ALP pledges more cash for councils
AN extra $ 35 million will be spent on a jobs- generating program in North Queensland, Mundingburra MP Coralee O’Rourke announced.
Yesterday she confirmed, if re- elected, Labor would commit an extra $ 200 million to the Works for Queensland program, which helps councils complete maintenance and infrastructure projects.
Townsville City Council will receive $ 24.5 million. Burdekin, Hinchinbrook, Charters Towers and Palm Island councils will receive a total of $ 11.4 million.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the scheme had delivered 1300 projects and thousands of jobs in regional Queensland. Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper said he had met dozens of people who got jobs through the program.
“Works for Queensland has changed lives,” Mr Harper said. “This program has supported critical community infrastructure projects that were left on the backburner for too long and has kickstarted local jobs in Townsville.”
Labor candidate for Burdekin Mike Brunker said the former LNP government “utterly failed our hardworking councils with only $ 104 million in local government grants in their last budget — just a third of our $ 297 million investment in local government infrastructure in 2017- 18”.
Townsville MP Scott Stewart said “while the LNP cut regional infrastructure, we are building it. This is a program that is serving a double duty — transforming the infrastructure in our regions and delivering jobs.”