The Resources for Regions money would go towards an upgrade and remediation of the sewage treatment plant, and equipment at Boggabri Waste Water.

Barwon MP Kevin Hum- phries said the competition had been strong for the $32 million funding available in this round of the program, with 67 expressions of interest received from around the state.

“Barwon was among those assessed as having some of the strongest projects in a very competitive pool, with the potential to bring value to the community, including boosting jobs, supporting mining-impacted local infrastructure and the local economy.”

Last Thursday, The Leader reported regional communities were only seeing a fraction of the $1 billion they raised in mining revenue every year.

The Resources for Regions program has delivered $208 million back to regional mining communities over four years, while more than $5 billion in mining revenue has been raised over the same time period.

Gunnedah shire mayor Owen Hasler said mining communities had argued for a greater return for some time.

“The Namoi Joint Councils Organisation policy says 30 per cent of mining royalties should be spent back in the regions,” Cr Hasler said.

“Thirty per cent may seem too high for some, but we’re being optimistic. Even if we got 7 per cent of the royalties – 7 per cent of a billion dollars is a lot of money.”

Final funding will be determined after detailed applications have been reviewed by Infrastructure NSW’s Regional Independent Assessment Panel and recommendations made to government by Infrastructure NSW.