19 May 2023
Improving the local environment and community health are among the outcomes of the latest round of Port Pirie Community Lead Abatement Grants announced today.
Six Port Pirie community groups will share in $56,000 funding for a range of local community projects.
The abatement grants, previously known as the Port Pirie ‘greening grants’, provide up to $10,000 to community groups in the Port Pirie region to help them reduce community exposure to dust and soils.
This year’s successful recipients are:
- South Port Cricket Club, $10,000 – covering surface dirt next to the playground
- Port Pirie & Districts Road Safety Group, $10,000 – clean the bitumen road structure and surrounding seating areas and clubroom facility
- Campervan & Motorhome Club of Australia, $9,245 – overflow camping and parking upgrade
- Port Pirie Harness Racing Club, $8,715 – rainwater systems for washdown and irrigation, and landscaping
- Port Pirie Junior Soccer Inc, $8,910 – clubhouse paving upgrade to suppress dust while children are playing sport
- Novita Services, $10,000 – landscaping of large outdoor space to reduce dust
The Port Pirie Community Lead Abatement Grants are offered as part of the South Australian Government’s lead abatement initiatives.
Organisations will use the funds for projects that would limit the community’s exposure to dust. In most cases, this involves greening around outdoor seating areas and playgrounds, covering exposed soil with soft fall, especially if the exposed soil is accessible to children and greening to reduce dust and enhance the amenity of the area.
The grants can also be used for improving education and awareness about the importance of greening and other dust management initiatives or implementing sustainable equipment or infrastructure to help with dust management.
These newly funded projects will complement work now underway through the Port Pirie Greening Program to significantly reduce dust movement in targeted areas.
Port Pirie Regional Council recently commenced a program including tree planting, installing water sensitive urban design (WSUD) infrastructure, and sealing footpaths in the Solomontown area.
More information
- Targeted Lead Abatement Program - developed to assess current and potential future community lead exposure reduction strategies, and to progress those likely to have the greatest impact on reducing children's blood lead levels
- Port Pirie transformation - more about the role of the South Australian government in the transformation of Port Pirie
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Energy and Mining
The South Australian government continues to play an active role in efforts to reduce lead levels in Port Pirie, and these grants will generate activity that will benefit both the local environment and local organisations.
This work will complement the $5.7 million we’re spending on projects to help Green Port Pirie, but these grants will empower community groups to propose their own innovative ways to address this longstanding problem, while improving local facilities and amenities.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Human Services
These Lead Abatement Grants are a great way for organisations to protect their communities from lead exposure and improve their facilities at the same time.
It’s encouraging to see that half of the organisations who applied for a grant were sporting clubs – places where children congregate and spend a lot of their time.
The ideas for the funded projects came directly from the Port Pirie community, but they are in lockstep with the Port Pirie Greening Program funded by the South Australian government and the Targeted Lead Abatement Program and delivered by Port Pirie Regional Council.
Quotes attributable to the Member for Stuart
I’m pleased to see our community groups have opportunities to work alongside local council and state government to deliver these vital projects.
The projects are an important part of improving our environment and community health in Port Pirie, which we will see the benefits of for years to come.
