Federal Member for Hunter, Joel Fitzgibbon today officially opened a number of projects which were funded through the Rudd Labor Government’s Economic Stimulus Plan.

These projects were fast tracked in the electorate of Hunter to provide an immediate economic stimulus and help cushion the impact of the global recession in our community.
 
The Pokolbin Visitors Information Centre received $135,000 for construction of an amenities block, the Branxton Pool received $80,000 for a new disabled access ramp, Miller Park in Branxton received $745,000 for construction of a new amenities block and Kurri Kurri Community Centre received $25,000 to replace signage, improve access and established additional landscaping.

“The Government provided $1,078,000 to Cessnock City Council in total from the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program – the largest one-off investment in local infrastructure in Australia’s history.

The Rudd Government recently increased the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program to more than $1 billion to support local economies.

“During construction, these projects supported various jobs locally, and will continue to support jobs through ongoing maintenance and services.

Mr Fitzgibbon congratulated the local communities for working together to build these important community facilities for local families and residents.
“In total, the Government has provided just over $5.5 million through the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program in the electorate of Hunter to support jobs and improve local infrastructure.”

This funding comes on top of other community projects in the electorate of Hunter funded under the Rudd Government’s Economic Stimulus Plan, including:
    $123,636,043 in funding for 195 school projects as part of the Building the Education Revolution;
    $4,562,900 in funding to help fix 13 local road black spots;
    3 safety measures, including boom gates at rail crossings; and
    $25,181,678 in funding for 95 social housing units.

Nearly 70 per cent of the stimulus package is infrastructure, with construction projects already underway.  For more detail on the Economic Stimulus Plan and other projects in the Hunter electorate visit www.australia.gov.au/economicstimulus.

The next round of the Program is now open for applications, with $220 million available for community infrastructure across Australia.