Iconic regional timber bridges will get a new lease of life thanks to a $500 million National Party election promise to fix and repair broken timber bridges in regional and rural communities.
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Nationals candidate for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders said the three councils in the electorate would be asked to nominate bridges that are currently rated in poor condition to be included in the fund.
“Our commitment will help ensure the Dubbo, Mid-Western and Narromine local government area (LGA) communities maintain access to towns, jobs, schools and hospital facilities,” he said.
“We know one of the largest ongoing costs to our councils, and therefore our local ratepayers, is deteriorating bridges, this program will make the community safer.
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“The Terrabella and Benolong Road bridges in the Dubbo LGA have been in desperate need of repair and are at the top of the list."
Dubbo mayor Ben Shields said the funding was welcome but called on the National Party to lift its game with other Dubbo infrastructure projects.
"It is amazing the government can get this initiative on timber bridges so right when they have got the River Street Bridge project so wrong," he said.
"These bridges, especially several in the old Wellington Shire, are in dire need of attention. Council simply has not got the financial capacity to rebuild bridges. This is certainly a very welcome spending announcement from the Nationals and I now call upon the Labor Party to match the funding if they win government."
Country Labor candidate for Dubbo Stephen Lawrence said the National Party should not be bragging about providing basic infrastructure like bridges.
The National's political model is to neglect basic services and then promise at election time to fix them, if you vote for them.
- Labor's Stephen Lawrence
"Here we go again, the National Party's political model is to neglect basic services and then promise at election time to fix them if you vote for them," he said.
"Labor is releasing important statewide policies that will create real change in TAFE, education, health, renewables, roads and so on. If I am elected, I will take care of basic infrastructure in the electorate like bridges, but I won't be playing the same old bribe and threat politics that these kinds of announcements represent."