MEMBER for Tamworth Kevin Anderson has called for a strong commitment to local jobs and local businesses as work progresses on the UNE Tamworth project.

Mr Anderson said the project is a game-changing investment in the region’s tertiary education options, but it should also deliver immediate benefits for the local workforce.

“Our community has campaigned for many years to bring a university campus in Tamworth,” Mr Anderson said.

“It’s a milestone project that invests in our kids’ future, giving them an opportunity to stay closer to home while getting all the benefits of a tertiary education.

“It’s also exactly the kind of project that should be putting locals to work. Our region is home to hard working, highly skilled tradespeople, contractors and suppliers who should be given the opportunity to be on site building the uni.

An artist’s impression of the UNE Tamworth project.

“The former NSW Coalition Government invested $26.6 million into bringing a university to Tamworth, and it’s only right that the government funding should stay local and support local jobs,” he said.

Mr Anderson said his priority was always to ensure local workers benefitted from major government projects, because using local labour not only supports families and apprentices, but it also circulates through the local economy.

“Every local job on this project keeps food on the table for a local family, provides an opportunity for an apprentice, and strengthens our region’s economy,” Mr Anderson said.

“I want to see a clear commitment from the contractors about how many local workers are being engaged and how local businesses are being included in the supply chain.”

Mr Anderson said the UNE Tamworth campus will play an important role in expanding education opportunities in the region and it should be built in a way that reflects that same commitment to the community.

“This campus is an opportunity for students and families across our region,” he said.

“That opportunity should start with local people on site building our university.”