Local issues need more focus Mayor of Wagga Wagga, Rod Kendall is calling on Candidates for the Federal seat of Riverina to talk openly about how they would work with local councils to meet infrastructure needs and ensure continued regional growth as part of their election campaign. “Local communities need to know what their votes will do for their local area – not just the national stage,” said Mayor Kendall. “It is important to know how the candidates see the Federal level of government working alongside local councils to meet needs that are specific to their electorate.” “Regional councils look after more roads, cover larger geographical areas and support more diverse economies with fewer ratepayers than our metropolitan cousins so we need to know what our local candidates will do to meet those needs – not just top line promises from the party’s head office.” Infrastructure maintenance is a funding burden that in many cases is too great for regional councils to meet on their own believes Mayor Kendall. “In Wagga Wagga we look after over 1,500km of rural roads and this is just one small part of our infrastructure portfolio that we struggle to maintain to a standard demanded by the community. “I find it appalling that there has been no mention of funding assistance for the regional roads network in this election campaign,” said Mayor Kendall. The northern highway bypass of Wagga Wagga and the upgrade of the levee bank are other projects the Mayor would like discussed at a Federal level. “I’d like to know how Federal candidates intend to help Wagga Wagga City Council work towards meeting large scale infrastructure improvements such as the $18million levee bank upgrade and heavy vehicle bypass,” said Mayor Kendall. “These are examples of projects beyond the ability of one local council to fund and that, if supported, will ultimately benefit the entire region.” The Wagga Wagga Airport is currently under lease from the Commonwealth with an expiry date of 30 June 2025, and finding a way to achieve permanent ownership of the site will ensure greater certainty for expansion. “The airport is a growing hub for commerce, employment, education and training in the aviation industry,” said Mayor Kendall. “Council has been in constructive negotiations with the Department of Defence for a number of years in relation to the Head Lease at Wagga Wagga Airport and we need to find a way through to permanent ownership and remove obstacles to facilitate further investment in the site.”
Posted on: Thu, 29 Aug 2013 00:32:26 +0000
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