An agreement between the Australian and NSW governments will see $160 million flow to NSW communities in the Murray-Darling Basin to create jobs and boost local economies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NSW is the first state to access the Australian Government\u2019s record $300 million Sustainable Communities Program, helping the NSW Government work directly with Basin communities affected by voluntary water purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The NSW Government will coordinate the $160 million in funding with local communities across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Investments aim to retain and create new jobs, establish new industries, support existing industry to diversify, and stimulate economic development that is informed by, and supported by, local communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The NSW Government will continue consulting widely with Basin communities to understand their priorities and the investments needed to strengthen the economies exposed to water recovery measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first phase of targeted funding for projects across nine eligible Local Government Areas (LGAs) is expected to start by June 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Priority will be given to shovel-ready projects and broadly supported investments that will provide economic development and diversification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the agreement, the NSW Government will also receive an additional $16 million to support consultation with communities to deliver the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Australian Government is working to recover 450 gigalitres of water to the Basin including through voluntary water purchase and $494 million worth of water saving infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In NSW, the $62 million Murrumbidgee Irrigation Urban Channel Pipelines Project has already received full approval and negotiations to fund three other projects are underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Albanese Labor Government is delivering the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in full in a way that supports the environment, communities and jobs \u2013 including in NSW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re providing a record $300 million package to mitigate any water recovery impacts and invest in Basin communities for the long-term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNSW is the first state to sign on to deliver the program that puts communities at the heart of deciding their own future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI commend Minister Moriarty for getting on with the job and putting her communities\u2019 interests first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe NSW Government is rolling out this important program promptly, allowing early and comprehensive consultation, with any quick-win projects able to start delivering outcomes for communities on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur Government continues to explore and prioritise all viable water recovery options to lessen the impact on communities and the irrigation sector.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minister for Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “This agreement allows the NSW Government to invest in economic development to mitigate some of the socioeconomic impacts of the Federal Government\u2019s Murray-Darling Basin water buybacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “While our Government does not support water buybacks, we will not miss an opportunity to invest in regional communities and better their economic wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe NSW Government has been clear that the Murray-Darling Basin Plan delivery must be done in a way that has limited impact on local jobs and households and allows regional communities to prosper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe know that a one-size fits all approach will not work for distributing funding. Investments will be targeted and outcome focused to meet the unique circumstances and needs of individual Basin communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nine eligible Southern Murray-Darling Basic LGAs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Carrathool, Murrumbidgee, Balranald, Hay, Griffith, Leeton, Berrigan, Murray River, Edward River.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An agreement between the Australian and NSW governments will see $160 million flow to NSW communities in the Murray-Darling Basin to create jobs and boost local economies. NSW is the first state to access the Australian Government\u2019s record $300 million Sustainable Communities Program, helping the NSW Government work directly with Basin communities affected by voluntary … Continue reading “$160 million for new jobs, economic boost in NSW basin communities”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30440"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30441,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30440\/revisions\/30441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}