![Assistant Minister for Regional Development Anthony Chisholm inspecting the Woorabinda Airport with Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council town service manager Reginald Cressbrook. Picture: Supplied Assistant Minister for Regional Development Anthony Chisholm inspecting the Woorabinda Airport with Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council town service manager Reginald Cressbrook. Picture: Supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/88uitQDCBZnXA8enwGJ5Zd/41ae0f05-5b7e-446a-87c0-99daccef1062.jpg/r168_7_1024_562_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Seven Queensland airstrips at locations including Einasleigh and Mt Surprise are set to receive funding under round 10 of the Remote Airstrip Upgrade Program.
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Assistant Minister for Regional Development Anthony Chisholm visited the Woorabinda airstrip in central Queensland on Tuesday to highlight what the funding will mean for communities, in addition to the measures in the 2024 Budget that will make other funding available for regional and remote aviation.
The seven Queensland projects - Aurukun, Lockhart River, Kowanyama, and Injune and St George strips are the others - are among those sharing in $13.4 million in new grants to improve the safety and accessibility of their strips.
The Lockhart River and Injune airstrips have secured funding for critical lighting upgrades, while Kowanyama airport will receive support for essential runway works.
The Aurukun aerodrome will receive funding for a new weather information service system to support planes to more safely leave and land during hazardous weather events, while the Woorabinda airstrip will install an upgraded runway surface, along with new line markings and lighting.
At St George, $200,000 will go into a lighting upgrade and to replace part of the fencing, while Etheridge Shire strips at Einasleigh and Mt Surprise will be using their allocation to replace current fences with animal exclusion fencing around their airstrips.
![Assistant Minister for Regional Development Anthony Chisholm, second right, with members of the Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council at the funding announcement on Tuesday morning. Picture: Supplied Assistant Minister for Regional Development Anthony Chisholm, second right, with members of the Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council at the funding announcement on Tuesday morning. Picture: Supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/88uitQDCBZnXA8enwGJ5Zd/264fc7fc-a4cd-46b2-a2ff-0d1941946611.jpg/r64_55_988_585_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Mr Chisholm said the 2024-25 budget extended the highly successful program with an additional $50 million set aside to improve the safety of even more aerodromes, and include upgrades that will bolster accessibility for people with a disability.
Regional airports also secured much-needed funding in last week's Budget, with the Regional Airports Program receiving an additional $40 million to invest in more critical safety and accessibility upgrades.
The program has been expanded to fund infrastructure required for the net zero transition, such as electric chargers or hydrogen storage facilities.
Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Education, Senator Anthony Chisholm said the federal government was acting to support the important role aviation plays in connecting remote communities and supporting their economic viability.
"Queenslanders living in remote areas are set to benefit significantly from the recent round of the Remote Airstrip Upgrade Program," he said.
"With $50 million set aside in last week's budget, I'm looking forward to seeing even more vital upgrades being rolled out in future rounds of this incredibly successful and much-needed program.
"Once completed, these will leave a lasting legacy on the state's remote aviation sector and the communities and businesses that rely on it, while supporting jobs and the economy during construction."