I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas/New Year break and thank you to all the people who worked or volunteered over this period to keep our community safe.
Working together over the past year, we have achieved a lot for the community, but there is always more to be done.
Work will begin shortly on the Casino Sale Yard upgrade. I secured the $3.5 million Federal funding for this last year and it will be great to see it come to fruition.
Also the $14 million I obtained to establish a National Centre of Co-operative Excellence in our region will draw on the expertise of our local agricultural coops, like the Meat Works, to strengthen the sector around the country.
We also tripled the funding we gave to Richmond Valley and Kyogle councils to fix and maintain local roads, as well investment almost $6 million to tackle Ice in our community. There has also been more money for local mental health programs.
This is on top of the $4.4 million I secured to replace 14 of Kyogle’s aging wooden bridges.
I also announced extra funding for more Aged Care beds in Casino and at Kyogle hospital and record investments to fix more than 100 of the 140 identified mobile blackspots across our community.
It was also great to provide various community grants including for Casino RFS, Kyogle and District Historical Society, Casino Men’s Shed, Tabulam Skate Park and Bonalbo Working Dog Statue.
This year more will be delivered.
They include $1 million for an amphitheatre in Casino, $250,000 to upgrade Kyogle pool,
$1 million over 4 years to make the iconic Beef Week even better, money for a Woodburn Riverside Pontoon and new irrigation at Woodburn/Evans Head Golf Club.
We live in a great community, which is why we are all here. Our strength is our unified purpose to make this community a safe and prosperous one for ourselves and our children. I look forward to continue to advocate and promote our region with you this year.
