Anthony Albanese, Minister for Infrastructure and Local Government, and Bill Shorten, Parliamentary Secretary for Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction, have announced the Rudd Government will offer $5 million for the redevelopment of the Horsham Town Hall in Victoria.

Mr Shorten was in Horsham  to make the announcement with Deputy Mayor of the Horsham Rural City Council, Gary Bird.

The project will redevelop of the 1939 Art Deco Horsham Town Hall into a state-of-the-art regional performing arts and art gallery complex to serve the communities of the Wimmera region.

It will help encourage tourism investment in the Horsham economy by attracting regional and national events to Horsham, including stage productions and art exhibitions.

It will also provide a state-of-the-art complex for local community events and programs, similar to the quality of venues in other regional centres.

The Wimmera region was affected by the recent bushfires in Victoria, and houses were lost and properties severely damaged in Horsham. Federal funding will also help the Horsham community rebuild after the fires and put its economy back on track.

This funding is part of our $800 million Community Infrastructure Program - the largest one-off investment in local infrastructure in Australia's history.

Through the Rudd Government's economic stimulus package, we are investing in major projects like this to support local jobs and economies during the global recession.

The Town Hall redevelopment, which is being managed by the Horsham Rural City Council, will include:

•  A 500-plus seat auditorium;


•  Expansion of the art gallery exhibition space and collection storage;


•  A new foyer and stage house;


•  A rehearsal studio/function room; and


•  Small community meeting/seminar rooms.

The funding announced today builds on the $519,000 we have already delivered for 21 local infrastructure projects in the Horsham Rural City Council.

Nearly 70 per cent of the stimulus package is infrastructure with construction projects already underway. More than 3,000 projects are being funded through the Government's Community Infrastructure Program across Australia to support local jobs.