BENDIGO will lodge new bids for airport funding this week, but some have questioned whether Canberra has enough set aside to bankroll regional Australia's aerodrome needs.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The City of Greater Bendigo expects to submit two grant applications for the airport in coming days.
One could pay for maintenance and safety upgrades while the other, worth $4.4 million, would help bankroll a new terminal and business park.
Last Thursday, the government noted a senate committee's "serious concerns" that many Australian councils are dipping into rates money to pay for airport maintenance.
Many council owned airports - including Bendigo's - operate at a loss and rely on federal grants for maintenance and upgrades.
The senate committee urged the government to review funding for regional airports.
That is something the Bendigo council would welcome, business manager Ben Devanny said.
"We've been looking for a few years now for the runway and now terminal funding. Sometimes the grants line up well with grant rounds. Other times they don't," he said.
Adding to the challenge is that the federal government might need to fund a myriad of different demands, Mr Devanny said.
"What we might need as a growing airport is not necessarily what Mildura's needs," he said.
"It's a tough job to find a bucket of money that's suitable for everyone."
The council will try to source money for a new terminal and business park from the government's new, $100 million regional airports program.
More news:
That is the same fund trumpeted by minister for regional development Michael McCormack as he announced the government's response to the senate committee's report.
Yet, the fund may not have enough money to help councils finance "considerable" maintenance and upgrade projects, according to the committee.
Grants are still one of the most direct way the government can finance airports, the committee found.
Mr Devanny said it would be great if more money could be allocated for regional aerodromes.
"It's like all buckets of funding. It would be great if they were all bigger. Airports are very capital-intensive," he said.
The government either noted or accepted all nine of the senate committee's recommendations, Mr McCormack said.
"I recently announced the government will be developing a regional aviation policy statement, in consultation with airport and airline operators, other industry stakeholders, state, territory and local governments and local communities, businesses and individuals," he said.
Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
