Regional Development Australia Northern Inland seeking a slice of $200m

A further $200 million is now available to regional communities under the second round of the Regional Development Australia Fund (RDAF).

Regional Development Australia Northern Inland (RDANI) Chair, Mal Peters said the region needs projects that are truly regional and go across a number of Local Government Areas to be successful.

“This round is all about investment-ready projects that will have a strong regional impact. Projects should contribute to and sustain regional economic growth or provide wide community benefit,” Mr Peters said.

Key aspects of Round Two include a two-stage application process that will reduce costs for applicants, embed local decision making in the process, and provide early certainty for proponents about their application.

In selecting RDANI’s three priority projects, the Minister has asked RDA committees to take into account the priorities of our Regional Plan, the capacity of the project to address needs in the region, the level of community support for the project, impact of the project on the region and neighbouring regions and readiness to proceed.

Mr Peters is looking forward to seeing the expressions of interest that are put forward by eligible applicants in the Northern Inland. “We have a vibrant and diverse region and under round one of the RDAF our region proved that we have a number of significant and worth-while projects. Indeed we gained $8m, the largest allocation in NSW for the Freeman House Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre. I’m looking forward to our region having continued success in Round Two.”

Further information, including guidelines can be found at www.rdani.org.au.