Overview

The National Workforce Development Fund allows eligible organisations to apply for funding to support the training of existing workers and new workers in areas of identified business and workforce development need.  The National Workforce Development Fund is part of the Australian Government’s Building Australia’s Future Workforce package.

What is the National Workforce Development Fund?

Through the National Workforce Development Fund  the Australian Government will provide $558 million over four years to support training and workforce development in areas of current and future skills need.

Australian Government funding will be supplemented by a co-contribution from industry with government contributing at higher levels for small businesses. Under the National Workforce Development Fund, enterprises will identify their current and future business and workforce development needs. The enterprise would then apply for funding to support the training of existing workers and new workers in the area of need.

What kind of training and services will be funded?

Enterprises will be able to purchase the training they need in the format that suits their business to deliver valuable nationally recognised qualifications to their workers.

Training undertaken through the National Workforce Development Fund must be for an Eligible Qualification (a nationally endorsed qualification or a Training Package Skills Set recognised under the Australian Qualifications Framework). For new workers these qualifications include Certificate II, III, IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Vocational Graduate Certificate and Vocational Graduate Diploma for new workers. For existing workers these qualifications include Certificate III, IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Vocational Graduate Certificate and Vocational Graduate Diploma.

Want to apply for funding?

National Workforce Development Fund is available to support training and workforce development in all sectors of the economy where there are occupations in demand.  The first funding round, which closed on 30 September 2011, made available $73 million in funding for all sectors of the economy with a focus on construction ($25 million) and aged care ($25 million).

A further $50 million in National Workforce Development Fund is now available for the following three priority areas:

• Priority 1 – $15 million to support the resources sector, as well as those sectors where the effects of the resources boom are particularly acute.
• Priority 2 – $15 million to support organisations and regions that are facing structural adjustment and reform challenges, particularly in the manufacturing and tourism sectors.
• Priority 3 – $20 million to support up-skilling and skills deepening across all sectors of the economy.

What is the level of industry contribution?

Large enterprises will contribute 66 per cent of the cost of training, medium enterprises 50 per cent, and small enterprises 33 per cent.

Who Can Apply?

 Background

The Visiting Optometrists Scheme (VOS) was established in 1975.  It supports optometrists to deliver outreach optometric services to remote and very remote locations, and rural communities with an identified need for optometric services.

Policy Context

In communities that would not otherwise have ready access to primary eye care, the Visiting Optometrists Scheme has a significant role in detecting eye diseases and ensuring appropriate referral for treatment and ongoing management.  To achieve this, it increases visiting optometrist services by addressing some of the financial disincentives incurred by optometrists who provide outreach services.

The Visiting Optometrists Scheme has two elements:

• Core VOS;  and
• VOS Expansion for Indigenous Australians.

Funding under the Core VOS has been available since 1975. In recognition of the prevalence of eye disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, additional funding has been provided since 2009 to provide new and increased numbers of optometrist visits to Indigenous Australians in remote and very remote Indigenous communities. This is known as the VOS Expansion for Indigenous Australians.

Services for Indigenous Australians are not excluded from the Core VOS.

Funding Objectives

The objectives of the VOS are to:

• improve the eye health of Australians living and working in remote and very remote locations, and rural communities with an identified need for optometric services;
• increase visiting optometrist services in areas of identified need;
• support optometrists to provide outreach services; and
• encourage and facilitate integration and communication between visiting optometrists, local health providers and other visiting health professionals to improve the quality of ongoing patient care.

What Will Be Funded?

Funding may be provided for costs that include;

• travel, accommodation and meals;
• facility fees and administrative support at the outreach location;
• external locum support at the home practice;
• lease and transport of equipment; and
• an absence from practice allowance to compensate participating optometrists for the loss of business opportunity due to time spent travelling to and from an outreach location to deliver VOS supported services.

To maximise efficiency, applicants are encouraged to apply for the delivery of outreach services in circuits (i.e. where the optometrist travels away from his/her principal practice to a number of locations in the same geographical area, rather than making separate trips to individual locations).

Further information on VOS Funding is provided in the VOS guidelines, which are provided with this Invitation to Apply for Funding.

Who Can Apply for the Funding?

The applicant must be a Participating Optometrist for the purposes of the Medicare provisions (i.e. have signed a Common Form of Undertaking – Participating Optometrists) and must have an Australian Business Number (ABN) or an Australian Company Number (ACN).

How Much Funding is Available?

The Australian Government will provide around $5.5 million under the Core element of the VOS and around $2.4 million under the VOS Expansion for indigenous Australians from 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2014.  The Department anticipates that the first payment of funding to the successful Applicants will occur in July 2012.

Overview

The Digital Enterprise program will provide training and advice to small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) and not-for-profit organisations (NFPs)—including local cultural institutions—in communities that first benefit from the National Broadband Network (NBN). The program will help these organisations to better understand how they can maximise the opportunities from greater digital engagement, enabled by the NBN.

The program will provide group information and training sessions as well as deliver advice and assistance to individual organisations at their places of business on how to use high-speed broadband applications enabled by the NBN to diversify their operations. Such applications will help improve online presence, offer new products and services, expand markets, improve competitiveness, and increase the means for communicating with customers, suppliers and partners.

The program will also assist NFPs to engage online by using the NBN to extend their reach into the community, expand their donor pools to include, potentially, the entire world, and explore more innovative ways of creating awareness for their causes.

Local cultural institutions participating in the program will be assisted to use broadband services enabled by the NBN to engage online to enhance their standing as community-based centres and reach wider audiences, while helping foster an environment of shared knowledge and understanding.

What is the ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic Initiative?

Through this grant process, Sustainability Victoria (SV) will engage Education for Sustainability providers to deliver the
expansion element of the ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic Initiative (the Initiative). The Initiative will:

• ensure that Education for Sustainability1 (EfS) is available to students at all education levels
• assist schools to reduce their environmental impacts by reducing energy consumption, water consumption and/or waste production, and increasing biodiversity in school areas
• more effectively integrate school sustainability infrastructure and behaviour change programs.

SV is working in partnership with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) to deliver the
Initiative. The Initiative is open to all Victorian government schools, independent schools and Catholic schools.

Why is the Victorian Government funding this?

The Victorian Government has committed $8.305 million over 4 years to build on the existing ResourceSmart Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative Victoria framework (ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic).

This funding supports two components:

• To extend the current ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic program reach, embedding Education for Sustainability to an additional 400 schools and early childhood centres
• To provide Education Facility Energy Efficiency Grants –

Incentive grants of up to $10,000 for every new school and early childhood centre participating, to undertake energy audits and where able contribute to the purchase of energy efficient or sustainable infrastructure.

ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic brings together school culture, infrastructure, curriculum and school-community partnerships through the application of the established ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic framework.

The Victorian Government recognises the benefits of improving waste management, energy and water efficiency and biodiversity of schools, in reducing costs and providing a practical framework for schools to take sustainability action and engage with sustainability programs. Schools participating in ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic in 2008/9 and 2009/10 reduced their energy use by 22% and water consumption by 29%.

Initiative objectives

The long-term Initiative objectives include:

• demonstrated measurable improvements in energy, waste, water and biodiversity
• increased participation in, and progression through,
• increased capabilities of school staff and other stakeholders to progress sustainability education within schools (which includes operations, curriculum, culture and school‑community partnerships)
• enhanced capacity of local education networks to collaborate and achieve local environmental outcomes
• established proactive networks of support to progress the outcomes of the Initiative beyond 2015
• recognition and rewards for participating schools

More specifically, the Initiative will engage appropriate EfS service providers to support the implementation to:

• increase the number of metropolitan Melbourne ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic schools by 230 by June 2015 (new )
• continue to support the existing ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic schools (participating ) in metropolitan Melbourne.

Who can apply?

SV will consider Applications from organisations that meet the following Eligibility Criteria: Eligible Applicants must:

• be a not-for-profit incorporated entity (for example a company or incorporated association) or a Victorian Government  or Local Government Authority and
• have an ABN.

The Applicant may apply for funding in its own right or on behalf of a consortium.

Consortium applications

Consortium applications will be considered favorably.  A consortium must be led by the Applicant (Lead Organisation) who will be responsible for the Initiative delivery and will enter into a funding agreement with SV. Each consortium must also nominate a Deputy Lead Organisation.

Applicant and Deputy Lead Organisation

The Applicant (Lead Organisation) and Deputy Lead Organisation must meet the Eligibility Criteria.

Organisations that are primarily commercial or established for profit making purposes or a Victorian Government Departments will not be funded directly as a Lead Organisation (and cannot be the Deputy Lead Organisation) but may be a consortium member.  In a consortium application, the Deputy Lead Organisation must be prepared to assume the responsibilities of the Lead Organisation and agree to enter into a funding agreement with SV in the event of a termination of the agreement with the Lead Organisation.

Other Consortium Members

SV encourages Applications from consortia representing a range of EfS service providers supporting schools in ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic in each region.

Other consortium members must:

• be an incorporated entity (such as a company or incorporated association) or a Victorian Government department, Victorian Government Agency or Local Government Authority
• have an ABN
• demonstrate their support for the consortium including the Lead Organisation and Deputy Lead Organisation by a letter of support
• demonstrate the capacity to support schools in ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic in any or all of the core, water, waste, energy or biodiversity modules.

Any consortium member (including Lead and Deputy Lead Organisations) may be included in multiple Applications submitted for more than one metropolitan region of Melbourne.

What will be funded?

Applicants can apply for one or more metropolitan regions.  Each region will be assessed independently according to the assessment criteria.

The successful Applicant for each region will receive the funding allocation shown in Table 2 below. Funding will be provided to undertake activities to:

• increase the number of schools actively participating in ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic, in line with the targets for each region and
• support existing schools through the modules and 5Star Sustainability Certification process. Participating schools are required to undertake additional modules and attain additional stars under the 5Star Sustainability Certification process.  A range of activities will be required to achieve the objectives of the ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic Initiative. The Initiative activities included in your Application must achieve the following:
• support for new and existing schools building place-based peer learning networks
• successful engagement of target numbers of new schools outlined for each region
• progression of existing schools through 5Star Sustainability Certification (i.e. schools increasing their rating within the 5Star Sustainability Certification.)
• support for all modules of ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic including coordinated access to accredited facilitators and assessors
• engagement of primary and secondary schools and provision of flexible program methodologies that cater for their different needs
• demonstrated links to curriculum, both VELS and National Curriculum Cross-Curricular perspective of sustainability
• coordinated training and professional development programs
• effective and efficient administration and governance arrangements
• demonstrated methodologies that provide face to face and online support for schools.

Specific activities could include, but are not limited to:

• seminars and forums covering the modules or other aspects of the Initiative
• teacher time release program for professional development
• on-line support (e.g. Community of Practice, advice) for schools
• school mentoring program to enable experienced schools and staff to assist new schools
• one-to-one or one-to-many facilitation (using accredited facilitators) for new schools to complete modules addressing:
• whole of school engagement to action planning and data collection
• energy
• waste
• water
• biodiversity
• assessment of progress through ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic modules and support for schools to progress to 5Star
• linking schools with local stakeholders and service providers
• peer learning programs for schools
• establishment of new Teacher Educator Networks.

What won’t be funded?

Funding will not be provided for activities that:

• are clearly within the responsibility of another government grants program such as DEECD’s Strategic Partnerships
• duplicate services already in operation or planned for in the relevant region
• are not located within the relevant region
• are not specifically related to ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic or
• are inconsistent with government policy objectives.

Downloads

• Regional Victoria Guidelines (556.66KB)
• Metropolitan Melbourne Guidelines (550.82KB)
• Regional Network Pilot 2010-11 (713.81KB)
• Capability statements for service providers (487.30KB)
• Capability statements for schools (545.99KB)
• Budget template (21.50KB)
• General funding agreement (230.17KB)

Rounds

This grant category has multiple rounds.

Round	Closing date	Decisions advised	Projects can start
Round 1	2 March 2012	May 2012	1 June 2012
Round 2	25 May 2012	August 2012	1 September 2012
Round 3	7 September 2012	November 2012	1 January 2013

About the grant

Contact

Potential applicants are encouraged to discuss their application with Community Partnerships staff. For further information, or to discuss your proposal, please contact:

       Community Partnerships
Phone 02 9215 9034, Email cp@australiacouncil.gov.au

• Fact Sheet (PDF File – 88.4 KB)
• Notes to Criteria (PDF File – 73.6 KB)
• Case Study (PDF File – 705.4 KB)
• Guiding Principles for Community Partnerships (PDF File – 77.0 KB)

About

The principal objective of Unlocking Australia’s Potential is to increase the engagement of Australians in science. The program targets people who may not have had interest in or access to science engagement activities.

The Unlocking Australia’s Potential grant round makes $5 million available across three categories for projects to be delivered between 2012 and 2014. It is intended to fund a collection of projects that provide a good mix of activities with a variety of approaches, audiences, locations and topics. The grant aims to provide a strengthened, cohesive and sustainable national program of activities.

Priorities

The Unlocking Australia’s Potential round supports all principles of the Inspiring Australia (IA) strategy. Priority will be given to areas not already funded by the Inspiring Australia initiative. This is in accordance with the Unlocking Australia’s Potential grant guidelines.

The Unlocking Australia’s Potential grant round will also encourage:

1. A strengthened, cohesive and sustainable national program of science engagement activities. These activities will take into account existing projects and projects funded or supported by other means.
2. A spread of activities across Australia.
3. A comprehensive mix of activities in relation to delivery approaches, target audiences, geographic locations, and the science topic focus
4. A focus on priorities such as (but not limited to) youth, Indigenous communities and regional Australia
5. Innovative approaches to engaging audiences in science.

Grant category

The Unlocking Australia’s Potential grant  is a competitive merit-based grants program. Funding is available under three categories of grants as follows:

•  Small Grants – up to $5 000 (GST exclusive) annually – typically to individuals or small organisations for delivering innovative science engagement activities.

• Medium Grants – up to $45 000 (GST exclusive) over three years – to organisations for delivering high impact science engagement projects at a regional or national level.

• Large Grants – up to $500 000 (GST exclusive) over three years – to organisations, in partnership with other organisations, for delivering high impact and nationally significant science engagement projects.

Relevance

Outline which identified Australian needs, priorities and trends are being addressed. Ensure your statement of relevance includes how the Project will address current needs and/or priorities according to current Inspiring Australia priorities.

Please note there are two aspects to this question:

1. The need, priority or trend for Australia
2. The priorities of the Inspiring Australia strategy.

For example, you may have research that identifies how general public engagement with the science of feral animals is a crucial need for Australia’s environment. You may also be aware of the Expert Working Group on the Desert Region of Australia and their recommendations about science literacy and local science issues. With these two things in mind you have developed a project to engage people living in the desert regions of Australia that will increase science literacy with a particular focus on the science of feral animals.

When you outline the relevance of your project, make it clear how the project addresses both aspects of relevance.

It is also important that you provide relevant information that explains how your particular topic, theme or idea is relevant to Australians. Include summaries of relevant research which supports this.

Toi link your project to a current Inspiring Australia priority or outcome, it helps to reference and/or explain from where your understanding of this priority or outcome comes. For example, an Expert Working Group report or the Inspiring Australia report.

Merit Criteria

Unlocking Australia’s Potential  pplications received from eligible applicants for grant funding will be assessed on their merits in a competitive process.

Each Unlocking Australia’s Potential  applicant will be asked to address these criteria and equal weighting will be applied to consideration of these merit criteria during the assessment process. Small grants will provide a few sentences against criterion 1-6 while medium and large grants will require more detail and will answer all 8 criterion.

1.       Strategy – Provide a clearly articulated strategy with the purpose, expected outcomes and key performance indicators of the Project. The strategy should include how this Project will increase the engagement of Australians in science, especially those who may not have had interest in or access to science engagement activities.

2.       Relevance – Outline which identified Australian needs, priorities and trends are being addressed. Please also include how the Project will address current needs and/or priorities according to Inspiring Australia priorities.

3.       Credibility – Outline how the Project will ensure credible, defensible and accurate science content.

4.       Target Audience – Describe your target audience and the rationale for this group.

5.       Evaluation – How will you evaluate the success of your Project? Provide a description of the methods you will employ to measure the impact.

6.       Design – Describe the rationale for the Project’s delivery mechanism. (NOTE: Small grants must be innovative in their approach to engagement).

7.       Collaboration – Outline the collaborations and partnerships involved in the design and delivery of the Project, including the amount, source and nature of funding and other contributions from partners.

8.       Promotion – Describe your promotional strategy for both the Project and its outcomes, including how the Project will be branded to promote the broader Inspiring Australia initiative.

About applying

You must read the Unlocking Australia’s Potential  Grant Guidelines and information provided carefully before applying.

The Unlocking Australia’s Potential  round is open from 16 January to 29 February (4pm AEDST) 2012.

Expert Assistance

Applicants seeking asssitance with large grants (up to $500 000) can call us on 03 9005 6789 to see how we can make your bid more competitive.

Stage 2 – Update

Stage 1 EIF EOI closed for submissions on 4 November 2011. It is anticipated that stage 2 will open for shortlisted applicants in middle January for a close on 7 March 2012.  We recommend not waiting until then as it takes more than 6 weeks to prepare a competitive application.

During EIF Stage 1 closing and Stage 2 opening applicants should consider completing:

• EFTSL forecast modelling
• Course demand
• Financial modelling
• Regional economic impact assessment ($ per EFTSL)
• Signed collaboration agreements (Signed MoU)
• Detailed budget
• Architectural drawings
• Building space allocation
• Quantity surveying
• Stage 2 application

The Education Investment Fund

The Education Investment Fund (EIF) is one of three Nation-building funds established by the Nation-building Funds Act 2008.

The role of the EIF is to build a modern, productive, internationally competitive Australian economy by supporting world leading, strategically focused infrastructure investments. The EIF Regional Priorities Round (in draft mode) is being conducted differently from the previous rounds of the EIF to reflect its particular focus and purpose.

The purposes of this round will be met by concentrating investment in the higher education and vocational education and training (VET) sectors. It is expected that future rounds of the EIF will return to the established process of inviting applications for funding for projects that create or develop higher education, VET and/or research infrastructure, including from research institutions beyond higher education institutions.

Use of Funding

EIF funding under the Regional Priorities Round is primarily available for projects that create or develop higher education teaching and learning infrastructure or VET infrastructure.

EIF funding under the Regional Priorities Round is also available for research-related capital costs that are integral to a proposed teaching and learning or VET infrastructure project. Funding for projects which support research-related activities is only available where such a connection is established.

The purposes for which EIF Regional Priorities Round funding can be used include but are not limited to:

• constructing a new building or purchasing, refurbishing or extending existing infrastructure. This might include; building activities required to design and construct new facilities or refurbish existing premises; direct building costs associated with the construction of new facilities and the upgrading of existing premises (for example building, plumbing and electrical costs); purchase of an existing property, and/or purchase of land.
• purchasing, refurbishing or installing equipment essential to a project and any subsequent commissioning of that equipment.
• purchasing or refurbishing equipment that supports and enables teaching and learning, for example, technical equipment or information and communications technologies.

Non-capital costs equivalent to not more than 5% of the EIF Regional Priorities Round funding sought may be considered for activities that are required to set up any structures needed to manage the infrastructure, for example professional fees, governance structures, and legal fees related to the establishment of a business. Reasonable contingency fees (equivalent to not more than 5% of the funding sought) for possible cost escalations may also be included in EIF Regional Priorities Round Applications.

EIF Regional Priorities Round funding is not available for operational costs or minor capital works, maintenance projects, recurrent funding, or any projects outside the tertiary education sector.

EIF Regional Priorities Round funding for staff or student accommodation will only be provided where it can be demonstrated that the accommodation is integral to achieving the outcomes of a broader higher education or VET project and it can be demonstrated that the accommodation cannot be funded from other sources (such as by partnering with private sector organisations or from the applicant‟s own funds).

Funding is to create or develop infrastructure. EIF Regional Priorities Round funding will not be provided for infrastructure that has already been purchased or completed, or for servicing debt associated with past infrastructure expenditure.

Funding for the EIF Regional Priorities Round is strictly limited to a five year period, from financial year 2011-12 to the end of financial year 2015-2016.

Closing Time

EIF Regional Priorities Round Stage 2 applications must be submitted:

• electronically, via TED Online, by 3.00 pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) on Wednesday 7 March 2012; and
• by posting or delivering ten (10) hard copies of the application (identical to that submitted electronically) which must be received by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations by 5.00 pm AEDT on Wednesday 14 March 2012 .

Further Assistance

We have raised over $50 M for clients  through the Education and Investment Fund (EIF). We have a 100% success rate. Call us on 03 9005 6789 to see how we can make your EIF Regional Priorities Round application more competitive.

About

Pyksis and the ANZATech are now issuing invitations for a half day Information Session to be held for the upcoming Global Acceleration Program to take place in Silicon Valley, USA in March 2012.

The GAP is an exciting innovation and commercialisation program supported by the Victorian Department of Business and Innovation (DBI) assists innovative companies enter exports market in both the USA and China.  The current recruitment if for the USA program.

Details

GAP is a 5-month program that assists participant companies enter exports markets by:

Providing 2 weeks in the US partnered with a US based industry expert and mentor to understand your industry sector

• Developing of a detailed Market Entry Strategy
• Developing pitching documentation and support materials
• Attending networking events with leading financiers, industry experts and technologists in the US
• Developing documentation including Product/Service Summaries, Executive Summaries and PPT presentations
• Providing 4 months of ongoing Australia based mentoring to assist in the executive of market entry activities

Read more here

About the Action on the Ground program

The Action on the Ground program  is an ongoing program that will invest $99 million during the first six years (2011-12 to 2016-17) to assist landholders trial and demonstrate ways to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and/or increase carbon stored in soil.

Round one will provide funding of up to $25 million. Projects will test the relationships between different management practices and emissions levels/carbon stores, which will enable knowledge transfer and promote broader uptake of land sector abatement activities.

Purpose of the Action on the Ground Program

Action on the Ground is designed to assist the on-farm trial and demonstration of practices and technologies to reduce agricultural sector greenhouse gas emissions and/or increase carbon stored in soil. This will be achieved by supporting landholders, research, industry, non-government, government and farmer ‘care’ ‘grower’ groups/organisations to trial and demonstrate management practices and technologies that can reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and/or increase carbon stored in soil.

Action on the Ground is seeking applications from groups of landholders, research, industry sectors, non-government, government and farmer ‘care’ ‘grower’ group/organisations to undertake on-farm projects to:

• demonstrate that research outcomes, including, but not limited to, outcomes of research undertaken through the Climate Change Research Program, can be practically applied on-farm to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and/or increase carbon stored in soil under a range of farming practices, geographic and climatic conditions
• trial and demonstrate innovative farming practices and/or abatement technologies that can be practically applied on-farm to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and/or increase carbon stored in soil.

Priorities for Action on the Ground are:

• Reduced methane emissions

Agriculture produces around 60 per cent of Australia’s methane emissions, the majority coming from livestock.

Through the Climate Change Research Program, researchers have been investigating a range of management practices and abatement technologies to reduce methane emissions from farmed animals.

Action on the Ground is seeking applications for on-farm projects to trial and demonstrate practices and/or abatement technologies that may be used to reduce methane emissions. Such practices may include, but are not limited to, biological controls, dietary supplements, improved feed management and use of alternative forage types and reduction of emissions from soils.

• Reduced nitrous oxide emissions

Nitrous oxide is a significant greenhouse gas as it is 310 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of its global warming effect.

Through the Nitrous Oxide Research program, which is part of the Climate Change Research Program, researchers have been investigating different management practices for reducing nitrous oxide emissions associated with the agricultural sector.

Action on the Ground is seeking applications for on-farm projects to trial and demonstrate practices and/or technologies that may be used to reduce nitrous oxide emissions. Such practices may include, but are not limited to, strategic irrigation management (timing and amount of water applied), using legume crops and pastures to build up soil nitrogen (rather than using nitrogenous fertiliser), better management of nitrogen fertiliser applications, including use of enhanced efficiency fertilisers, and/or using nitrification or urease inhibitors.

• Increasing carbon stored in soil

Through the Soil Carbon Research program (SCRP), which is part of the Climate Change Research program, researchers have examined various management practices and their impact on soil carbon levels. The SCRP has developed a national standard for measuring soil carbon and provided key data to improve the National Carbon Accounting System.

Action on the Ground is seeking applications for on-farm projects to trial and demonstrate practices that can be used to increase and maintain the amount of carbon stored in soil. Such practices may include, but are not limited to, crop rotation strategies to reduce or eliminate fallow periods, addition of pasture phase to crop practices and/or cropping pastures, soil amendments, offsite additions to soil (such as claying, addition of organic materials etc), increasing pasture cover and/or inclusion of perennial species, conversion from cropping to perennial pasture and restoration of degraded farm land.

Applications proposing to trial and demonstrate practices to increase the amount of carbon stored in soil must use sampling and analytical methods either developed by or consistent with those developed by the SCRP and take into account any associated nitrous oxide emissions where nitrogen is applied in any form. Information on the SCRP is available on CSIRO website.

• Reduce greenhouse gas emission and/or store carbon in soil through the application of innovative practices and/or abatement technologies

Action on the Ground is seeking applications for on-farm projects to trial and demonstrate innovative practices and/or abatement technologies that may lead to a reduction in agricultural greenhouse gas emission and/or store carbon in soil.

Such projects may include, but are not limited to, on-farm practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural wastes or other agricultural sources.

Funds Available

Action on the Ground Program funding of between $55 000 and up to $385 000 (inclusive of GST) may be allowed in the first two financial years of a project (2011-12 and 2012-13) with a maximum of up to $110 000 (GST inc.) in subsequent financial years (2013-14 and 2014-15).

The maximum amount of Action on the Ground funds that may be applied for in a single application is up to $605 000 (GST inc.) over the four financial years to 30 June 2015.

Action on the Ground applicants are required to provide cash/in-kind contributions. Contributions must be directly related to the eligible costs of delivering the activities of the project and can include salaries of staff for the time they are involved in the project. Contributions should be listed as part of the project budget in the application.

Successful Action on the Ground applicants will be required to enter into a Funding Deed with the Commonwealth of Australia through the department before they receive any Australian Government funding. All activities associated with the project must be completed by the date specified in the Funding Deed, including the preparation and submission of a final project report evaluating the outcomes of the project.

Key Dates – Round One

Table 1 below presents anticipated key dates for the first round of funding of the Action on the Ground program. Subsequent rounds will be announced in future years and information on these will be available on the department’s website.

Who Can Apply?

Action on the Ground applications are sought from landholders, research, industry sectors, non-government, government and farmer ‘care’ ‘grower’ group/organisations and/or consortiums to undertake on-farm projects.

Action on the Ground grants are targeted towards the Australian agricultural sector. To be eligible, the applicant must be an Australian legal entity at the time the application is lodged, for example:

• an incorporated association
• a body corporate
• a company
• a cooperative society
• an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander corporation, council or incorporated association
• a duly constituted partnership or trust
• a sole trader.

An Action on the Ground application being made by a legal entity on behalf of a consortium of organisations/group of landholders/farmers will be required to provide information identifying all member organisations/landholders/farmers that they will be representing during the project. The Funding Deed will be entered into with the applicant (single entity) – who will be wholly responsible for the performance of the Funding Deed.

What qualifies for funding?

Applications for funding through the Action on the Ground program must meet the following requirements:

• Applicants must seek to trial or demonstrate agricultural greenhouse gas emission reductions or carbon sequestration as a result of specific management practices and/or technologies under one or more of the Action on the Ground priority areas (Section 2 – Purpose of the Action on the Ground program).
• Applicants must address all requirements of these guidelines and be submitted using the Action on the Ground application form in accordance with Section 7 – How to apply.
• Proposed works must be undertaken on-farm in Australia.
• The application must address the assessment criteria (Section 11 – How are applications assessed?).
• Applicants/consortium/partnership leader must have the agreement of the other consortium/partner organisations to submit the proposal e.g. CEO of company, agricultural sector organisation, chief executive of a government department.
• Proposed project activities must not duplicate activities for which the applicant is already receiving Commonwealth funding.

Eligible Activities

Examples of some activities that would be eligible for funding include practises and/or technologies that seek to address Action on the Ground priorities (Section 2 – Purpose of the Action on the Ground program) through on-farm projects’ that trial and demonstrate:

• animal management and feed strategies that can reduce methane emissions
• management strategies to reduce soil nitrous oxide emissions including the use of chemical inhibitors
• planting, rotation, cropping or grazing practices to either reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions from soil and/or increase carbon stored in soil
• on-farm management practices and abatement technologies to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural wastes
• other practices and abatement technologies that can be demonstrated on-farm to have the potential to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and/or increase carbon stored in soil.

Ineligible Activities

Examples of project activities that would be ineligible to receive funding through Action on the Ground include activities that:

• do not address any of the identified Action on the Ground priorities (Section 2 – Purpose of the Action on the Ground program)
• are already being undertaken by the applicant and funded through other Commonwealth programs
• seek funding to undertake subsequent devolved funding of projects. All entities receiving funding to deliver on-farm activities as part of a project must be identified in the application.
• have costs associated with either the development of a Carbon Farming Initiative methodology or implementation of a project under a Carbon Farming Initiative methodology
• focus on reduction of greenhouse gas emission associated with on-farm fuel use and/or power consumption
• aim to develop on-farm greenhouse gas emissions abatement plans without significant farm based activities that implement practices to reduce agricultural greenhouse emission and/or store carbon in soil.

Funding will only be paid for work outlined in the Funding Deed and undertaken as part of Action on the Ground. No payments will be made for works/research undertaken prior to the signing of the Funding Deed.

The following costs would be ineligible for payment through Action on the Ground. It is envisaged that provision of these activities would be part of an applicant’s contribution to the project.

• Capital expenditure for the purchase of assets such as office furniture and equipment, motor vehicles, computers, printers, photocopiers, construction, renovations and utilities.
• Costs involved in the purchase/upgrade of software including licenses.
• Any cost incurred prior to signing the Funding Deed with the Commonwealth.
• Core business expenses such as:
  • staff relocation costs
  • administration/overhead and infrastructure costs
  • international travel
  • living expenses for project staff.
• Australian domestic travel and living allowance that is not directly related to the project.
• Hospitality/catering costs.
• Financial support for feasibility studies.
• Commercially based activities, such as costs associated with:
  • the protection or patenting of intellectual property
  • activities of a distinctly commercial or proprietary nature that are aimed at selling or attracting investment
  • product development and the building or production of commercial prototypes.

Expert Assistance

Contact us on 03 9005 6789 to see how we can make your bid competitive.