The Inland Rail project has strengthened employment outcomes across a variety of regions close to Australia’s east coast, with newly released figures showing that, as at the end of October, spending with local companies on the alignment has surpassed $500 million.
Over $100 million has been spent with local companies over the past year alone, as construction surges ahead in the Beveridge to Albury (B2A) section and commences in Stockinbingal to Parkes in NSW.
“We are proud to have surpassed the $500 million milestone supporting local businesses as we deliver Inland Rail across Victoria and New South Wales,” Inland Rail Executive Director Program Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability Stephen Jones says.
“Construction is bringing benefits to regional communities, with local content key to the program’s success.”
Regional businesses are set to continue to benefit from the project moving into 2025, with Tranche 2 work starting in the B2A section, along with construction beginning in Albury to Illabo and Illabo to Stockinbingal.
As at the end of October, Inland Rail had also provided almost 6500 jobs, just over half of which have been filled by local residents.
Nearly 480 First Nations workers have also been employed, with $47 million spent with 37 First Nations businesses in regional Australia.
“Inland Rail has been working extremely hard to engage with local businesses and help to bring them on board as suppliers, and these latest figures demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach,” Jones continues.
“A major focus of Inland Rail has been to build skills in communities along the alignment, so local communities can participate and benefit from this one-in-a-generation project and others in the future.”
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