In This Issue:

• Welcome From The Chair
• Entries For The Northern Inland Innvoation Awards Close Soon!
• 50 Northern Inland Businesses Sign Up To Go Sustainable
• Regional Wellness Survey
• ABARES Tamworth Regional Outlook Conference
• What's On In The Northern Inland
• New Grants and Funding Opportunities

Welcome From The Chair

Dear Northern Inlanders,

Well spring is definitely in the air, and with that comes a sense of energy and new beginnings.
Within the Northern Inland region we are also experiencing this, particularly in terms of the excitement over the Come On Inland campaign.  I continue to urge you to remain supportive of this initiative because the more people and businesses that move to the region, the stronger our economic development and with that comes much abundance.

There are many local and regional events and funding opportunities during the coming months.  So get yourselves out and involved in the great outdoors and share with everyone you know what an amazing place to live – is the Northern Inland region.

All the best,
Mal Peters, Chair

Entries For The Northern Inland Innvoation Awards Close Soon!

Nominations for the 6th annual Regional Development Australia Northern Inland Innovation Awards will be closing on Friday the 27th September. Businesses and organisations throughout the Northern Inland are encouraged to enter themselves, and promote their innovations or innovative approaches, which have helped them achieve success.

The Northern Inland Innovation Award categories are: Agriculture / Horticulture and Associated Services; Tourism / Leisure and Services; Professional and Retail services; Manufacturing and Engineering; and Research and Education.

It is free to enter the Innovation Awards and entries may be made online through the website at: www.niia.com.au/nomination-form.php or through the printable form found on the same page.

The winners of each category and the 2013 Innovator of the Year award will be announced at a gala awards evening to be held in Tamworth on 8th November. Tickets for the event are available online through the awards website at www.niia.com.au/dinner-registration.php.

For further information, please call: 0427 008 572 or go to the Award’s website: www.niia.com.au

The Northern Inland Innovation Awards are generously sponsored by: Regional Development Australia Northern Inland; AgriFood Skills Australia; AusIndustry; Enterprise Connect; ShareMarket College; Telstra; and UNE Partnerships.

50 Northern Inland Businesses Sign Up To Go Sustainable

The Northern Inland Sustainable Business Network (NISBN) has recruited 50 new members who have signed up for an innovative new business sustainability program.

“We are very encouraged by the significant interest that has been shown,” said Tim Cotter, Chair of the NISBN Steering Committee. “Our focus now is to fine tune and finalise the design of a tailored and practical program which meets the sustainability needs and priorities of their businesses.”

The 50 businesses have been drawn from a range of industry groups including agriculture, food processing, grocery and retail, manufacturing, clubs, professional services, education and local government. Their operational bases are similarly broad and span Armidale, Barraba, Bingara, Glen Innes, Gunnedah, Guyra, Inverell, Moree, Narrabri, Nundle, Quirindi, Tamworth, Tenterfield, Uralla, Walcha and Warialda.

“NISBN has targeted a mix of medium-to-large businesses,” added Cotter. “We wanted to make sure we would be developing practical sustainability know-how which could be applied right across the Northern Inland's economy as well as its large geographic area.”

Starfish Enterprises have conducted research of the sustainability needs of the new members. The priorities identified were: energy efficiency, renewable energy options, fleet management and transportation; water quality and auditing; waste efficiency and reuse; carbon auditing and management; events management; human resources; paper management; environmental auditing, monitoring and performance management.

NISBN was formed in 2009 to provide a central resource of information for businesses and make it easier for them to access support, advice, training, grants and other assistance to enhance the sustainability of their business. More than 120 businesses have been involved to date.

Funding and resources for the Business Sustainability Forum and Program is largely being provided by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage.

To find out more about NISBN membership go to www.nisbn.org.au.

Regional Wellness Survey

The wellbeing of Australia’s rural and regional communities is of critical importance. The Regional Wellbeing survey by the University of Canberra is identifying:

• how to better support wellbeing in Australia’s rural and regional areas
• how changes to agriculture and the environment affect rural and regional wellbeing, and
• how to help communities adapt to change.

This Regional Wellness Survey  is different to others because the University of Canberra will make results publicly available to anyone who wants to use them. The study will also provide a resource that local communities and groups can draw on, as we will produce results for all communities and groups from whom we receive 100 or more survey responses.

See www.canberra.edu.au/murray-darling-crn/regional-wellbeing for more information about the survey, who is funding it, and how we ensure your survey responses are confidential and anonymous.

Do the survey online at www.regionalwellbeing.org.au. Call 1800 981 499 if you’d prefer a paper copy of the survey, or for help with the survey.All eligible survey participants can enter a draw to win one of nine prizes worth a total of $7,000.

ABARES Tamworth Regional Outlook Conference

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABRES) are holding seven one–day Regional Outlook conferences around Australia in 2013, with one in each state and the Northern Territory.

The ABRES Tamworth Regional Outlook conference will be held on the 4th of September and is an opportunity to hear from speakers across four sessions on the economic, agricultural, environmental and water issues relevant to our region.

Promoting discussion on industry productivity, community vitality and environmental sustainability, the Tamworth conference will balance national and regional perspectives; focus on the future and emphasise agricultural strategies that work in a context of economic volatility and climatic variability.

Hear from speakers including:

• Luke Mathews, Commonwealth Bank
• Keith Perrett, Grains Research and Development Corporation
• Richard Heath, Innovate Ag Research
• Tim Wright, ‘Lana’, Uralla
• Guy Hebblewhite, ‘Glenburnie’, Tamworth / Nuffield and
• Aaron Coutts-Smith, Bureau of Meteorology.

Further details including registration form is available on the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry website at www.daff.gov.au/abares/conferences-events/regional-outlook/tamworth

What’s On In The Northern Inland

Hadley Cycles Ride for Sick Kids
Monday 3rd to Saturday 7th of September
Glen Innes to Newcastle

The Tamworth & Newcastle Ronald McDonald Houses are having a 5 day fundaiser ride from Glen Innes to Newcastle starting 3rd September to 7th September. Funds go towards projects and programs for Central Coast, Newcastle and Northern NSW Region. For further information go to www.gleninnestourism.com/events_monthly.asp

North West Film Festival
Friday 13th of September
Bingara

The North West Film Festival is a festival for young people from rural communities interested and actively engaged in creative digital and analogue screen media. The Festival provides young people with the unique opportunity to showcase their work, assess the work of their peers, work with industry professionals and celebrate their achievements.

The North West Film Festival is a celebration of what can be achieved by people who believe in their rural community and its future.

Further details are available on the festival’s website, http://northwestfilmfestival.roxybingara.com.au

Quirindi Spring Show
Saturday 14th to Sun 15th of September
Quirindi

The first Quirindi Show was held over 100 years ago.  The Quirindi Spring Show is held at the Quirindi Show Grounds which is situated on the Wallabadah Road. For further information please visit www.quirindishowsociety.com

Porchetta Day
Saturday 21st of September
Gunnedah

Gunnedah will be once again turned into mini Italy this spring, when the region’s major food festival, Annual Porchetta Day, greets its legion of fans on September 21.

The festival, now in its fifth year, will combine the rustic delights of Italian cuisine with the excellent agricultural products of the Gunnedah district. Since its inception it has become known as ‘a festival for the people’ and a day which embraces all that is great about Italy and Australia.

The festival will once again feature succulent spit-roasted pork from local farms and other mouth watering dishes including pasta, breads and regional olive oils. The Annual Porchetta Day committee has worked hard to grow the festival from a small gathering first held in 2009, to a ‘must-visit’ event, which last year saw 5000 people flow through the gates.

For further information please visit www.porchetta.com.au

Taste New England
Sunday 29th of September
Glen Innes

Taste New England is a free community event to be held in “The Yard” Hereford Steakhouse Glen Inness. 

The day is designed to connect the growers, producers and speciality retailers of the New England region with a curious public.  It is intended to be a day of food, wine, children’s and musical entertainment. 

Throughout the day we’ll be sourcing from our fruit, vegetable and meat stallholders, then holding preparation and cooking demonstrations from a celebrity chef.

For further information please go to www.tastenewengland.com.au

New Grants and Funding Opportunities

Regional Visitor Economy Fund
Applications from 1 July 2013 onwards.

The Regional Visitor Economy Fund (RVEF) is managed and administered by Destination NSW and supports investment in the regional New South Wales visitor economy on a matched dollar-for-dollar basis.


Applications may be submitted for product development and marketing activities that will contribute to the NSW Government objective of doubling overnight visitor expenditure by 2020.

All applications must be supported by a completed Destination Management Plan which meets the information requirements outlined in the Destination NSW template.

The program commences on 1 July 2013, and no funds are available before this date.

For further information, contact:  Destination NSW RVEF Program
 on 02 9931 1593 or by email rvef.program@dnsw.com.au

Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal:  Small Grants for Small Communities
Applications Close 27th of September 2013

Offer up to $400,000 per round in grants up to $5000 for projects and activities that offer clear public benefit for communities, with populations of 10,000 or less, living in small rural and remote locations in Australia, contributing to their development in social and community welfare, economic, environmental, health, education or cultural areas.

Applications are invited from not-for-profit, incorporated community organisations. Organisations should have an ABN or Incorporation Certificate and projects must be for a charitable purpose (benefit the whole community).  Deductable Gift Recipient status (DGR) is not required for this grant program.
Further details are available on the Foundation's website at www.frrr.org.au/cb_pages/small_grants_for_small_communities.php

Royal Agricultural Society Rural Scholarships
Applications Close 30th of September

Rural Scholarships are available to support individuals in NSW who demonstrate a passion for rural and commitment for any career that will ensure the future success of rural and regional NSW.
Scholarships of $5,000 for full-time study or $2,500 for part-time study are available.

There is no limit on the types of courses that qualify or the age of the applicant. You could be studying anything from physiotherapy to engineering to teaching to agricultural science, horticulture and commerce – and almost everything in between.

You could be studying at University, TAFE or VET courses, on campus or by distance learning. However applicants all have one thing in common – a desire to play an active part in the future of rural NSW.
For more info go to www.rasnsw.com.au/829.htm

The Royal Agricultural Society is also offering the Sydney Royal Wine Scholarship  and Sydney Royal Dairy Produce Scholarship for tertiary study.

Further informaiton on grants and funding opportunities are available in the Grants and Funding Opportunities area of the RDA-NI website.