Walgett upgrades completed through Roads to Home

Aboriginal communities in Walgett are celebrating completion of infrastructure upgrades funded by the NSW Government to support social, economic and employment benefits for the area.

The Roads to Home program is delivering roughly $15 million in funding Walgett Local Aboriginal Land Council to upgrade infrastructure at the Gingie Village and Namoi Village.

The NSW Government has completed $8.7 million in infrastructure improvements across the two villages including upgraded roads and gutters, footpaths, drainage infrastructure, landscaping work, fencing and improved street lighting.

The Department is also undertaking $6.1 million in remediation at the site to address historical contamination from previous building materials.

The delivery of infrastructure upgrades to normal standards helps enhance quality of life and health for residents and improves access to services such as household waste collection, postal delivery, emergency services and community transport.

A key feature of the Roads to Home program is ensuring there are employment and training opportunities for the local Aboriginal community, with about eight Walgett residents getting training and work including in fencing and landscaping.

The NSW Government has so far committed a total of $173.8 million through the Roads to Home program to enable upgrades in 34 Aboriginal communities.

Walgett Local Aboriginal Land Council CEO Wendy Fernando said:

“The improvements are good for the two villages. There have been upgrades to roads, footpaths have been widened, street lighting has been improved including with some solar powered lights, and landscaping has been done with gardens and native plants local to the area. Residents are also very happy with their fencing.”

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said:

“It’s fantastic to see these upgrades delivered to benefit the residents of Namoi Village and Gingie Village at Walgett.

“Significant improvements can be created for communities when they have fit-for-purpose infrastructure that provides better quality of life and reliable access to essential services, including transport, education and health care.”

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said:

“The Roads to Home program is correcting an historic injustice where Aboriginal communities on former missions and reserves across NSW were left to fend for themselves without the types of infrastructure and services that communities in the rest of the state take for granted.

“It is a unique program that takes a partnership approach to empower Aboriginal landowners to make decisions about essential infrastructure upgrades in their communities to improve social outcomes while providing training and employment opportunities.

“We know there are better Closing the Gap outcomes when local Aboriginal communities and
people drive shared decision-making and self-determination.”