SMITHS LAKE RECREATION PARK UPGRADE

Federal Member for Lyne Dr David Gillespie has congratulated the Smiths Lake Sub-Committee on the newly upgraded Smith’s Lake Recreation Park.

“The local community initiated and funded a masterplan to beautify the Recreation Reserve, with the design drawing inspiration from the sandbar, channels and sand flats of Smiths Lake. And the result is excellent,” Dr Gillespie said.

“This was a collaborative effort between the Smiths Lake community, MidCoast Council and the former Federal Coalition Government which contributed more than $68,000 towards the project through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure program.

Dr Gillespie said the program, which was created by the former Federal Coalition Government, had now become a critical program for regional councils in local infrastructure delivery.

“Despite Labor’s axing several regional programs, I am pleased that the government is going to retain the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure program.

“In my recent Vision 2030 Plan survey, of the 3,000 households that responded across the Lyne electorate, roads were the number one priority.

“This program will go some way towards getting more community and road projects on the agenda.

Dr Gillespie said that since the Federal election a year ago, he’d had several meetings with both the Minister and Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport & Regional Development.

“I’ve discussed the need to not only maintain existing levels of funding for infrastructure in regional areas like ours, but also further investment given the importance roads are to our region and the economy,” Dr Gillespie said.

“In government, The Nationals put in place a number of good programs for regional Australia. These programs, combined with the regionalisation agenda we took to the last election, should be embraced if Australia is not only to bring regional infrastructure up to standard, but also move the growth out of our major cities and into rural and regional towns,” he added.