Kingborough Council is devastated not to have been successful in the second round of the National Stronger Regions Fund.
The Mayor of Kingborough, Cr Steve Wass said “We felt we met all of the criteria set out by the fund including infrastructure spend, job creation and being a disadvantaged community. This rejection will significantly impact the progress of the former Kingston High School site project and we will now need to assess our position and investigate future funding options, including potential external investors.”
The municipality of Kingborough is expected to grow by almost 40 per cent by 2037 and the facilities and services provided within central Kingston will not meet this expected growth. The loss of Vodafone in the Kingston centre has had a huge impact and the CBD area has suffered a significant loss of retail trade activity. Shops are struggling and there is no other major employment generator on the horizon other that the redevelopment of the former Kingston High School site.
“When looking for employment our young people will gravitate to Melbourne or Sydney for employment opportunities and unfortunately will not return in the short term. Our vision is that the constructed precinct will be the heart and soul of Kingborough, which will offer employment, housing and be family orientated.”
The longer term economic benefits are significant for the municipality, with 640 new jobs being created in Kingston and $80 million being injected into the local economy each year once completed. During its construction period, it will generate $90 million of infrastructure spend and create an extra 70 jobs per year.
“Council is dedicated to the improvement of our sustainability and this setback is a massive blow for our plans. The grant would have enabled the project to commence and would have allowed the community and recreational based facilities to be completed in advance of the future sale of land for private commercial purposes, enhancing the attractiveness of the precinct and encouraging private investment.”
The impact of the decision to exclude the Tasmanian bid for the Australian Naval patrol boats has also had a dampening effect on employment opportunities in Kingborough.
“From the list of projects awarded it would appear that Tasmania has been left off the map and forgotten yet again by our Federal Government. A mere $760,000 out of $293 million is pathetic,” said Mayor Wass. “It is also noted that New South Wales, where the Prime Minister resides and Queensland, where the Deputy Prime Minister resides, received in excess of $170 million dollars. Not bad if you live in those states.”
Kingborough Media and Communications Officer, Sarah Wilcox-Standring
