$1.9 Million for Warwick Drag Strip upgrade to boost bushfire recovery

December 18, 2020

The Southern Downs will benefit from a $1.9 Million bushfire recovery project to upgrade the Warwick drag strip, Maranoa MP David Littleproud announced today.

This is one of 12 projects just announced by the Australian and Queensland governments, to support local economic recovery in parts of Queensland that were hit hard by the 2019-20 bushfires.

Minister for Emergency Management and Federal Member for Maranoa David Littleproud said this project will be a great boost for the Southern Downs community.

“This $1.9 million investment will upgrade the existing 1/8 mile drag strip at Morgan Park to a national standard 1/4 mile facility, which will attract larger and more regular race meets to the region,” Minister Littleproud said.

“More events at the Warwick Dragway means more visitors to the Southern Downs, and more money spent in the community.

“The Southern Downs community has shown incredible strength and resilience through a very challenging year, so I am proud to see this funding go towards a meaningful project that will attract visitors to the region and boost the local economy.”

The project is part of a joint investment of $36.8 million for locally-led bushfire recovery projects, announced in August by the Australian and Queensland governments.

The funding will support a range of projects in 13 local council areas determined by the Queensland Government that were most heavily impacted by last year’s bushfire season, including Toowoomba and the Southern Downs.

Queensland communities affected by the 2019-20 bushfires were encouraged to talk to their council about priorities for recovery, so local needs could be reflected in the projects councils put forward for funding.

Minister Littleproud said that these projects, which are in addition to the six Qld local economic recovery projects announced in October, are the next step towards recovery from the impacts of the Black Summer fires and the continued journey towards building a better future for their area.

“Recovery works best when governments throw their support behind local ideas and solutions, and that’s exactly what we’re doing through this local economic recovery funding,” Minister Littleproud said.

“All up, there’s $36.8 million from the Australian and Queensland governments for tangible, on the ground projects in fire affected regions, so there will be further projects announced soon.

“These grants are a sign of our strong confidence in these communities and their long-term futures.”

Funding for Local Economic Recovery projects is just one of the initiatives supported by the Australian Government’s National Bushfire Recovery Fund, which is worth more than $2 billion. To date, more than $1.8 billion in Australian Government support has been provided to help bushfire affected communities, including $1.2 billion spent so far from the National Bushfire Recovery Fund.

Details of successful local economic recovery projects in Qld – and across other states – are available on the National Bushfire Recovery Agency website at www.bushfirerecovery.gov.au/local-recovery-projects