RDA Fund Projects in the Northern Inland Move to Next Stage of Assessment

Regional Development Australia Northern Inland (RDANI) has welcomed the announcement of the projects proceeding to full application stage for Rounds Three and Four of the Regional Development Australia Fund (RDAF).

Round Three is worth $50 million and will provide grants of between $50,000 and $500,000 for projects located in towns with a population of 30,000 or less.

Round Four will allocate $175 million through grants of between $500,000 and $15 million for priority regional infrastructure projects that also leverage funding from state and local governments and the private sector.

The projects selected to proceed to the final stage of the application process will deliver real benefits to local communities.  RDA Northern Inland had to make some hard decisions, and selected projects that meet clearly identified regional priorities.  RDA Northern Inland received over 30 high quality Expressions of Interest for important projects and congratulates all proponents involved.

“We received a number of high quality project proposals and it was a difficult process for our Committee to choose those that will proceed to the final stage of the application process,” RDANI Chair, Mal Peters said.

“The projects chosen took into the account the priorities of our Regional Plan and other identified community priorities, and address the needs of the region.

“The projects are backed by a strong level of community support and are ready to proceed. They will each have a positive long-term impact on our region and neighbouring regions,” Mr Peters said.

Projects selected to proceed to full application in the Northern Inland region are:

Round Three:

• Glen Innes Severn Council’s Aviation College;
• Moree Plains Shire Council’s Evergreen Precinct Spa Water Reuse Facility and Artesian Recreational Reserve;
• Gwydir Shire Council’s Centre for Regenerative Agriculture at the Living Classroom;
• Pathfinder’s Tilbuster Station Development; and
• Inverell Shire Council’s Varley Oval Sporting Complex Redevelopment

Round Four:

• Tenterfield Shire Council’s Northern Growth Corridor (Mt Lindesay Road Upgrade);
• Joblink Plus’ E-Waste Recycling Facility in Tamworth; and
• Walcha Shire Council Consortium - Thunderbolts Way upgrade

A list of projects selected to proceed to full application under both rounds is available at www.regional.gov.au.

The closing dates for full applications are Wednesday 27 March 2013 for Round Three and Thursday 11 April 2013 for Round Four. The Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport will assess all applications to ensure compliance with the Guidelines.

Eligible applications will then be assessed by an independent Advisory Panel and funded projects will be announced from June onwards.

The RDAF is worth almost $1 billion over five years and is designed to boost economic and community development. It is part of the Australian Government’s commitment to regional Australia.

For questions relating to the application and assessment process please contact RDA Northern Inland on 02 67712790.