Hundreds of local jobs will be supported as the SA state government has announced $65.5 million of local community projects across South Australia as part of its $1 billion stimulus package.
A total of 37 projects have successfully secured funding across 27 different council areas, with 24 in metropolitan Adelaide and 13 in regional South Australia.
In March, the state government announced it would double the annual Planning and Development Fund to $50m including the contribution from councils to support local jobs.
However, some projects required less than 50 per cent state government contribution, meaning the total value of successful projects is $65.5m – providing $15.5m more in economic stimulus than initially expected.
Premier Steven Marshall said the state government was injecting $1bn of stimulus into the SA economy to support local jobs and businesses as they grapple with the effects of this global pandemic.
“We are continuing to roll out our strong plan to keep as many South Australians in jobs as possible and our economy strong during these unprecedented times,” said Marshall.
“It’s these types of local projects that create local jobs and ultimately means more work for local businesses.”
Minister for Planning Stephan Knoll said it was now up to councils to get these projects off the ground as soon as possible to provide much needed stimulus in the local community.
“Having shovel ready projects was a key part of our assessment criteria and these local projects can get underway quickly to support local jobs and businesses,” said Knoll.
“We have a strong relationship with the local government sector and will work with them to deliver better, greener, open spaces in our community.”