Programs and projects

Queensland Government

Blueprint for the Bush

The Blueprint for the Bush is a comprehensive set of programs and funding jointly developed and managed by the Queensland Government, AgForce Qld and the Local Government Association of Queensland. It was developed with extensive community engagement and the Queensland Government will commit $153.4 million in Blueprint for the Bush initiatives over the 3–4 years from 2006.

The Blueprint includes a wide range of initiatives such as:

• Investment in road infrastructure
• Additional skilling and career pathways for rural health workers
• Extended funding for capping and piping artesian bores under the Great Artesian Basin Sustainability Initiative
• Assisting with the implementation of the Size, Shape and Sustainability program for local government
• A new ‘homestay' pilot program for rural students

Ten Year Partnerships

The Ten Year Partnership is a Queensland Government proposal to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to improve standards of living over the next 10 years. The approach will see the Queensland Government coordinate its activities more effectively and put in place ways of measuring progress. The Cape York Partnership is an example of a ten year partnership in action.

Regional Collaboration and Capacity Building Program (RCCBP)

This program provides funding of $25 million over five years to assist neighbouring councils to work together to explore the feasibility of providing joint facilities or services.

Cross Government Project to Reduce Social Isolation of Older People

This cross government project managed by the Office for Seniors within the Department of Communities aims to identify leading practice models in the reduction of social isolation of older people in Queensland.

Community Renewal

Community Renewal is a whole-of-government program coordinated by the Department of Housing. It aims to develop sustainable solutions to local issues and build community capacity by creating partnerships between residents, government, businesses and the community. The program works in targeted communities throughout the state, identified as ‘renewal zones’.

Commonwealth Government

Stronger Families and Communities Strategy (2004-2009)

The Stronger Families and Communities Strategy is an Australian Government initiative giving families, their children and communities the opportunity to build a better future. Funding of $490 million has been committed for 2004-2009.

There are four streams to the new Strategy:

• Communities for Children
• Early Childhood — Invest to Grow
• Local Answers
• Choice and Flexibility in Child Care

Regional Partnerships

The Regional Partnerships program is an Australian Government initiative supporting the development of self-reliant communities. It funds projects that help communities:

• provide opportunities for economic and social participation
• improve access to services
• plan their futures
• make structural adjustments.

There are 56 Area Consultative Committees (ACCs) around Australia to help applicants develop and submit applications.

The programme also provides a framework for delivering Australian Government assistance under the:

• Rural Medical Infrastructure Fund
• Community Adjustment Assistance element of the Textiles, Clothing and Footwear Structural Adjustment Programme.

Rural Transaction Centres

Up to June 2005, this programme provided funds to help small communities establish their own Rural Transaction Centre to provide access to services. It has now been absorbed into the Regional Partnerships Program.

CSIRO: Sustainable Communities Initiative

The Sustainable Communities Initiative (SCI) is a program that brings together people from across the public, private and civil society sectors, to work in partnership with communities to develop and deliver innovative solutions to community-specific sustainability challenges and opportunities.

The SCI is an ‘action learning’ program that will operate for a three year period (2006–2009). During this period the SCI will partner with local governance institutions to undertake projects in communities across a range of diverse geographical and socio-economic landscapes.

Australian Tourism Development Program

The Australian Tourism Development Program is a Commonwealth grants program that assists in the promotion of tourism development in regional and rural Australia.

Research and development corporations

Cooperative Venture for Capacity Building in Rural Australia

The Cooperative Venture was established in 2001 by R&D corporations to enhance capacity building in rural industries in Australia. Its goal is to instigate and support learning by farmer and rural communities and place rural communities in a position to prosper and grow as Australian rural industry adapts successfully to global change.

The members of the cooperative venture invest in R&D that focuses on enhancing the understanding of learning, improving organisational arrangements to support rural human capacity building, and inspiring innovative farming practices.

There are four priority areas for the venture:

• To identify current ‘best practices’ in rural extension/education and training to assist in the design and delivery of learning
• To improve understanding of non-participation in learning activities and what is needed to involve current non-participants to increase accessibility of learning activities and involvement of the farming community
• To promote and rethink rural extension/education through government, industry, and community groups so they respond to new and changing environments and enhance rural learning and practice
• To enhance the capacity of rural service providers to deliver and enable effective learning activities.

More information is available at the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.

AgForce Queensland: Agforward

The $8 million AgForward program is being delivered by AgForce Queensland and will run until 2009. The program helps landholders to use information and tools which will assist in improving land management practices. AgForward has specialist training teams to conduct up to 80 public workshops throughout Queensland a year. Topics include:

• the preparation of Property Maps of Assessable Vegetation (PMAVs)
• property planning
• GPS technology
• linkages to grazing land management.

More information is available at AgForce Queensland.