The 2021–22 Federal Budget delivers substantial support to assist Maranoa councils to boost Australia’s economic recovery thanks to an additional $1 billion through Phase 3 of the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) Program.
Federal Member for Maranoa David Littleproud said local councils will directly benefit from the funding boost.
“This Budget injection for our hard-working local councils means even more funding for upgrades to local roads, bike paths, community halls, playgrounds, parks and sports facilities, as well as improved accessibility to public facilities,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Providing more time for planning and construction will enable local governments to consider a broader range of priority projects and potentially undertake larger, more complex developments to deliver even great benefits for their communities.
“I have been delighted to see how, over recent months, LRCI Program funding has enabled councils to support local communities to bounce back from the impacts of COVID-19 – and Phase 3 will further assist our local communities in emerging from the pandemic stronger and more resilient.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the new investment brings the total Australian Government commitment to the strongly supported and highly successful LRCI Program to $2.5 billion.
“This is fantastic news for local councils across Australia, who will be able to access additional funding to deliver priority local road and community infrastructure projects,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
“This is all about supporting the resilience of local economies by delivering even more jobs to help communities bounce back from COVID-19, with the additional funding and a longer delivery window to provide greater flexibility for communities to address local priorities.”
Local councils have so far nominated more than 5,500 projects over the first two phases of the LRCI Program, with construction on the first 2,900 projects due to be completed by 30 June 2021.
LRCI Phase 3 is expected to support an estimated 3,500 jobs over the life of the projects across the nation, particularly where employment in other sectors such as tourism been negatively impacted.
Maranoa Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program allocations:
| Council | Phase One | Phase Two | Proposed Phase 3 | Total LRCI funding |
| Balonne Shire Council | 1,141,450 | 875,577 | 2,282,900 | 4,299,927 |
| Barcaldine Regional Council | 1,291,666 | 936,002 | 2,583,332 | 4,811,000 |
| Barcoo Shire Council | 710,542 | 480,687 | 1,421,084 | 2,612,313 |
| Blackall-Tambo Regional Council | 808,346 | 588,001 | 1,616,692 | 3,013,039 |
| Bulloo Shire Council | 848,921 | 574,491 | 1,697,842 | 3,121,254 |
| Diamantina Shire Council | 453,393 | 309,911 | 906,786 | 1,670,090 |
| Goondiwindi Regional Council | 1,139,053 | 1,043,240 | 2,278,106 | 4,460,399 |
| Longreach Regional Council | 1,196,175 | 888,665 | 2,392,350 | 4,477,190 |
| Maranoa Regional Council | 2,576,007 | 2,050,261 | 5,152,015 | 9,778,283 |
| Murweh Shire Council | 1,216,089 | 923,628 | 2,432,178 | 4,571,895 |
| Paroo Shire Council | 973,400 | 689,993 | 1,946,800 | 3,610,193 |
| Quilpie Shire Council | 891,657 | 614,889 | 1,783,314 | 3,289,860 |
| South Burnett Regional Council | 1,644,465 | 1,951,184 | 3,288,930 | 6,884,579 |
| Southern Downs Regional Council | 1,577,341 | 1,983,482 | 3,154,682 | 6,715,505 |
| Toowoomba Regional Council | 4,092,300 | 7,170,885 | 8,184,600 | 19,447,785 |
| Western Downs Regional Council | 3,465,660 | 3,219,570 | 6,931,320 | 13,616,550 |
| Winton Shire Council | 1,066,785 | 741,499 | 2,133,570 | 3,941,854 |
Councils will be able to access funding through LRCI Phase 3 from 1 January 2022, with Phase 3 projects to be completed by 30 June 2023.
For more information, visit the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications website.
