and far between and a car is often the only option.
“Road safety is everyone’s responsibility but the Government has a key role to play in delivering safer roads and this funding boost will help achieve that, getting people home safely from every journey on our roads in the New England.”
The funding boost complements our $140 million investment for upgrades along the New England Highway and millions more at road black spot programs throughout the electorate.
The Government has also announced an extra $550 million for the successful Black Spot Program, which targets known high-risk locations and reduces serious crashes by 30 per cent on average as well as a further $571.1 million to improve the safety and efficiency of heavy vehicle operations through the Bridges Renewal Program, Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program and Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiatives (HVSI) across Australia.
The additional funding announced today builds on the Federal Liberal and Nationals Government’s current investment of around $2.6 billion in safety-enhancing projects, bringing the total investment to $3.1 billion per year over the period 2019–20 to 2022–23.
Additional funding for Roads to Recovery - New England:
Tamworth Regional Council: $2.6 million supplement ($13.2 million total)
Armidale Regional Council: $1.5 million ($7.6 million)
Upper Hunter Shire Council: $1.2 million ($6.1 million)
Inverell Shire Council: $1.2 million ($6.4 million)
Gywdir Shire Council: $1.1 million ($5.9 million)
Tenterfield Shire Council: $1 million ($5.2 million)
Glen Innes Severn Council: $872,400 ($4.3 million)
Liverpool Plains Shire Council: $866,700 ($4.3 million)
Uralla Shire Council: $596,100 ($2.9 million)
Walcha Council: $591,700 ($2.9 million)
(ENDS)