The Victorian Government’s Regional Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) has leveraged
$1 billion in new investment in country Victoria, the Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney said today.
“Establishing the RIDF was one of the first acts of this Labor Government because we realised the importance of rebuilding infrastructure in regional and rural areas after many years of neglect,” Ms Tierney said.
“Since its inception in 1999, the RIDF has directly committed $370.8 million toward nearly 154 projects in regional and rural Victoria that have secured $1 billion in total new investment from project partners and directly created thousands of new rural and regional jobs.
“The RIDF has supported infrastructure projects across many industries and every region of the state that are delivering significant benefits to regional and rural Victoria.
“The RIDF has supported delivery of natural gas to 34 new towns, new and improved iconic tourism attractions, upgrades to regional airports and ports, as well as new education facilities, innovation and technology parks, redeveloped industrial estates, the upgrade of hundreds of cattle underpasses and rural showgrounds.”
RIDF projects that have been supported in the Colac Otway Shire region include:
• $2,751,100 for Supplying Natural Gas to Camperdown
• $1,114,506 for the Local Ports Program – Apollo Bay
• $324,628 for the Cobden Industrial State
• $250,000 for the Dairy Local Roads for the Colac Otway Shire
Ms Tierney said the RIDF, along with other Victorian Government initiatives, including the $502 million Provincial Victoria statement Moving Forward, had driven a renaissance in Victoria’s regions that has created record levels of jobs and investments.
“In the last eight years, the Government had helped to facilitate $8.3 billion in new investment in regional and rural Victoria and the creation of more than 131,000 new jobs,” she said.
More than 77,000 people have moved to regional and rural Victoria since 1999.
“One of the great strengths of the RIDF is that it is flexible enough to respond to the demands and challenges faced by different industry sectors across Victoria.”
For more information about the Regional Infrastructure Development Fund, visit the website: www.rdv.vic.gov.au
