In another major announcement for Lismore yesterday, Minister for Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty, revealed that Southern Cross University will receive $3,672,000 to build a world-standard regional athletics track on Maurie Ryan Oval that will benefit everyone in the Northern Rivers, not just Lismore.

Jack Williamson, the Vice-President of Strategy and Technology for Southern Cross University (SCU), said the regional athletics track was part of its Master Plan that was released in April 2024.

"It's been just over a year since we launched the master plan for the Lismore campus, and core to the vision of that master plan was a world-standard athletics facility, and we are so thrilled that the New South Wales government is supporting that initiative today.

"This facility will be transformative for the university, for our partner schools here on campus and schools across the region and the community more broadly. We have some of our incredible local athletes behind us who will benefit from this facility, and the timing is brilliant as we lead up to the Olympics in seven years.

(Minister Moriarty, Minister Saffin, Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg and SCU's Jack Williamson with some of our talented local athletes and coaches)

"Oddly enough, there used to be a grass running track around this field, many, many, many years ago. That was the kind of initial inspiration for this idea.

"It will be a world-standard synthetic running track, the 400-meter track, and all the fields as well, so long jump, high jump, and pole vault. And with the grass field continuing on the inside as well.

(An artist's impression of the SCU Master Plan, with the athletics track to the right)

Jack said that the athletics track will be Phase 1, and SCU is starting early work to investigate how they can upgrade the facilities overlooking the oval, including the potential for seating or a stand on the embankment as part of Phase 2.

As for when SCU will start the construction process, Jack said, "Now we have confirmation of funding, we'll go through and identify a vendor to help us with the construction of this. So over the next couple of months, we'll go through that process. Once they're on board, we'll work out timelines. As you can see, this field is very well utilised at the moment, so we'll have to work with all the stakeholders to find a window to do the construction.

Mayor Steve Krieg said the new athletics track ties in perfectly with Lismore City Council's plans for Lismore.

"We've got world-class hockey facilities, we've got Albert Park, which is world-class baseball, we've got Oakes and Crozier, which are now fully functional, and again, region-leading. And now to have an athletics track, as Jack said, we've got the Olympics only two hours drive north of us in seven years. This is an opportunity for Lismore to become a real focal point for those 280-odd Olympic teams that want to acclimatise. They want to get used to Australian conditions, they can set up right here in Lismore and participate in all of the sports that are significant to the Olympics right here in the regional heart of northern New South Wales. So to Tara. Thank you so much for setting up this fund, and Janelle for her constant advocacy."

Member for Lismore and Minister for Recovery, Janelle Saffin, thanked Minister Moriarty not only for the SCU regional athletics field, but also for another five projects in the Northern Rivers as part of an $11.5 million investment by the NSW Government from the Regional Development Trust Community Investment Program. This program focuses on providing funding for projects that demonstrate community benefits.

"On behalf of the community, I want to say thank you," Minister Saffin said, "These announcements are so welcome, and particularly the announcement where we are at Southern Cross University to develop a regional athletics facility, that's just wonderful. Over $3 million will go into this massive investment. And as Jack just said to me, the Vice President of Strategy and Technology at Southern Cross University, he said, This will bring a lot of people to Lismore. So how good is that? It's just what we need.

"This is really, really good news, and I couldn't be happier that it's going to be here at Southern Cross University, a much-loved University."

The six initial projects announced for funding include:

• $3,672,000 for Southern Cross University in Lismore to build the Southern Cross Regional Athletics Facility, which will benefit local schools, clubs, elite athletes and the broader community.
• $4,089,704 for McCaughey Investments Pty Ltd in Casino to establish a regional cold storage facility with over 1,000 pallet capacity with chill and blast freeze capabilities that will provide a nationwide distribution service for local businesses, better market access and increased food security.
• $1,500,000 for Tweed Shire Council to revitalise its city’s CBD. The project will transform the border town into a safer and attractive centre and will support the local economy by attracting and retaining visitors, residents and new businesses.
• $982,726 for the Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation to develop cultural land management practices and support Aboriginal economic development on Bundjalung Country. The project will strengthen economic partnerships between local businesses and Aboriginal-led enterprises creating better jobs within the Indigenous community.
• $831,024 for the Taree Universities Campus to build local workforce capacity, address workforce shortages and improve access to skills and training. The project will attract new workers to the region through relocation services, higher education advice, and cultural connection providing urgent short-term workforce shortage and knowledge relief.
• $467,274 for the Waarugirr Indigenous Corporation to establish and develop outdoor industry skills for Aboriginal communities in and around Bowraville. The project will help train local Indigenous workers for better and more highly paid jobs.

Further announcements regarding other successful projects from the Regional Development Trust will be made in the coming months.