Budget and the Hawkesbury – $2.5m for Northo Community Centre upgrade, $11.2m on roads, plus more…

The Labor government’s first Budget has some tangible benefits for the Hawkesbury, including money for the upgrade of North Richmond Community Centre, over $11m for Hawkesbury road upgrades, and money for disaster preparedness, plus an energy-saving community battery for Hobartville.

MP Templeman with Special Envoy Senator Tony Sheldon and management committee members of North Richmond Community Centre – Stephanie Brown, Wendy Davies, President, and Ann Lowe, Vice President…

Macquarie MP Susan Templeman says the delivery of key funding keeps promises she made on the campaign trail back in May.

The North Richmond Community Centre at 33 William St has become the go-to place during flood and fire emergencies west of the river but while volunteers have done their best, it is not kitted out as an emergency centre to help those who have been evacuated from their homes. The $2.5m will help rectify that, upgrading the centre for better use during a disaster.

MP Templeman told the Post, “last week, Special Envoy for Disaster Recovery, Senator Tony Sheldon and I visited North Richmond to speak with Board members about their visions for improvements to support the community during a disaster, and I’m excited to work with Hawkesbury Council to create it.”

Some $11.2m will also be handed to Hawkesbury Council for road upgrades across the local government area.

That figure came about after Liberal candidate Sarah Richards said if she was elected – she later suffered a complete drubbing in the election – she would commit to the spend for the following projects:

Rehabilitation of Bowen Mountain Road

Installation of new guard rails and flood gates

The upgrade of Crooked Lane in North Richmond and Golden Valley Drive in Glossodia.

The upgrade of Valder Road, Hobartville, Mitchell Drive, Glossodia, Scheyville Road and Pitt Town Dural Road, Cattai, Riverview Street, North Richmond, Gorricks Lane, Freemans Reach, and Walker Street, South Windsor.

Ms Templeman said Labor would match that $11.2m – which is what they have now done.

“Additional road funding, separate to the flood road funding already available to Council, has been announced in the budget, with $11.2 million for road upgrades in the Hawkesbury,” tMa Templeman sayssays.

The road works though will be down to Hawkesbury Council, so we’ll be keeping an eye on what they actually use the $11.2m for, and when.

Another Hawkesbury election commitment which has got funding is the first community battery in the Hawkesbury, which will allow Hobartville residents with solar panels to store their energy, which in turn should lead to cheaper electricity bills.

Ms Templeman said small businesses also receive support through an energy savings grant program for small and medium sized businesses, to reduce energy use and lower energy bills.

Families will be one of the biggest winners, she says, with the government committing to “delivering on those big ticket items like cheaper childcare, investment in cheaper, cleaner renewable energy, cheaper medicines and action to get wages moving again”.

“Those Budget measures will make a real difference to families with young children, with more than 6000 families in the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury better off from our child care policy alone.”

“We won’t pretend that repairing the budget is an easy job, but we’ve shown that, as good economic managers, we will take the hard decisions to start that work.

“And the inflation pressures Australia is facing will continue to impact family budgets for some time, but we’ve been very careful not to send inflation even higher by short-term sugar hits.

“I’m very proud that Labor’s first Budget begins to put things right for Australia, but there’s more to do.”

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