Better roads and landfill facility for Goondiwindi

A major road repair and better waste management facility will be going to Goondiwindi Regional Council through its first successful Royalties for the Regions applications.

Health Minister and Member for Southern Downs Lawrence Springborg said Royalties for the Regions Round 3 was open to all councils outside South East Queensland and he was pleased to provide much needed funds to Goondiwindi Regional Council for the first time.

“Mount Carmel Road and Goondiwindi Tip will have much needed upgrades through this major announcement,” Mr Springborg said.

“Goondiwindi has felt the impacts of the resource sector and has grown as a service hub, but without gas or mines directly within its borders, it hasn’t received direct financial benefits before.

“Now, through Royalties for the Regions the council will receive $438,000 towards repairing Mount Carmel Road and $364,000 to upgrade its waste management infrastructure.

"Council is contributing 20 per cent of the costs - $90,000 for upgrading Goondiwindi tip and $100,000 for Mount Carmel Road.

"Royalties for the Regions was a key election promise and this funding announcement delivers on our commitment to provide better infrastructure.

“It also ends the years of neglect regional Queensland experienced under Labor which only cared about the South East corner.”

Goondiwindi Regional Council Mayor Graeme Scheu thanked the Queensland Government for its support and said he was extremely excited both his council’s applications were successful.

“These projects will be of great benefit to the area as our roads and our landfill facility have experienced increased demand due to the resources industries,” Mr Scheu said.

“Being a border town, we are a supply area for resource projects in the Surat Basin and Northern New South Wales.

“Through Royalties for the Regions, a weighbridge and guard house will be installed at the Goondiwindi waste management facility and a section of Mount Carmel Road from Spinks Road west will be upgraded.

“The causeway and culverts on the road need to be repaired due to the increased number of trucks using the road to transport gravel from a quarry at Millmerran to Miles.

"It’s great to receive funding for these projects, so that our rate-payers do not have to bear the burden of paying for these necessary upgrades.” 

[ENDS] 29 April 2014 Media Contact: Clare Mildren 0417 255 284