Health minister Tony RyallMonday 10 October 2011, 3:52PM
Media release from health minister Tony Ryall
The Government has approved a total of $9.4 million in subsidies to
improve drinking water supplies in small communities of under 5000
people.
"These subsidies will help 18 territorial local authorities and 11
private supplies to providing safer drinking water for about 22,000
people in small, disadvantaged communities," Health Minister Tony
Ryall said.
The 29 projects were the first to be approved under the revised
criteria for drinking-water subsidies. The criteria require that
the water supply will serve a permanent population of between 25
and 5000 people.
The criteria were revised to ensure only communities with a
deprivation index of 7 and above are eligible for subsidies (a
community with a deprivation index of 10 is the least socially and
materially well-off).
Up to $10 million is available each year until 2015 and the scheme
will pay up to 85 per cent of costs.
Originally launched in 2006, the Drinking Water Subsidy Scheme aims
to help small communities establish or improve their drinking-water
supplies.
The criteria for the subsidies were changed last year amid concerns
that the scheme was not targeting the communities most in need of
the funding.