A number of building and infrastructure projects have receive additional funding in the NSW budget.
As part of the government’s $29 billion post-pandemic recovery package, the funding includes $10.7 billion for health infrastructure over the next four years, including completion of the Tweed Hospital Redevelopment by Silver Thomas Hanley and Bates Smart and the Campbelltown Hospital Stage 2 Redevelopment by Billard Leece Partnership; and $1.4 billion for new school infrastructure.
“We’ll deliver 200 new and upgraded schools and 47 new and upgraded hospitals,” said treasurer Domenic Perrottet.
“The scale of our infrastructure pipeline is unprecedented, supporting tens of thousands of jobs each year. This state-building pipeline will drive our recovery and strengthen our State, so we can stand tall today and lift future generations even higher.”
The budget also includes $812 million for social and Aboriginal housing across NSW, which will deliver more than 1,200 new dwellings, and upgrade another 8,000 more.
However, this pales in comparison to the neighbouring state of Victorian whose government announced it would allocate $5.3 billion in its state budget for social housing.
NSW has more than 51,000 applicants, or 110,000 people, on the waitlist for social housing, according to the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW.
Last week, the government also announced funding for two new wildlife hospitals and a refuge facility for platypus will be built across Taronga Zoo’s Western Plains and Sydney sites, with the NSW government allocating $37.5 million to the projects in its 2020-21 budget.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo will receive $14 million towards the wildlife hospital and $8.8 million for the Platypus Visitor and Education Facility, with the remainder going to the Sydney project. The government had previously committed $3.2 million, and a further $35.9 million needed for the projects will be sought from philanthropic and private donors. Construction will start next year, with completion scheduled for 2022.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
