By Staff Writer

Royalties for Regions, an initiative that will bring $400 million to regional local governments over the next four years, was officially launched by the WA Government today.

The scheme will see the equivalent of 25 per cent of the State’s annual mining and resources royalties revenue reinvested in regional communities every year, according to the State Government.

The funding is in addition to regular Budget programs and in 2008-09 will be equal to about $675 million.

The ABC reported that WA Regional Development Minister, Brendon Grylls told a function in Perth: "We’re tying it to infrastructure. The shortfall in Western Australia is based on infrastructure."

"That’s what we’re intending this fund to be spent on, so we’ll be encouraging councils to look at their infrastructure needs and work on both a local and a regional level to get the best outcome out of that infrastructure spend."

The money is being distributed through three new funds:

– the Country Local Government Fund;
– the Regional Infrastructure and Headworks Fund; and
– the Regional Community Services Fund.

Local governments within the nine regions defined within the Regional Development Commissions Act 1993 are eligible for funding.

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