Assistance for Natural Disasters

Provides grants for community groups, councils, joint organisations, NGOs, and not-for-profits in the local government areas that were disaster-declared during the 2019-20 bushfires to fund social recovery and preparedness projects.

The objective of Phase Two Stream 2 of the BCRRF is to support social recovery from bushfires for affected local communities to:

• reduce the adverse impact of the bushfires and make a sustained recovery,and
• be more resilient to future disasters and improve general wellbeing.

Grants will be assessed with a regional focus to maximise the recovery support to communities across local government boundaries.

The following Northern Inland Local Government Areas are eligible:

• Armidale Regional
• Glen Innes Severn
• Gwydir
• Inverell
• Narrabri
• Tamworth
• Tenterfield
• Uralla
• Walcha

On the 24th of November it was announced that the closing date for applications for this program will be extended to the 28th of January 2021, and the final project completion date has also been extended by 12 months to the 30th of June 2023.

The Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund will provide $250 million of further funding to support the social and economic recovery of communities affected by bushfire in 47 regional NSW Local Government Areas.

It will support projects that retain and create new jobs in regional areas, build resilience and increase preparedness for future bushfire seasons. 

Funding is available in the following three categories:

• Infrastructure projects, such as roads to support increased industrial development.
• Environmental projects, such as regeneration activities.
• Programs including social, business and environmental education initiatives.

Funding is available for projects such as:

• Local community and cultural infrastructure
• Tourism campaigns (including digital product development) and regional events
• Workforce adaptation and work ready training programs
• Community wellbeing and mental health programs
• Tourism infrastructure including walking and mountain bike trails
• Neighbourhood safer places

The following Local Councils in the Northern Inland are eligible:

• Armidale Regional
• Glen Innes Severn
• Gwydir Shire
• Inverell Shire
• Narrabri Shire
• Tamworth Regional
• Tenterfield Shire
• Uralla Shire
• Walcha Shire

The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife invites applications to support revegetation activities for communities in the Local Government Areas (LGA) listed as impacted by the 2019-20 bushfires.

The grant program aims to provide funding for field projects that will have a direct restoration outcome for the 2019-2020 bushfire impacted LGAs:

• Enable communities to rebuild their local environments devastated by the 2019-2020 bushfires.
• Support the restoration of key habitats and ecosystems needed for healthy landscapes within the LGA’s impacted by the 2019-2020 bushfires.

It also aims to support the FNPW priorities of:

• Protecting our native flora and fauna: Ecosystem regeneration, threatened species protection, and wildlife corridors
• Emergency response: Bushfire Recovery nurseries, tree planting, and biodiversity restoration
• Educating and inspiring: Corporate days, volunteering programs, training

Priority will be given to projects and organisations that:

• are planting 1,000 or more trees sourced from an FNPW bushfire recovery nursery.
• show community or volunteer engagement within the project activities.
• undertake work over a 3ha minimum area, reinforcing areas of existing native vegetation in good condition, including areas adjacent to protected areas, within vegetation corridors and/or riparian zones, or which provide habitat stepping stones.
• support collaboration with Traditional Owners and Indigenous organisations and the engagement of Aboriginal contractors.

Grants are available to farmers and community groups in the Northern Tablelands region to control weeds and pests, and improve or rebuild facilities or equipment for safe handling and management of livestock.

The Northern Tablelands LLS region is defined as within the Tenterfeld, Glen Innes Severn, Guyra, Inverell, Armidale Regional, Uralla and Walcha local government areas.

Applications will be assessed based on eligibility, value for money and available funds.

This program provides trees from the FNPW Bushfire Recovery Nurseries for restoration activities in and around bushfire impacted areas

Trees provided as in-kind are to be sourced through one of the FNPW Bushfire Recovery Nurseries. A minimum of 1,000 trees (>3m) for all orders. Approximately 50,000 trees are available in nurseries as of March 31 for planting in 2021.

Decision and contact to all applicants will be made via email within 14 days of application.

This subsidy covers up to 50% of the total freight cost to a maximum of $20,000 per farm business and is available where:

• animals are at significant risk
• there is little or no feed and/or water available, including both pasture and stored fodder
• animals leave the farming enterprise permanently and
• the enterprise demonstrates a significant financial need

This subsidy is limited with only $500,000 available in each financial year.

The subsidy is available to help with the cost of transporting: fodder, water to a property for stock or domestic use, stock to and from agistment, stock to sale or slaughter. For applications received from 1 July 2019 the subsidy also includes transporting of farm chemicals, fertiliser and seed to farms.

This On-Farm Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate scheme is available to eligible primary producers who can claim a rebate of 25% of the cost for: new purchases, and installation of pipes, water storages and water pumps, de-silting dams, and associated power supplies such as generators.