Deadline: 28-Oct-22
The Queensland Government is seeking applications for the Building Resilient Tourism Infrastructure Fund to develop a more sustainable resilient tourism industry that is supported in regard to local disaster risks, which in turn will enable tourism businesses to implement measures and actions to lessen the impacts in the event of a natural disaster and support business continuity.
The BRTI Fund will provide grants for impacted tourism businesses to build resilience and aid their response to flooding and natural disasters through innovative solutions and bespoke engineering solutions.
Objectives
- The $5 million BRTI Fund will support the development of a more sustainable and resilient tourism industry in Queensland.
- The BRTI Fund will provide grants for impacted tourism businesses to build resilience and aid their response to flooding and natural disasters through innovative solutions and bespoke engineering solutions.
Funding Information
Total funding of $5 million is available with individual grants of a minimum of $20 000 up to a maximum of $150 000 (excluding GST) offered for eligible project costs. All projects must be completed by 30 June 2024.
Funding can be used for innovative solutions such as:
- Flood prevention infrastructure
- Appropriate training for staff
- Purchasing plant and equipment such as alternative power or other relevant resources, e.g. solar power with battery storage
- Small flooding mitigation levies.
- Applicants are encouraged to tailor bespoke solutions to address their specific circumstances.
Projects may be of a much greater value than the funding amount, however all costs above the approved grant allocation will need to be covered by the applicant.
Eligible Projects
The Fund will support eligible infrastructure projects that improve resilience and functionality of at-risk infrastructure and also support initiatives to improve organisational resilience:
- With regard to local disaster risk
- In accordance with current knowledge and practices for mitigating disaster impact
- In accordance with changing recovery needs.
- The types of projects that may be considered under the BRTI Fund include:
- Flood prevention measures or improvements to existing infrastructure that would mitigate or lessen the impact of future flood events, e.g. small flood mitigation levies
- Infrastructure or equipment that could prepare a business to quickly respond to an impending flood event, e.g. pump/water extraction system, hoist system to raise equipment above known flood levels
- Alternative power sources to provide opportunity to continue business in situations where mains power is cut
- Safety upgrades
- Community preparedness, education and training funds to ensure employee skills are effective to deal with a disaster situation and/or build resilience
- Capacity building funds for staff
- Modeling your business to respond to long-term climate change
- Development of business continuity plans, including early warning systems
- Recovery capability and/or resilience building funds.
Ineligible Projects
Applications will not be accepted for:
- Activities that have commenced before the grant has been approved
- Works that are considered as maintenance for existing infrastructure, e.g. repairing flood affected equipment or infrastructure
- Purchase of land or buildings
- Purchase of an asset or works to an asset that will not be owned and/or controlled by an eligible applicant
- Wages and salaries for an applicant’s employees or consultants
- Feasibility studies, business cases or similar activities
- Marketing activities such as websites, traditional and digital marketing, subscriptions, or contract fees to third party marketing distributors
- General business administration or operating costs
- Projects that do not align to the intent of the Fund
- Costs that are reimbursable under other funding sources (e.g. insurance, alternative DRFA relief measures, and costs recouped through sale of salvaged assets).
Eligibility Criteria
The Fund is designed to support increased resilience for established tourism businesses in Queensland that were affected by one or more of the following extraordinary disaster events occurring in 2021-22:
- Central, Southern and Western Queensland rainfall and flooding
- Ex-Tropical Cyclone Seth
- South-East Queensland rainfall and flooding events.
- To be eligible to apply for funding, an organisation must:
- Have an established operating base in Queensland with a primary tourism-related focus
- Have an Australian Business Number (ABN), an Australian Company Number (ACN) or exemption from these
- Be registered for GST.
- In addition, an organisation must be one of the following:
- A private sector business (e.g. a for-profit)
- A not-for-profit organisation (e.g. community organisation)
- The Fund will support eligible infrastructure projects that improve resilience and functionality of at-risk infrastructure and also support initiatives to improve organisational resilience:
- With regard to local disaster risk
- In accordance with current knowledge and practices for mitigating disaster impact
- In accordance with changing recovery needs.
For more information, visit https://www.dtis.qld.gov.au/tourism/funds/resilient-tourism-infrastructure#h2-6