Regional Economic Development (RED) Grants – Can RCCIWA Assist?

You will have noticed that we have highlighted the fact that the RED Grants are now open. We think that this grant program represents an excellent opportunity for many of our members – particularly with a focus on developing skills and capabilities. We are currently working with a few of our members in regard to what types of programs they could deliver and how they would go about making a submission. Please get in touch with me at ceo@regionalchamberswa.com.au if we can help your Chamber with this. The RED Grants program is a State Government initiative that invests in community driven projects to create jobs and boost economic growth across regional Western Australia. The State Government's Royalties for Regions program will invest $28.8 million towards the RED Grants program over five years for projects that will directly benefit regional communities. 

Each of the Regional Development Commissions (RDC) manage the grant round process for their region, and will provide advice to applicants during the application process. Eligible applicants can apply for RED Grant funding of up to $250,000 for individual projects that promote sustainable jobs, partnerships, productivity, skills and capability, as well as stimulate new investment in industry diversification.

Round one investment totalled $6.38 million in 70 projects for initiatives across the nine regions.

The objectives of the RED Grants Program include:

• Sustainable jobs growth;
• Increasing productivity;
• Expanding or diversifying industry;
• Developing skills or capabilities; and
• Attracting new investment in the region;

To find out more about the Grants read here. 

 

WA AusIndustry Networking Event

The WA AusIndustry Office is sponsoring CORE Innovation Hub’s upcoming Industry Networking Event which will highlight Government grants and assistance for business. The networking event is a great way to meet members of the innovation, resources, and start up communities to come together and discuss the latest happening in Industry. I realise this is being held in Perth – however I am aware of a few of our members who would be keen to attend. Please share as appropriate.

Event Details:

Friday 30 August 2019, 4.30pm - 6.30pm

CORE Innovation Hub

191 St Georges Terrace, Perth

If you would like to attend please register directly.

 

RCCIWA Members Forum – October 31^st and November 1^st 2019

Planning is underway for the second RCCIWA Members Forum for 2019 – which will be held on October 31^st and November 1^st in Perth. We encourage you to get in touch and let us know the speakers and topics you would like to see included, to ensure we continue to provide a relevant and valuable experience. Please email me at ceo@regionalcahmberswa.com.au with any suggestions you may have.

 

Town Teams WA Conference – September 13 and 14 2019

The Town Team Movement is an ‘under-arching’, non-profit organisation helping to create a network of town teams around Australia and New Zealand. They promote civic leadership, active citizenship and community empowerment. Town teams are positive and proactive organisations that include businesses, landowners and residents working collaboratively with their local government to improve a place or area, often a town centre or ‘main street’. We heard from Town Teams at our June Members Forum and many of our members expressed interested in attending their conference in September – the program sounds amazing. For more info go here.

 

APPLY FOR SME SURGE | FOOD VALUE ADD SERIES – Applications Close August 8^th – TODAY!!

SME Surge | Food Value Add is a tailored 8-week program to help SME owners and senior leadership team in the Food Value Add sector.

Whether a grower, processor, freight & logistics, wholesaler or retailer, domestically or export focused - this program will help transform your business to get scale, create and capture new value in your business and position it to be harvestable for returns, and is critical if you need development and/or growth capital.

Delivered by experienced practitioners in innovation, commercialisation and investment in creating and operating high growth businesses as well as specialists in the agri, food and investment sectors.

SME Surge will help identify new areas of opportunity, provide guidance on how to craft investable business structures to transform your business with access, as part of the program, to experienced mentors and networks. To find out more go to https://www.agilityshift.com.au/apply

 

Northern Australia Insurance Inquiry: second update report released

The ACCC released its northern Australia insurance inquiry second update report  Tuesday, 30 July 2019. The report and media release are published on their website at www.accc.gov.au/insurance.   

The second update report finalises their views on the 13 draft recommendations made in the first interim report and provides updates on the five Focus Areas for the inquiry in 2019. After considering stakeholder views, they have finalised all 13 draft recommendations (six without amendment, seven with minor amendments). Coupled with the first 15 recommendations, they have now made a total of 28 recommendations to governments and industry.

As part of Focus Area 1: Measures to further improve insurance affordability and availability, they are currently reviewing a broad range of options considered in Australia and internationally to improve insurance affordability and availability, and whether these could be applied in northern Australia. To inform the consideration, they are seeking submissions from stakeholders on what measure(s) you think has the greatest potential to improve insurance affordability in northern Australia. The process for making a submission and some questions to guide responses are outlined in the report.

Stakeholder views are requested by Friday 6 September 2019.