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Baw Baw Shire loss access to funding from the Growing Suburbs Fund despite their rapid population growth says CEO Mark Dupe

Victorian Peri-Urban Councils, including Baw Baw Shire, have lost access to funding from the Growing Suburbs Fund putting pressure on them to meet increasing demands without state support, despite prior advocacy efforts.

By news@gippsland - 28th August 2023 - Back to News

Baw Baw Shire Council officers have been informed by Victorian government representatives that Peri-Urban Councils are no longer eligible for funding support via the Growing Suburbs Fund (GSF). The councils affected by this decision include Baw Baw Shire Council, Bass Coast Shire Council, Golden Plains Shire Council, Moorabool Shire Council and Surf Coast Shire Council.

Growing Suburbs Fund aimed to aid rapid population growth in these areas, Baw Baw, Bass Coast, Golden Plains, Moorabool, Surf Coast that increasingly depend on government support to address population growth

Population growth funding

The stated purpose of the Growing Suburbs Fund has been to support councils experiencing significant population growth. Baw Baw's population, and the populations of our fellow Peri-Urban Councils, are amongst the fastest growing in Victoria.

Regions like ours are more reliant than ever on state and federal governments to meet the growing needs stemming from these huge population shifts. That is why, collectively, Peri-Urban Councils Victoria advocated so strongly for our eligibility for the fund in 2020.

Key GSF funded projects

Some of the significant projects in Baw Baw Shire which have previously received crucial funding via the GSF include:

• Longwarry Early Learning Centre ($500,000)
• Bellbird Park East, Drouin Multi-use Pavilion ($2 million)
• Baw Baw Culture and Connection Precinct Stage One - Library and Learning Centre ($3.5 million)
• Rollo Street, Yarragon - Community Open Space Project ($1.53 million)
• Queens Street, Warragul Streetscape Project ($673,000)

The GSF was already diminished from $50 million to $10 million in the previous state budget, which itself posed significant challenges.

Funding loss impact

Now, by removing eligibility for this funding for Peri-Urban Councils altogether, councils like Baw Baw Shire have lost one of the few significant streams of funding left to our region.

I have been in touch with my fellow CEOs from Peri-Urban Councils as we await a statement from the Victorian government addressing this decision and providing further detail as to what it will mean for our regions. We will await that statement, or further significant developments, before commenting further.

Pictures from Baw Baw Shire Council website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com