Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan welcomed yesterday’s announcement by Minister for Regional Development and Local Government, Kristy McBain committing $3.8 million of Federal Funding to Bellingen Shire Council.
“I’d like to thank Minister McBain for her bipartisan support of the Bellingen Shire communities, and for her continued collaboration with myself and Mayor Steve Allan throughout this process. The $3.8m grant formally announced yesterday will allow the replacement of two timber load-limited bridges and the sealing of up to 3km of the unsealed sections of Summervilles Road.
“While this is an extremely welcome first step, there is a long way to go when it comes to solving the continued isolation caused by closures on Waterfall Way, particularly considering the immediate need.
“Yesterday at my Coffs Harbour mobile office I was visited by students from Chrysalis Steiner School in Thora. They had just completed lessons at the Coffs Library, and while that may sound like a fun excursion, this trip is now a daily reality for students forced to travel to Coffs and surrounding areas for their education as a result of the Waterfall Way closure. In some instances, this is adding close to three hours travel each way, every day.
“The pressure that is putting on the students and their families is enormous. Not to mention the dairy farmers who are unable to get produce to sale and are currently forced to take extreme action, dumping thousands of litres of milk a day down the drain.
“I will be continuing these discussions with Minister McBain next week while in Canberra and will push for specific grant support to assist families and businesses with the ongoing financial impacts caused by the road closures.
“And as always, I will be continuing to fight for funding guarantees for the Waterfall Way alternate route. This will take funding commitments from all three levels of Government to achieve, and I thank Member for Oxley Michael Kemp and Mayor Steve Allan for their unwavering fight to see this achieved for the safety and economic certainty of the Bellingen Dorrigo communities.”
