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Ideas Needed for Funding Bid
The Burnett Mary Regional Group is preparing a bid for more funds to help restore
the region’s environment.
In response to the Australian Government’s business plan for the “Caring for
our Country” initiative, the group will apply for funding to improve the condition
of the land, water and wildlife.
Chief Executive Officer of the Group, David Brown, said he wants to hear from
interested people and groups who want to join with BMRG in submitting a bid.
“The “Caring for our Country” Business Plan is new and quite different to previous
funding processes”, Mr Brown said. “Rather than allocate money to a region and have that distributed by the Regional
Body, the Australian Government is calling for project proposals that address
their specified targets and outcomes”
“The Australian Government expects projects to be collaborative, based on the
best
available science and giving the greatest public benefit,” he said. “In addition, only
applications that address the targets outlined in the Business Plan are likely
to be
considered.”
“This funding will be very important for the environment of our region, so we
need to make sure that everyone who is interested has their opportunity to contribute
ideas for a good quality application.”
Mr Brown acknowledged the role of farmers, graziers and other land managers in
managing natural resources.
“Farmers manage huge areas of land in our region, so they are the most significant
players in improving the quality of the environment.”
“Helping farms to become more sustainable and improve productive is one of the
Government’s key funding priorities.”
Mr Brown said discussions on the bid have already been held with landcare and
catchment groups, farming bodies, conservation groups and community volunteers.
Expressions of interest need to be lodged with BMRG as soon as possible in order
to meet the Australian Government’s application deadline of 6th March. An expression of interest form is available online at www.bmrg.org.au or by
phoning Mark Casswell on 4181 2999.
The six national priority areas under Caring for our Country include the National
Reserve System, biodiversity and natural icons, coastal environments and critical
aquatic habitats, sustainable farm practices, natural resource management in northern
and remote
Australia, and community skills, knowledge and engagement. The Business Plan can be found at www.nrm.gov.au.
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