Editorial Gong Getting The Raw End Of The Deal
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday May 31, 2008
COMPARING public works funding in Wollongong and Newcastle is hardly an exact science. The cities are different, their needs are different and their circumstances are different.
However, figures compiled by the Illawarra Regional Information Service and revealed today by the Mercury show a concerning discrepancy between the two big centres. And the research confirms what many in this community have felt for some time: we are being short-changed by government.Our northern cousins have been better off by almost $500 per person in the funding stakes between 2002 and 2007.Naturally, we don't begrudge whatever Newcastle can squeeze out of this cash-strapped State Government. But it does beg the question, what about us?Only days after we were granted $80,000 for a study into new facilities at WIN Stadium, the Government announced it would contribute $20 million for a new grandstand at Energy Australia Stadium.As we head into even stormier economic conditions, it would be encouraging to see the start-up of new infrastructure projects. And there is quite a list of works here to do.The publicly funded University of Wollongong Innovation Campus is rising brilliantly on the outskirts of the city and is close to its official opening. But what's next?
© 2008 Illawarra Mercury