Kangaroo Island will be able to share in $100 million of federal government money to help it rebuild and recover as part of an early federal budget announcement shared today.
As shared by Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack in a pre-budget address through the Regional Australia Institute, the government has allocated $100m across the next two years under its regional recovery partnerships, aimed at 10 "priority investment regions".
Other locations named include the Snowy Mountains, which was hit hard in December and January by bushfires, the Hunter and Newcastle region, NSW, Parkes, NSW, tropical north Qld, including Cairns, Gladstone, Qld, and the Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday regions, Qld, the entirety of NSW, WA's south-west region and the Gippsland in Vic.
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Mr McCormack said these were locations identified by data as having borne the economic brunt of natural events, such as bushfires, flooding, drought or the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said the funds would help make sure they are "well-placed to contribute" to a national recovery.
He said the goal for the federal government was "economic recovery and economic diversity".
Exactly how much KI will receive is unclear.
KI mayor Michael Pengilly said the KI Council would welcome any additional funding to help the recovery process.
The priority for the council was "roads, roads, roads" and it was hoped the funding would go toward a priority list of recovery projects developed by the council, Mr Pengilly said.
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Elizabeth Anderson
Editor of Stock Journal.
Editor of Stock Journal.
