Election called
By now readers will likely be aware that Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced a Federal Election will be held on 18 May 2019. By convention, the Government has now assumed a caretaker role prior to the election, which will continue until the election result is known.
The campaign period will see me spending time in communities right around the electorate, as I’ve done for the past 11 years. I am looking forward to catching up with you all.
Grants for regional publishers
Regional publishers in the Parkes electorate can apply now for grants to help adapt to the challenges facing today’s media environment.
Grants of up to $400,000 are available to print and online news publishers based outside major cities, as part of the Regional and Small Publishers Jobs and Innovation Package. Funding is on offer for a wide range of activities, including acquiring new technology to assist with distributing content, helping journalists with content production, and training and upskilling of staff.
Many regional publishers in my electorate do not have the size and scale to adapt to the challenges facing the media industry, yet they play a critical role in their communities. These grants will provide a much-needed boost for those publishers.
Funds will be administered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), with applications closing 14 June 2019. More information can be found at www.acma.gov.au/innovationfund
Sustainable agriculture
Grants of between $250,000 and $4 million are now available under round two of Smart Farming Partnerships. This funding encourages the development and roll-out of sustainable agriculture tools and practices in areas like soil health, pest control and farm input use projects.
The grants are available to farmers, Landcare groups, universities and others for substantial projects that improve the sustainability of Australian agriculture. Applications are welcome from all ag industries including cropping, livestock and mixed farming, amongst others – applications are open until 14 May 2019.
For further details visit agriculture.gov.au/ag-farm-food/natural-resources/landcare/national-landcare-program/australian-government-investment-in-landcare