MAYOR Karen Williams is calling on the state government to explain why Redlands received just a 1.4 per cent share of the $200 million in new funding made available through the Works for Queensland program.
The government changed eligibility requirements for the scheme in response to the coronavirus crisis and $50 million of the new package has since been shared among 12 previously ineligible south-east Queensland councils.
Redlands received a $2.88 million cut, while nearby Logan received $6.57 million and Brisbane City Council $5 million.
Cr Williams said the funding was welcome but more was needed to support the community during the economic downturn.
- Also read: LNP candidate Bev Walters calls out Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk over Black Lives Matter protest. Capalaba MP Don Brown urges public to follow health advice.
- Also read: Mayor Karen Williams to meet federal Finance Department over Birkdale bushland
- Also read: Karen Williams wins mayoral election on 50.9 per cent of the vote ahead of Claire Richardson in close Redlands race
She questioned why just $50 million had been given to the south-east corner while regional councils already eligible for the scheme had received a share of the rest.
"What our community really wants is certainty and so I would like to understand how the state government allocated the funding so I can help the community understand," she said.
Redlands LNP candidate Henry Pike labelled council's share of the funding an insult and said it demonstrated the government's lack of interest in the Redlands.
But Capalaba MP Don Brown said the program had a proven track record, with 19,000 jobs delivered in regional Queensland over three years.
Mr Pike said the Redlands had received only half the amount it should have on a per capita basis.
"The Labor government was spruiking this new funding as a great win for the Redlands but it has turned out to be an absolute fizzer," he said.
Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe fired back, saying all councils across the state had received a $1 million base allocation and the remaining funding was divided up according to population and unemployment levels.
"This is the first time SEQ councils have had access to the Works for Queensland program and it's an acknowledgement that we as a government are focused on working with local governments to recover and keep moving forward during these challenging economic times," he said.
Mr Hinchliffe said the $200 million package announced in response to the COVID-19 crisis was on top of the $600 million that had already been made available to regional councils.
Cr Williams said the Redlands had been hit harder than many areas during the pandemic and needed more funding to help recover.
"Redlands Coast islands topped the list for employment vulnerability, according to an index published by the Centre of Full Employment and Equity ... ," she said
"This shows the level of support we need to respond to this pandemic and I am keen to work with the state government to understand how we can secure that support."
Cr Williams said she had spent years lobbying for Works for Queensland funding but Redlands had been previously ineligible for the program.
Mr Hinchliffe said the program finally being made available to the south-east was a win for Cr Williams and the Redlands community.
Read more local news here.
