Your indepth Queensland Budget day guide for Bundaberg region

It’s been a mixed bag for regional and rural communities as the Queensland government delivers this year’s state budget. Here’s where Bundaberg region stands.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos - JUNE 15, 2021. Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick speaks during a state budget media briefing at Parliament House. Mr Dick will today deliver his second state budget. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

BUNDABERG region is one of the state’s big winners in this year’s Queensland Budget with Treasurer Cameron Dick confirming a raft of announcements during the annual lockdown in the State Parliament.

The News-Mail can confirm schools and infrastructure projects are high on the budget agenda with $35m set aside for local education providers across the Wide Bay area and another$26.2m to support the delivery of job-creating infrastructure, maintenance and minor works via the state’s Covid Economic Recovery Strategy.

Closer to home though, $2.7m is allocated towards the construction and improved facilities at the Bundaberg Hospital.

Woongarra State School will get $960,000 for its wastewater and water service needs and Gin Gin State High School has $2.5m to upgrade the administration building.

Bundaberg Tafe’s Agriculture and Horticulture Centre has $1.6m.

The Gin Gin Substation rebuild will get $2.1m in 2021-22 to replace aged substation assets to ensure continued reliability of electricity supply to the area.

The Paradise Dam improvement project will score $12.5m for projects aimed at complying with safety standards for extreme weather events as well as investigating options to meet long-term water demand.

The Bruce Highway (Maryborough to Gin Gin) Saltwater Creek upgrade of bridges and floodways project has snared a $31.7m of its total $103m spend.

The $107m Bruce Highway (Gympie to Maryborough), Tiaro Bypass project gets $2.5m in 2021-22.

Other local budget allocations include:

•$173k for Lady Elliot Island’s renewable energy infrastructure project;

•The Mon Repos Cultural Tourism Project will get $205k for the development of a training and commercial kitchen fit out at the Gidji Café while a further $200k will be spent on the Mon Repos Guides Queensland amenities block.

Seasonal workers and agriculture businesses in the Wide Bay area – which covers Bundaberg, the Burnett, Fraser Coast and Gympie – will also benefit from the state-wide four-year $71.4m Drought Assistance and Reform Package and the $2.6m Pacific Labour Scheme and Seasonal Worker Program.

The Queensland government says a total of 310 Wide Bay district businesses will benefit next financial year from its higher payroll tax threshold.