Hinchinbrook MP, Andrew Cripps, has welcomed the allocation of an additional $3.5 million in matching funding from the Queensland Government for the Mission Beach Aquatic Facility.

Mr Cripps said the funding, allocated through the Queensland Government’s Building Our Regions program, was an outstanding outcome for the Mission Beach community.

“Along with the funding from the Federal Government, this takes to a total of $7 million the public, non-council funding allocated to the Mission Beach Aquatic Facility project” said Mr Cripps.

“Once again, I congratulate the Cassowary Coast Regional Council on the quality of its successful application to this very competitive program, for what is a very worthy project,” he said.

“The Building Our Regions program is the current Labor Government’s version of the former LNP Government’s Royalties For Regions initiative, with a new name”.

“The Queensland Government never had a program designed specifically for community infrastructure projects in regional and rural areas before the Royalties For Regions initiative”.

Mr Cripps also congratulated the Mission Beach community on its determination and hard work to lobby community leaders at all levels of government to help make the project a reality.

“I’m delighted that just before Christmas, Mission Beach has received even more good news about its long awaited public pool project – 2016 is shaping up to be a great year’.