Rounds three and four of the Regional Development Australia Fund have been announced by the Minister for Regional Australia Simon Crean, with Round 3 targeting $50m to smaller communities and Round 4 targeting $175m to similar projects as funded in earlier rounds.
The announcement of the next rounds is part of the $1 Billion RDAF negotiated by the Independent Member for New England, Tony Windsor, and the Independent Member for Lyne, Rob Oakeshott, in their “Agreement to form Government”.
Mr Windsor is pleased to see that the agreement with the Government continues to be honoured in full.
“I am pleased that smaller communities will now have access to funds for their infrastructure projects.
“Communities with populations up to 30,000 people will be able to apply for funding of between $50,000 and $500,000 under Round 3 and all regional communities will be able to apply to Round 4 for grants of up to $15m.
“Smaller communities have raised concerns about the guidelines to access the programs and I understand that these concerns have been incorporated into the Round 3 guidelines,” Mr Windsor said.
The RDAF has come about from the Minerals Resource Rent Tax which Mr Windsor supported.
“I am happy to see the Minerals Resource Rent Tax being used to help regional Australia to develop its community infrastructure and, when added to the $200m financing of the Independent Scientific Committee work to oversight proposed coal mining and coal seam gas projects, I am doubly pleased,” Mr Windsor said.
The guidelines for the two rounds are available at:
www.regional.gov.au/regional/programs/rdaf.aspx
with Expressions of Interest closing on December 6.
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