THE $500 million Local Roads and Community Infrastructure program saw Mallee receive $18.85 million dollars of new funding for Local Governments, with Mildura Rural City Council receiving $2.7 million.
Funding to councils was allocated based on the well-established Roads to Recovery program to avoid any unnecessary delays and to ensure funding is distributed in a fair and equitable way.
This means work on important local projects can begin quickly to stimulate regional economies, keep people in jobs and construction businesses running right at a time when we need it most.
This funding for local projects will create local jobs which are desperately needed at this difficult time.
It is particularly important for Mallee which has experienced an 8 per cent job loss since the COVID-19 restrictions have been put in place, according to the Grattan Institute.
This number will likely increase as more data becomes available for the rest of April and May.
It is these job losses and the impacts on our economy which provides impetus to foster the creation of more local jobs through the development manufacturing and local industries.
This week I visited Ron Hards in the Millewa, who is growing a mix of vetch, field peas, wheat, barley and oats.
Some of his wheat is used locally at the Golden Grain Mills at Lake Cullulleraine to produce their stone ground flour.
His peas however, are mostly exported to create split peas.
Why can’t we build the plant and the process to do that in Mallee?
Ron told me that due to the impacts of COVID-19 some agricultural inputs have become difficult to source, such as Glyphosate, for example. This is imported and needed to control weeds in broad acre cropping.
Australia and Mallee need to build our capacity to manufacture these products locally, guaranteeing supply and creating jobs.
Let’s take the opportunity that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented to us, build industry here at home, buy Australian products and create local jobs.
Anne Webster is the Member for Mallee
