New $176m Better Regions Program
During the 2007 election, the Australian Government made a significant commitment to fund projects that had been identified by local communities across Regional Australia as priority investments for their region.
These projects will be implemented under the $176m Better Regions Program and will provide important community infrastructure which will significantly enhance the liveability of regions.
The Better Regions Program has been developed to ensure that the implementation of these election commitment projects is consistent with all relevant requirements of the Financial Management and Accountability (FMA) Regulations 1997, the ANAO Best Practice guide and the recommendations from the ANAO Audit of the Regional Partnerships program.
Better Regions will commence in the 2008-09 financial year. Funding will be released to projects subject to negotiation of satisfactory grant agreements with the project proponents.
All Better Regions proponents will shortly receive a letter congratulating them on their project funding and providing advice on how to access funding.