Infrastructure upgrades to come for Palmerston if Labor re-elected

Palmerston will get $10 million worth of upgrades and new projects if Labor is re-elected in August. Read what they’ve proposed.

Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell and Chief Minister Eva Lawler announce $10m worth of infrastructural upgrades in Palmerston. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Community hubs, pump tracks, and a poolside cafe will reinvigorate Palmerston if Territory Labor is re-elected.

Chief Minister Eva Lawler said her government planned to commit $10m worth of infrastructural upgrades to the “place for people” if it survives the August election.

Ms Lawler said the upgrades included $2.5 million for a community hall in Driver, $1 million for a cafe and refreshed entrance to the SWELL facility, and $2 million for a hub in Zuccoli – with a hall, library, and pump track slated for consideration.

The funding will also cover a number of smaller projects such as “greening”.

Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell and Chief Minister Eva Lawler announce $10m worth of infrastructural upgrades in Palmerston. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

“We’ve been lobbied very hard by the City of Palmerston – by the CEO but also by the mayor of Palmerston – and we’ve had a really strong partnership we have delivered in the past,” she said.

“The SWELL is a clear commitment of the money that we’ve put into Palmerston, for example, but we have also built a new hospital, a new fire station, a new police station, two new schools in Palmerston just in this term of government.”

Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell said she was looking forward to seeing the investment in a “significant number of small projects” in the community.

“Palmerston has been a very fast growing community for many years now and social infrastructure has fallen behind,” she said.

Ms Pascoe-Bell said the council had also sought a similar commitment from the CLP.