Tuesday, 21 June 2016
$26.2 million to start Armidale Hospital construction
A RECORD injection of funding, worth $117.8 million, has been delivered to the Northern Tablelands electorate in the 2016-17 NSW State Budget.
The package, which includes $26.2 million for the Armidale Hospital redevelopment and more than $65 million for roads and transport projects, eclipses even last year’s record allocation of $102.4 million from the Budget.
“This is incredibly good news for our region,” said Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall.
“Far from getting the ‘safe seat’ treatment, this government is giving Northern Tablelands communities the support they need to progress and prosper.
“The Armidale Hospital upgrade has been a political football for years, but with this Budget, the redevelopment is no longer a promise; it’s a bricks-and-mortar reality.
“The redevelopment of Inverell Hospital is another important project that has long been discussed, but not had sufficient backing.
“The $1 million in this Budget to finalise planning for the development – the same figure that brought Armidale Hospital to its launching point – means that by the end of the financial year, I should have the information needed to bring government to the table with the $30 million needed for the construction phase.”
Mr Marshall said he was delighted with the huge expenditure on many important road and bridge projects right across the electorate, which councils and their communities were looking forward to.
“Almost $66 million ($65.85) will be spent on major projects and upgrades on the Newell, Carnarvon, Gwydir and New England Highways and Waterfall Way, including bridge upgrades along the Newell and Fossickers Way,” he said.
“The scope of works to be undertaken across Northern Tablelands roads and bridges is again unprecedented and will be welcomed by the community and longstanding problem areas start to be addressed.
“There is also $9.22 million for our local councils to undertake improvements works on their local roads.
“There will always be more work to be done on roads, but in the months past, and in those to come, we will address some of the repairs and bottlenecks that I think many in the electorate despaired of ever getting any attention.”
Commenting on the overall budget, Mr Marshall said the government’s hard work in rebuilding the State’s finances over recent years had paid dividends, delivering a $3.4 million underlying surplus while at the same time slashing the state’s net debt to virtually zero.
“There is no doubt that NSW is the economic powerhouse of Australia and there are exciting times ahead for regional NSW with the plan to allocate $6 billion in projects across the regions from Rebuilding NSW,” he said.
“I now look forward to working closely with all the communities in the Northern Tablelands to ensure our interests get the attention they deserve over the next 12 months and beyond.”
Some of the budget highlights for the Northern Tablelands include:
- $26.22for the Armidale Rural Referral Hospital redevelopment construction;
- $4.78 million to complete the $15 million rebuild of Moree East Public School;
- $500,000 to improve water monitoring in the region;
- $514,000 to refurbish government office buildings in Inverell, Warialda, Armidale, Glen Innes and Moree;
- $1.56 million for social housing improvements;
- $4 million to continue planning for 28 kilometres of heavy duty road replacement on Newell Highway between Mungle Back Creek and Boggabilla;
- $1.65 million to continue planning for new heavy duty road surface on Newell Highway north of Moree;
- $3.25 million to replace Nee Nee Creek Bridge on Newell Highway, 46 kilometres north of Moree;
- $1 million for structural maintenance on Gwydir River and Halls Creek Bridges at Bingara;
- $500,000 for Gwydir Highway drainage upgrades at Gibraltar Range;
- $3.65 million to Inverell Shire Council for road maintenance;
- $2.09 million to Moree Plains Shire Council for roads maintenance;
- $1.88 million to Gwydir Shire Council for roads maintenance;
- $720,000 to Glen Innes Severn Council for roads maintenance;
- $1.59 million to Armidale Regional Council for road maintenance;
- $1.17 million to Uralla Shire Council for road maintenance;
- $2.7 million for Carnarvon Highway upgrade from Gwydir River to Carol Creek;
- $1 million upgrade of Gwydir Highway, 1 kilometre west of Delungra;
- $1 million upgrade of New England Highway, 2 kilometres north of Uralla;
- $710,000 for Bingara, Inverell and Tablelands Community Transport Services
- $890,000 for New England Highway upgrade, 8 kilometres south of Guyra;
- $700,000 for Waterfall Way upgrade, just east of Armidale;
- $600,000 for New England Highway upgrade, 4 kilometres south of Armidale;
- $600,000 for New England Highway upgrade, 6 kilometres north of Glen Innes;
- $525,000 for New England Highway upgrade, 15 kilometres north of Armidale;
- $500,000 for Fossickers Way upgrade, 6 kilometres north of Bingara;
- $500,000 for Waterfall Way upgrade, 7 kilometres west of Ebor;
- $260,000 for Guyra-Tingha Road upgrade at Wandsworth; and
- $50,000 for new roundabout in Donnelly Street, Armidale.