The City of Ballarat is set to get more than $1.5m cash injection from the federal government in a bid to boost the economy.
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The $1,532,905 funding, which is in addition to normal grants, is likely to go towards road-building in the local area.
The was announced as part of a $1.8 billion federal government injection into infrastructure designed to help local economies suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funding comes under the new $500 million Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, with the amounts announced on Friday (May 22) morning.
The Courier understands the funding is not tied to a particular project.
Also in the region there was $968,830 announced for Hepburn Shire Council, while Moorabool Shire Council will receive $1,281,703 and there will be $1,333,655 for Golden Plains Shire.
The money will be available from July 1.
According to information released today, funding allocations were calculated taking into consideration road length and population of each council.
The Mayor Cr Ben Taylor said he was "delighted to welcome" the funding and that it would "greatly benefit the Ballarat community".
"It will help us to support jobs and businesses and provide a strong boost to infrastructure upgrades in our region.
"I ask the Victorian Government to follow the Prime Minister's lead and provide similar support to regional Councils"
In a press release, the Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the funding boost would help councils "accelerate priority projects that will employ locally and support local business and also stimulating our economy."
The funding is separate to applications made last month for funds from the Australian Government Land Transport Infrastructure Projects program.
In early April, the deputy prime minister Michael McCormack wrote to councils around Australia, asking for key projects to be identified which needed federal backing.
The City of Ballarat had applied for four significant road projects: Gillies Road between the Western Highway and Creswick Road, Dowling Road between Remembrance Drive and the Sunraysia Highway, an upgrade to Cherry Flat Road between Bells Road and the Midland Highway, and the Ballarat Link Road Stage 2A between Remembrance Drive and Carngham Road.
The mayor Cr Ben Taylor told The Courier last month that the Link Road project would offer the "best bang for buck".
Those applications are believed to still be live.
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