12 June 2012

The Nationals Member for Burrinjuck, Katrina Hodgkinson, said today that there is significant infrastructure funding for specific projects in the Burrinjuck electorate, despite the unprecedented drop in State Revenue.

"Young Shire Council will receive $2.3 million towards the construction of the Young Sewerage Project," Katrina said.

"The Gundagai MPS will receive an additional $1.5 million on top of the $11.6 million provided for the construction of a new hospital in last year's budget.

"The major renovation of Grenfell Fire Station will receive $440,000 to complete the project, while the $720,000 refurbishment of the Cootamundra Government Offices will continue with additional funding of $65,000 this year.

"The $430,000 refurbishment of the Young Government Office building will receive an additional $239,000 this year."

Katrina said that in addition to the Federal Funding of $6.1 million for safety upgrades of the Barton Highway, Upper Lachlan Shire will benefit from a $1.5 million project to replace the timber bridge over the Crookwell River, 12 km north of Crookwell on the Goulburn-Bathurst Road; $1.2 million will be spent on pavement replacement on the Olympic Highway just north of Young; and $1 million will be spent replacing the Holman bridge over the Lachlan River at Gooloogong.

"The overall road funding allocation for the Burrinjuck electorate is more than $106 million," Katrina said.

"I am particularly happy to see the provision of $500,000 for Upper Lachlan Shire Council to begin the surfacing of the Grabine Road, which is a problem I have highlighted for many years.

"Excluding the road and transport portfolios, this year the NSW government will spend more than $25 million on capital funding projects in the Burrinjuck electorate.

"This funding includes almost $3 million to start the construction of 'Fishways' on the Lachlan River downstream of Wyangala Dam and an additional $17 million to continue phase 1 of the Wyangala Dam upgrade," Katrina said.

"Other capital expenditure in Burrinjuck includes $250,000 to upgrade courthouses, $550,000 for supported accommodation and almost $1 million to upgrade public housing.

"Community transport organisations servicing the Burrinjuck electorate will receive more than $550,000 and the total transport portfolio budget for Burrinjuck is more than $2 million.
"Although the Burrinjuck electorate does not have a major hospital, residents in Gundagai, Cootamundra and Harden will benefit from the $28 million in this year's budget to continue the Wagga Wagga Base Hospital redevelopment.

"Also benefiting the Burrinjuck electorate are an additional 36 more nursing positions for the Southern NSW Local Health District and eight more nurses for the Western NSW local Health District.

"The budget includes a $30 million boost to the Local Government Infrastructure Renewal Scheme which has received applications from Young, Blayney, Cootamundra and Yass Valley Shires - specific funding allocations to be announced later this year.

"I welcome the funding that has been provided for important infrastructure projects across the Burrinjuck electorate," Katrina said.

"However, the NSW Government inherited a very poor financial situation from the State Labor government and we also have to contend with an unprecedented drop in GST revenue from the Federal Labor government.

"This year's budget takes the right decisions in tough economic times and provides a firm base to restore the State's finances.

"The tough decisions in this budget were necessary to rein in the reckless overspending of the former State Labor government and to provide the stable, secure and transparent government necessary to get NSW back on track," Katrina said.