Stimulus supporting local jobs

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Next time you drive past a primary school you’ll surely see how the Rudd Government’s $42 billion Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan is supporting jobs and small business and is building the long-term infrastructure for the country’s future.

With 70 per cent of the stimulus invested on road, rail, school construction and housing infrastructure, it is supporting up to 210,000 jobs.

The Opposition voted against the stimulus six times and under Tony Abbott has become even more extreme, declaring it would wind back the infrastructure projects.

This flies in the face of the opinions of international financial bodies like the OECD and IMF and local industry heads, including the Master Builders, who agree the stimulus is working.

Master Builders Australia Chief Economist, Peter Jones, said earlier this month: “Despite twin challenges of reduced credit availability and weaker economic conditions, the Government’s stimulus spending and low interest rates are preventing a collapse in construction activity.

“Thanks to the Government’s well-targeted stimulus measures, the building and construction industry has stabilised after threatening to nose-dive early in 2009.”

As at 30 November 2009, about 50,000 major projects had been approved, with more than 31,000 major building and construction projects under way, and 5,900 projects completed.

The multiplier effect of these projects means that businesses and jobs are being supported across all communities, not just for tradespeople and construction businesses, but also cafes, petrol stations and small businesses.

Here’s how the stimulus is progressing:

Social Housing

Designed to assist low income Australians, the Social Housing Initiative is boosting public housing and housing administered by the not-for-profit community sector.

• Of more than 19,300 new social housing dwellings, 4,133 have commenced construction, and 268 are complete.
• 70,000 repairs and maintenance projects have been approved, and 41,919 are complete.

Education

Work at local schools ramped up during the school holidays, with construction on thousands of projects – building schools of the future, not just the bricks and mortar but also the fittings and technology.

Up to November 30 2009:

• More than 9,500 primary school construction projects, including new halls, libraries and classrooms, were underway, with the first 102 complete.
• Of the 12,500 refurbishment projects underway, 2,503 are complete.
• 488 of the 537 Science and Language Centres constructions have commenced, and two complete.

Road and Rail

Australia’s road and rail networks are benefitting enjoying significant improvements providing faster, safer and more efficient road and rail transport.

• Road safety is being improved with more than 400 Black Spot and Boom Gates for Rail Crossings program projects underway. More than 140 are complete.
• Of 14 major road projects approved, all have commenced pre-construction activities and six are under construction.
• 15 of the 17 major rail projects have commenced and three are complete.

The Government has committed more to rail infrastructure in the past 12 months than the previous government spent in 12 years.
 
Community Infrastructure

Local communities across Australia are already enjoying the benefits of funding from the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program.
 

• Councils across Australia have completed 2,760 community infrastructure projects.
• Over 70 of the 137 strategic community infrastructure projects have commenced.

As the Plan enters a peak period of construction activity in the first half of 2010, project completions will continue to rise.

Visit www.economicstimulusplan.gov.au for projects in your area.