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When regional town and village supplies are threatened by circumstances that could not be reasonably planned for, such as an extreme dry period or extreme water quality event, the NSW Government can help local water utilities to ensure critical human water needs are met. The Water Utilities branch within NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment can provide technical assistance and advice to local water utilities, and support when applying for financial assistance from the government.

The government can help local water utilities by providing technical and/or financial assistance to assist in managing depleted or at risk supplies, including help to implement emergency capital works or to cart water to towns, depending on the particular situation.

Where the source of supply is at very high or imminent risk of failure or has failed as the result of an extreme event, undertaking emergency capital works may be the recommended course of action. Works can include constructing emergency bore supplies, creating a temporary or permanent connection to another water source or water supply scheme, temporary emergency capital works or developing new emergency water sources.

Small businesses who have been directly affected by a declared natural disaster including floods, fires or storm damage, may be eligible for low interest loans of up to $130,000.

This low interest rate loan can help a small business:

• return to its normal level of trading or until the next major income is received within 12 months from the date of disaster
• replace and repair damage caused to your small business and associated improvements not covered by insurance.

A repayment term of up to ten years is available dependent upon the amount borrowed and the applicant’s ability to repay.

The repayment term is preceded by a two-year interest and repayment free period.

A list of declared disasters and the associated closing dates for applications is available on the Rural Assistance Authority website.

Small businesses who have been directly affected by a declared natural disaster including floods, fires or storm damage, may be eligible for low interest loans of up to $130,000.

This low interest rate loan can help a small business:

• return to its normal level of trading or until the next major income is received within 12 months from the date of disaster
• replace and repair damage caused to your small business and associated improvements not covered by insurance.

A repayment term of up to ten years is available dependent upon the amount borrowed and the applicant’s ability to repay.

The repayment term is preceded by a two-year interest and repayment free period.

A list of declared disasters and the relevant application close dates are available of the Rural Assistance Authority's website.

Natural disaster relief loans assist voluntary non-profit organisations directly affected by a declared natural disaster including flood, fire or storm damage.

Low interest rate loans are available:

• for the restoration of essential facilities that have been damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster
• and may also be directed towards temporary storage or leasing of alternate premises

A repayment term of up to five years is available dependent upon the amount borrowed and the applicant’s ability to repay.

A list of declared disasters and the associated closing dates for applications is available on the Rural Assistance Authority website.

The Workplace Legal Advice Program provides eligible employers and employees with free independent legal help to deal with workplace issues. 

The service is only for employment issues that involve:

• dismissal
• general protections
• bullying at work
• sexual harassment at work.

Law firms with specialist workplace experience provide the advice. It is free and confidential.

If you are a primary producer, you may be entitled to claim an immediate deduction for capital expenses incurred on fencing and fodder storage assets.

Your deduction is limited to the capital expenses you incur for:

• construction
• manufacture
• installation
• acquisition.

The expense must have been incurred primarily and principally for use in a primary production business conducted on land in Australia.

The Farm Management Deposit (FMD) Scheme assists primary producers to deal more effectively with fluctuations in cash flows. It is designed to increase the self-reliance of Australian primary producers by helping them manage their financial risk and meet their business costs in low-income years by building up cash reserves.

The scheme allows eligible primary producers to set aside pre-tax income which they can draw on in future years when they need it, such as for restocking or replanting when conditions start to improve.

Income deposited into an FMD account is tax deductible in the financial year the deposit is made. It becomes taxable income in the financial year in which it is withdrawn (repaid).

The WIP Doctor Stream makes direct payments to doctors who deliver eligible services in eligible locations.

The WIP Doctor Stream aims to encourage doctors to practise in regional rural and remote communities. It also promotes careers in rural medicine by providing financial incentives. For doctors to receive incentive payments, they must provide eligible services in eligible locations. We determine the locations using the Modified Monash Model (MM 2019) geographical classification system.

You can receive incentive payments of between $3,600 and $60,000 per year, depending on activity levels, location,  how long a doctor has been part of the program and, from 1 January 2024, a doctor’s vocational registration status.

It uses 2 systems to assess and pay these financial incentives:

• Central Payment System (CPS) – for doctors who bill the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) for eligible services.
• Flexible Payment System (FPS) – for doctors who provide eligible services and/or undertake training that is not reflected in the MBS.

Some doctors may provide services under both payment systems.

Payments are based on:

• activity levels within eligible locations
• how long a doctor has been part of the program and, from 1 January 2024
• a doctor’s vocational registration status (starting from 1 January 2024).

The WIP Doctor Stream replaced the General Practice Rural Incentives Program (GPRIP) in early 2020.

Agristarter Loans provide farmers with loans to either assist them in starting their own farming business or to plan for and implement succession arrangements.

There are 2 kinds of Agristarter loans:

• first farmer - loans for indivduals seeking to purchase, establish or develop a farm business in which they will hold the sole or controlling interest
• sucession - loans for farm businesses planning for, or undertaking succesion arrangements

Loans may be used to:

• buy an existing farm business
• establish a new farm business
• buy out relatives during farm business succession
• pay costs associated with the succession planning process
• pay for legal costs or stamp duty

The Harcourts Foundation is guided by core values of putting people first, doing the right thing, acting with courage, and embracing fun and laughter. These values define the Foundation’s commitment to enriching and supporting local communities.

Under the terms of the Trust Deed of The Harcourts Foundation and Australian taxation laws, The Harcourts Foundation can only make grants to organisations with BOTH Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) and Tax Concession Charity (TCC) status.

Four consecutive grant rounds are currently offered throughout the year. 

The NSW Government is offering a 10 per cent rebate for eligible digital games. Games must have a Qualifying NSW Expenditure of at least $500,000 to be eligible.

An eligible project must commit at the time of application to qualifying expenditure of at least AU$500,000 on the project in NSW. The spend may occur over several years. Multiple projects cannot be bundled to achieve the AU$500,000 threshold. A major update of an existing game is eligible if it meets the $500,000 threshold.

Qualifying NSW games expenditure must be on activities carried out in NSW related to production of the launch version of the game. The pre-development stage, being activities that are usually undertaken with the aim of determining whether a digital game is commercially feasible, is excluded.

Eligible games for the Rebate include:

• Games for entertainment and serious games
• Games for any platform including console, desktop, tablet, mobile, VR/AR
• Multi-player and single-player games.

Games must generally be intended for public release.

An applicant must submit an application with Screen NSW prior to the commencement of any eligible work for which the Rebate is sought. If production has already commenced on the project, only work carried out on or after the date of application will be eligible for the Rebate.

Apprenticeships are a proven pathway to well-paid jobs in a diverse range of careers. In NSW, apprenticeships are also fee free – meaning no more upfront training costs for students or employers.

There’s never been a better time to start an apprenticeship in NSW. The NSW Government is paying the course cost for 100,000 new apprenticeships – meaning apprentices undertaking a government funded apprenticeship no longer face a student fee of up to $2000.

Apprenticeships are a great career pathway. They combine on-the-job training with classroom study to give you the skills and experience employers are looking for. Apprenticeships generally take around 3-4 years to complete, and apprentices earn a salary while they learn.

There are more than 120 different apprenticeship courses available in NSW, in a range of industries including construction, cooking, aviation and automotive. Search all NSW apprenticeships funded under Smart and Skilled.

Traineeships are a proven pathway to well-paid jobs in a diverse range of careers. In NSW, traineeships are also fee free.

There are more than 390 traineeship courses funded in NSW, in a range of industries including early childhood, health and allied services, business, IT, hospitality and warehouse operations.

Fee free traineeships are available to NSW trainees – including school-based trainees whose training:

• is funded under the NSW Government’s Smart and Skilled Program
• commenced on or after 1 January 2020.

If you have previously commenced your Smart and Skilled traineeship training before 1 January 2020 and are returning to a traineeship after 1 January 2020, you will be eligible for fee free for the remainder of your training if your traineeship course or your employer has changed.

Each student is limited to a maximum of commencing three fee free traineeships under this initiative.

Low interest loans of up to $250,000 are available to primary producers in NSW to fund a broad range of products, activities and services aimed at improving drought preparedness and climate variability resilience.

The DRRF loan can be used to fund a broad range of purchases, activities and services as listed below:

Animal Welfare:

• purchasing and transporting fodder up to a maximum value of $100,000
• purchasing and transporting stock and domestic water
• purchasing livestock feed storage, mixing and feeding equipment
• transporting stock to sale or agistment
• veterinary/professional nutrition or animal welfare advice
• genetic banking where destocking of stock is demonstrated
• fencing for rotational grazing, exclusion and cluster fencing, construction of containment feeding pens, stock shade structures
• planting of trees.

Farm Preparedness:

• on-farm water infrastructure (tanks, stock water systems, pumps, new dam construction, drilling bores, irrigation efficiency upgrades, water conservation infrastructure)
• on-farm grain and fodder storage infrastructure (silos, grain bunkers, hay sheds, silage pits)
• livestock feeding equipment
• infrastructure repairs/maintenance (dams, channels, fencing)
• upgrades and additions to planting machinery (moisture seeking points and minimum til conversions).

Income diversification:

• income diversification funding to promote and finance diversified income streams within the farm gate
• funding to promote and finance alternative primary production income streams within the farm gate.

Environmental:

• pest and weed control
• on-farm solar power conversion to mitigate the impacts of drought
• soil conservation and earthworks (including erosion control, contour banks, overbanks (keyline), water ponding and the management of vegetation and maintaining groundcover)
• soil biology, or compost making equipment.

Training and Business Development:

• training and professional development activities that improve business resilience to drought
• professional consulting services directly related to drought preparedness, for example, animal nutrition consultation and planning.

The program supports innovative small and medium enterprises undertaking commercialisation and/or growth projects within the National Reconstruction Fund priority areas through advisory services and opportunities for matched grant funding. Minor changes or improvements to existing products or services are not considered innovative.

You will be connected to an Industry Growth Program Adviser who will provide tailored advice to support your commercialisation and/or growth project.

Once you have received this advice, you may also be able to apply for:

• grants of $50,000 to $250,000 to support early-stage commercialisation projects
• grants of $100,000 to $5 million for commercialisation and growth projects.

An innovative product, process or service:

• is new, unique or significantly different to any other previous product, process or service in the market or industry where the product is intended to be sold/traded; or
•  involves significant enhancements or developments of current products, processes or services that will enable the business to scale and transform.

Early-stage commercialisation projects are intended to include the journey from feasibility studies and the development of proof-of-concept through to the production and testing of early prototypes in a simulated or theoretical environment. Testing should validate the commercial viability of the innovative product, process or service. Various scales are typically referenced to demonstrate technology readiness or market readiness, with one example commonly referenced being Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). As a guide, early-stage commercialisation grant projects are intended to broadly include the journey through TRL3 to TRL6.

Commercialisation and growth projects are intended to include those that can already demonstrate completion of feasibility studies and proof-of-concept. Projects are intended to include the journey of product, process or service development from early prototyping through to actual application in its final form, and the capability to scale up to full rate production and grow into new markets. Various scales are typically referenced to demonstrate technology readiness or market readiness, with one example commonly referenced being Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). As a guide, commercialisation and growth grant projects are intended to broadly include the journey through TRL4 to TRL9.