Regional water infrastructure overhaul planning to begin

Twenty-three local councils can begin planning critical water infrastructure upgrades, thanks to round six of the Queensland Government’s Building our Regions fund.

A total of almost $8.3 million has been awarded to the councils, for 35 projects that will improve water supply and sewerage infrastructure throughout regional Queensland – all the way from the Torres Strait and Cape York, to the Gulf, western Queensland and further south in places like Quilpie, Maranoa and Goondiwindi.

Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing and Minister for Water Glenn Butcher said the program was enormously successful and without it, councils would face funding and infrastructure challenges.

“This program makes a real difference to Queenslanders.

“We heard from Mayors and councillors across the board that it was difficult to find funding for these important projects, which aren’t always obvious to ratepayers.

“Building our Regions provides vital support to regional local governments’ projects and it means their communities benefit from improved infrastructure,” Mr Butcher said.

Round 6 of Building our Regions will provide $70 million in funding over three years for local governments to improve water supply and sewerage services and boost long term liveability in these regions.

“Construction project applications are currently being assessed and I should be able to announce the results of the assessments soon,” Mr Butcher said.

Previous rounds of Building our Regions have seen more than $348 million approved towards 271 projects across 67 local government areas.

These projects have leveraged over $539 million in additional funding from other sources for a total capital expenditure of over $887 million, supporting more than 2,700 construction jobs.

“It’s programs like these that prove the importance of supporting our thriving regional areas,” Mr Butcher said.

“It’s the Palaszczuk Government that you can count on to deliver for these projects, to make sure there are good jobs, better services and a bright future for all Queenslanders, no matter where you live in this state.”

Round 6 eligible projects include critical regional water supply and sewerage system projects that address:

• water supply security (including recycled water for non-potable uses)
• water loss mitigation
• water quality improvement
• water for use in hydrogen projects or other priority manufacturing sectors
• sewage collection and treatment.

ENDS

Media contact: Emilia Hutchinson – 0437 060 435