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The funding came from the always hotly contested Building Better Regions round ahead of a national announcement to be made by federal regional development minister, John McVeigh, on Monday.
Wodonga’s Bonegilla Migrant Experience was another successful project announced in the electorate of Indi with $534,177 towards refurbishing existing buildings, creating outdoor infrastructure and developing connections to cycling and walking trails.
No projects have been announced in Farrer to date and it’s highly unlikely other applications from councils in the Indi electorate will be successful in this round.
The Lavington Sportsground redevelopment, Howlong pet food manufacturer Cool Off and the Wodonga CBD have been big winners in the past from this funding pool.
Dr McVeigh was in Mildura on Tuesday for the announcement of $10 million towards an indoor sports centre, but the Coalition missed a golden opportunity in its plans to win back Indi with no representative on the ground.
National Party deputy leader, Bridget McKenzie is a regular visitor to Indi, but Cabinet commitments put a line through her availability for what could have been a golden, pre-election opportunity.
Also, not helping the Coalition’s chances of maximising the good news release is both the Liberals and Nationals not having a candidate for the next election locked in yet.
And the situation could remain so for another couple of months with preselections not even called yet even though speculation on the subject is rife across the electorate.
Even the incumbent, Cathy McGowan, is keeping everyone guessing as to her plans of trying to win a third successive election.
A federal election is still an outside chance of being held before the end of the year even though the likelihood is the government will go full term and Australians will go to the polls in May next year after state elections in both Victoria and NSW.
An awful lot could still happen in a hurry, but one thing for certain is Wangaratta has been the latest big winner.
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