Economic Stimulus Plan continues to deliver as 2009 draws to a close

As the last news item for the year, we take a look back at the progress and milestones of the Nation Building – Economic Stimulus Plan (the Plan) in 2009.

Thursday, 24 December 2009

There has been significant progress in implementing the Plan throughout 2009. The Plan is achieving positive outcomes supporting employment, fostering confidence in the economy and building vital infrastructure.

As at 30 November 2009, approximately 50,000 major projects had been approved, over 31,000 major building and construction projects had commenced, and more than 5,900 projects had been completed.

A key achievement of the Plan has been the excellent cooperation and collaboration between the Commonwealth and States and Territories, at all levels. This collaboration culminated in discussion at the Council of Australian Government’s (COAG) meeting on 7 December 2009 about the significant progress that has been made to date. The Commonwealth Coordinator-General tabled a report at the meeting, on behalf of all Coordinators-General, updating COAG on progress of the Plan.

The following snapshot of implementation progress as at 30 November, illustrates the achievements being made:

Social Housing

Designed to assist low income Australians who are homeless or struggling in the private rental market, the Social Housing Initiative is providing a boost to public housing and housing administered by the not-for-profit community sector.

• Of the more than 19,300 new social housing dwellings to be constructed, 4,133 have commenced construction, and 268 have been completed
•  70,000 repairs and maintenance jobs have been approved, and 41,919 have been completed

Education

Substantial achievements have been delivered across all three Building the Education Revolution components, the Education Investment Fund, and the Teaching and Learning Capital Fund.

• More than 9,500 primary school construction projects, including new halls, libraries and classrooms, are underway as part of the Primary Schools for the 21st Century, with the first 102 of these projects completed

• Of the 12,500 refurbishment projects underway, 2,503 have been completed under the National School Pride program
•  488 of the 537 Science and Language Centres construction projects have commenced, and two have been completed
• Other education programs are now rolling out with four of the 11 projects being undertaken through Round One of the Education Investment Fund underway in universities across Australia
• Under the Teaching and Learning Capital Fund for Higher Education, 117 infrastructure projects are rolling out in 41 higher education institutions
• A total of 484 projects have been approved under the Teaching and Learning Capital Fund for Vocational Education and Training, and 461 have commenced

Road and Rail

Australia’s road and rail networks are benefitting from the Economic Stimulus Plan, with 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. Over 140 of these projects have been completed
• 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, including one technology trial, and three are complete

Community Infrastructure

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

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

To date, substantial progress has also been made in the Energy Efficient Homes and Defence Housing components of the Plan:

Energy Efficient Homes

Households across the country are enjoying the benefits of solar hot water and ceiling insulation under the Energy Efficient Homes Package, whilst thousands of jobs in manufacturing, distribution and installation continue to be supported.

• Under the Plan, a focus on improving the energy efficiency of homes has already resulted in over 950,000 homes having ceiling insulation or solar hot water systems installed to date

Defence Housing

The construction of 829 new residential houses is well underway, assisting Australian Defence Force (ADF) families. To date:

• All 829 contracts have been committed, three months ahead of schedule
• 255 new houses have already been completed, with ADF families already taking up residency in them

As the Plan enters a peak period of construction activity in the first half of 2010, project completions will continue to rise, so continue to visit this site regularly, and search the My Community map for projects underway and complete in your area.

You can also visit the In Focus and News archive of this website for a look back at the local impact these projects have had in your community in 2009.

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