Twenty-one projects which will help grow and strengthen the rural NSW economy have been granted almost $18 million of Australian Government funding through the Murray-Darling Basin Regional Economic Diversification Programme.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss
said the funding was to assist Murray-Darling Basin communities increase economic diversification and adjust to a water constrained environment.
“Under the $100 million Australian Government programme, the Basin States of NSW, Victoria,
Queensland and South Australia each select projects for funding in consultation with the Australian Government,” Mr Truss said.
“The 21 projects selected for funding in NSW, including 11 in the Farrer electorate, will lead to the creation of around 250 jobs in the State, and will help businesses and communities impacted by the implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.”
NSW Minister for Regional Development John Barilaro said the NSW Government secured
Australian Government funding of up to $32.5 million for economic development projects and diversification initiatives in the State.
“This funding will assist projects that will create new jobs and increase the economic output of local and regional economies in the Murray-Riverina,” Mr Barilaro said.
“More than 100 funding applications were received, a fantastic response, with 21 successful projects now confirmed after rigorous assessment and recommendation by an Independent Panel.
“The 21 projects receiving funding come from a diverse range of industries, from manufacturing to aquaculture, cheese-making to grain processing.
“In particular, the Independent Panel sought out projects that involve the development of sustainable partnerships with government, the private sector or not-for-profit organisations to support joint investment in regional communities.”
The remaining $14 million will be negotiated by the Federal and State Governments in accordance
with the program objectives of delivering economic diversification in the Murray Darling Basin.
Local MP, Sussan Ley, says “this is a programme which will achieve exactly what it is setting out to do: boost economic development and jobs in our region. There are some terrific projects which have attracted funding but an equal number of good ideas which fell short of certain criteria”.
“Just because a proposal missed out this time, does not rule it out in applying for the remaining $14m in funding. I am happy to work with those organisations to assist them in submitting a revised second application.”
A list of successful applicants in Farrer follows. More details on the programme is here.
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ALBURY
Frauenfelder Gates Unit Trust, the only regionally based company manufacturing rural fencing products in Australia, has been awarded funding to bring forward the purchase of two new barb wire machines and create up to 9 new jobs.
BERRIGAN
McCormacks Cabinets is expected to create up to 5 new jobs with funding awarded to support the construction and fit out of a new showroom and purchase of new equipment to increase production capacity. The company has a good reputation as a business that recruits, trains and develops regional apprentices.
MON Natural Foods, a manufacturer of table sauces and mayonnaise products for the retail grocery industry has been awarded funding to expand their production line facilities to increase the production of mayonnaises and salad dressings, expected to lead to the creation of up to 9 new jobs.
Tocumwal Pumps has been awarded funding to invest in new technology to improve manufacturing efficiency. The investment will help digitally recreate key pieces of production materials, including digitising, laser scanning, computer modelling and 3-D printing of patterns. The project is expected to create at least 3 new jobs.
COROWA
Corowa Distilling is set to create more than 25 new jobs with funding awarded to bring forward the establishment of a new distillery for the production of organic whisky from Riverina barley. Once the distillery is established guided tours will be available, increasing visitor numbers to the region.
DENILIQUIN
Charlie Carp has been awarded funding to buy drying equipment for carp by-product and to help the company diversify into producing pellet fertiliser, with the investment expected to create up to 5 new jobs.
GREATER HUME
Greater Hume based bulk handling and silo manufacturer Kotzur and St Paul’s secondary College at Walla Walla have been awarded funding to bring business grade internet services to Walla Walla via either fibre optic cable or microwave technology. The funding will enable all businesses in Walla Walla to access data and VOIP capabilities at 200 Mbps and the investment is expected to create up to 21 jobs.
MURRAY
Rabar Animal Nutrition’s manufacturing facility in Moama has been awarded funding to help better automate the plant and improve its quality assurance system, with an expected 2 jobs to be created. Upgrades will include installation of 2 50m3 silos, 6 bulk bag unloading bins and a new computerised batch tracking system.
Newtecpoly has been awarded funding to establish a new manufacturing facility at Moama that converts waste plastic into new plastic products. The project is expected to create up to 11 new jobs.
WAKOOL
Forestry Corporation of NSW – Western Branch will see funding awarded to undertake a broad scale assessment of the standing timber volumes on three State Forests and fifty seven Western Land Leases using remote sensing data. The project will help with future growth modelling to determine sustainable yield for sawlogs and other log products.
Chetwynd Park grows, packs and distributes quality citrus and stone fruits. The company has been awarded funding to upgrade their packing and dispatch facilities and introduce of a six lane pre-blemish sorter with Near Infrared (NIR). This state of the art technology includes a new conveyer system which can process 2,800 pieces of fruit per minute into different quality grades. The investment is expected to generate up to 26 new jobs.
