Warren Aubin says council needs to put own funds up despite $500M road repair program

On January 3, the NSW government announced it would provide an additional $500 million for councils across the state to share in, with $280 million of that to be directed to rural and regional councils.

READ MORE: Accelerating repairs: NSW government to open road repair fund early

This is on top of the $50 million announced in October 2022, which was to be shared amongst 95 regional councils.

When the first funding program was announced, it was slammed by regional mayors for not going far enough.

And, if you ask Cr Aubin, this time won't be much better.

"I still don't think what we get out of that is going to be enough," he said.

"I just don't think it's going to be enough to fix our roads up to a standard where I think they should be."

He said that, out of the earlier $50 million program, Bathurst Regional Council's share ended up being around $400,000.

At best, he said, council might get $4 million from the new program.

"We weren't flood-ravaged as bad as what a lot of other regional places in NSW have been," Cr Aubin said.

"Out of the $50 million they gave out last time, we got $400,000, so you would think out of $500 million we'd get $4 million, but I would guarantee we're not getting $4 million.

"There's been other places that have been hit harder than us that will need more money to fix their roads, so I don't think we'll be getting as much money as people might think."

While appreciative of the government's efforts, he said Bathurst Regional Council will need to allocate more of its own funds to help address the failing roads.

In December, he and Cr Ian North put forward a motion to redirect money for the Carrington Park grandstand project into road repairs.

Every other councillor voted against it.

READ MORE: 'A lost opportunity': Aubin lashes councillors for knocking back roads cash

Cr Aubin said the idea needs to be revisited, with the $4.25 million from that project then able to be added to any money council might get from the $500 million repair program.

"I think that project could still be put on hold for 12 months while we deal with something that's a little bit more important, like fixing our roads," he said.

"... Our roads are the main infrastructure that everybody uses and they've got to be in decent condition.

"At the moment, I can drive around and I can tell you 10 places in Bathurst alone that need a lot of money spent on them, and that money we'll get from the government won't even fix all of that, so we need to dig deeper for sure."

Prior to the $500 million announcement, Cr Aubin had already planned on trying to get a similar motion to what he proposed in December passed through council in the new year.

He said the latest funding program has not changed his mind and he plans to have conversations with other councillors over the coming weeks to find a way council itself could put more money into its roads.

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