Council gains windfall

Red tape cut to hurry $15m for projects

COUNCILS across the Far North have been given two years to spend their share of a $53 million funding pool to jump-start job-creating projects.

Housing and Public Works Minister Mick de Brenni will be in Cairns to announce the Works for Queensland funding boost today.

Cairns Regional Council will receive the biggest boost, with $15.08 million earmarked in the 2017-18 Budget. A use-itor-lose-it clause expiring after 10 months was attached to the council’s last allocation of $15.5 million under the program.

Barron River MP Craig Crawford said the time frame had been relaxed to two years this time around.

Local governments have lauded the program for allocating funds, setting a time frame and letting them get on with work without the usual red tape.

“With some things in the past, we’ve made councils do a huge amount of work on submissions, tied them up in so much paper work. Then we’ve turned around and said you’re not successful, try again next time,” Mr Crawford said.

“We need to give them a bit of latitude and trust they have the ability to do it right.”

Mr Crawford stressed there would still be audits so “if anything is shonky, they will still be found out”.

“I think it’s potentially the model for further grant funding into the future, whether that’s for sporting grants or whatever,” he said.

The funding program shares $200 million across regional Queensland, with the Far North securing the biggest haul.

Cairns Regional Council Mayor Bob Manning planned to start spending the money as soon as possible, in hopes of another top-up down the track.

“We would want get it done straight away, so we can get the next lot in 2018-19,” he said.

“We can always find works for money like this.”

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