Queensland State Development Minister Dr Anthony Lyndham explained that the Building our Regions programme would be used to fund projects including airports, transport, roads, flood mitigation and community infrastructure including waste water and sewerage.

“We have the most decentralised state in the nation and as a government with many regional members, we know that our strength lies in those regional towns and cities,” said Lyndham.

“The new Building our Regions program will fund projects that tackle infrastructure constraints for local businesses in those communities.”

“We want local governments to come to us with projects that will be catalysts in their communities for economic growth and local jobs.”

The program will create four funds: the $A70 million Regional Capital Fund, the $A55 million Royalties for Resource Producing Communities Fund, the $A15 million Remote Communities Infrastructure Fund and the $A60 million Transport Infrastructure Development Scheme.

Once established, councils can apply for up to $A5 million. Lyndham explained that the transport scheme was open to all councils, but the other three funds would be dedicated to regional local governments.

“Building our Regions particularly will focus on resource-producing communities and will provide an opportunity to address any impacts of resource sector growth in those communities,” Lyndham said.

“We’ll be prioritising partnership projects that include funding commitments from local and Commonwealth government, business and community groups. I would expect to see the first projects funded and underway from July 2016 creating opportunity and jobs across regional Queensland.”

Applications for funding will open in August.