Promised community development grants including $125,000 for lights at Hamilton’s Melville Oval were announced yesterday in a $342 million funding package for about 300 projects across Australia.

Other major grants including $10m for the Peter’s Project integrated cancer care centre in Warrnambool would be announced later, Wannon MP Dan Tehan told The Standard.

“Every election commitment we had will be honoured,” he declared.

“The Peter’s Project $10m will be funded through the Health Department.

“Funding for the Condah-Hotspur Road will be in the transport portfolio, CCTV expansion through the justice portfolio and there will be environmental announcements.”

Mr Tehan said the $4.39m commitment by the previous Labor government for a Corangamite training centre based at Cobden for secondary students in the region would also be honoured.

However, the schools are still awaiting the official green light from Canberra before contract tenders can be called. Cobden Technical School acting principal Michael Smart said schools involved in the proposed centre were awaiting federal departmental approval of documentation.

“We would like to think we could get the official green light early next year and hopefully construction could start by about September.”

Victorian Nationals Leader and Deputy Premier Peter Ryan welcomed yesterday’s announcement by Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss saying he had met his federal counterpart in Canberra recently to highlight projects hinging on funding. 

“Victoria’s money for these projects and others remains on the table through the Victorian Coalition government’s $1 billion Regional Growth Fund,” Mr Ryan said.