The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) has warned that local council infrastructure projects may be put in jeopardy.
LGAQ President Margaret de Wit said that the Newman Government’s decision to allow government agencies to access funds from the Royalties for the Regions program represented a major departure from its original intent.
“With less funds now available to councils under the latest round of Royalties for the Regions many local infrastructure projects are now at risk.
“The LGAQ understands that only $60 million will now be available to councils state-wide compared with $120 million for State Government agencies.’’
The Liberal Nationals Party’s election policy document promised that the program would ‘ensure, in particular, that the Queensland regions that host major resource developments receive real, long term royalty benefits through better planning and targeted infrastructure investment’.
Councils were deeply concerned about the move to refocus Royalties for the Regions to give State Government bodies access to a large portion of the program’s funds.
Cr de Wit said resource communities continue to need infrastructure upgrades to address building backlogs and plan for future growth.
She said many applications for funding by councils under previous Royalties for the Regions rounds had been rejected, showing there was still a backlog of projects in regions directly affected by the rapid expansion of the resources industry.
“The Government should re-instate the Royalties for the Regions program so that it can meet its original intention to support local infrastructure investment in Queensland’s key resource regions.”
