Walla Walla Early Childhood Hub receives funding from Coalition’s Building Better Regions Fund

by | Aug 3, 2017 | Electorate, Electorate Media Releases, Featured | 0 comments

  • Walla Walla Early Childhood Hub project will become reality, winning $277,000 from the Building Better Regions Fund 
  • Walla Walla project beat hundreds of others from around Australia to win funding
  • Building Better Regions Fund making important projects become reality for local communities

 

The small town of Walla Walla will receive a boost following news that the local Early Childhood Hub Project has won funding through the Coalition Government’s Building Better Regions Fund, Member for Farrer, Sussan Ley announced today.

Ms Ley said that the Walla Walla Early Childhood Hub would receive $277,000 through the Coalition’s Building Better Regions Fund, benefitting local families with secure, long term early childhood services.

“Young families in Walla Walla and the surrounding area will receive a tremendous value from this project, and historically families have had to travel so that their children could access preschool or other children’s services,” Ms Ley said.

“The Walla Walla community have fought long and hard and should be commended on their commitment to the project, with fundraising and in-kind donations making up a proportion of the application criteria.

“The Building Better Regions Fund received more than 500 applications and this application by Greater Hume Shire Council to expand Walla Walla’s Early Childhood Hub was one of about 100 which were approved, and this really is great news,” said Ms Ley.

Minister for Regional Development Fiona Nash said she created the Building Better Regions Fund to help build strong communities for decades to come.

“I aim to help build the kinds of regional communities our children and grandchildren either want to stay in or come back to, and projects like this one do exactly that,” Minister Nash said.

“After a competitive merit-based selection process, there are always those who were not successful and are naturally disappointed. We know this and we’ve got dedicated staff in the Department of Industry to give tailored feedback to each unsuccessful applicant to help improve those applications for next time. They can be contacted on [email protected].”

Minister Nash said she expected to open another round of BBRF before the end of the year.

Greater Hume Shire Council Mayor, Cr Heather Wilton said that a strategic planning meeting held at Walla Walla earlier this identified this project as a high priority for the community. Council has committed $250,000 in cash to the project as well as providing the land.

Albury Wodonga Community Early Years Childcare (CEYC) has been providing a mobile service to Walla Walla for over a decade and Council is committed to working with CEYC and the Walla Walla community to transition to centre based care and bring this much needed community project to fruition. Walla Walla has significant employment within the town and the unavailability of children’s services has been of great concern to the community for some time, added Cr Wilton.

Minister Nash will announce the successful applicants for funding under the BBRF’s Community Investments Stream – for projects designed to support a range of local capability-building activities – in the coming months.

More information about the Building Better Regions Fund is available at: www.business.gov.au/bbrf