REGIONAL NSW was a big beneficiary of the NSW budget on Tuesday, which has promised significant spending in regional communities.
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Member for Bathurst Paul Toole said regional NSW has received its fair share.
"We've fought hard to make sure that regional NSW is right at the centre of this. We've made sure that regional NSW is receiving strong investment from the government in this budget," he said.
Bathurst residents will benefit from the extension of the Regional Seniors Travel Card, further investment into the duplication of the Great Western Highway, and the increase in funding for the Community Building Partnership Program.
"For a local member, we get $300,000 a year. That's now been boosted to $400,000, so that is going to be able to support those smaller grants to local community groups. They make a world of difference in supporting the work they do and the members of those groups as well," Mr Toole said.
The budget has been welcomed by Regional Cities NSW, an alliance of 15 regional councils from across the state, including Bathurst.
Chairperson Tim Overall, the mayor of Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council, said the allocations will help to drive local economies and create new jobs.
"We've been through very rough times with drought, flood, bushfires, plague, a global pandemic, a lot of devastation and challenges, so it's very much welcomed news with a whole raft of funding for the regions," he said.
READ ALSO: Reactions to the NSW 2021/22 budget
He was particularly impressed by the investments into regional recovery and development, which include $79.5 million for the Regional Job Creation Fund, $168.1 million for the Regional Growth Economic Activation Fund, and $398.4 million to deliver projects under the Regional Growth Fund.
Transport will also see significant investment.
"What's really welcomed is the $549.5 million to accelerate a whole range of regional transport programs, including fixing local roads and fixing country bridges, and the rollout of regional bus services and time tracking, all part of the 15 cities program," Cr Overall said.
"I think also very significant is an allocation of $250 million for regional roads transfer. What this is about is a previous commitment from the state government to take back 15,000 kilometres of regional roads from councils and put it squarely in the hands of the state government.
"That's going to be a significant boost for regional councils and their financial statements going forward."
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