Grants cover producers’ training course fees
Queensland producers undertaking courses on dealing with the
impacts of climate change can now apply for the reimbursement of
costs through the FarmReady Reimbursement Grant Program.
The Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries (QPIF) courses
eligible for reimbursement are Better Decisions in the Business of
Beef (contact is Bill Holmes, Townsville); and Stocktake (contact
is Jane Hamilton, Roma).
The program will provide assistance to primary producers in
developing skills and strategies to help them deal with the impacts
of climate change.
Through FarmReady, primary producers can receive up to $1,500
each financial year for approved training activities and a further
$500 assistance toward travel and accommodation.
Training providers must apply to register their course with
FarmReady. Applications will then be assessed to ensure they meet
the required criteria. Supported training must focus on at least
one of the following key learning areas:
- understanding the implications of climate variability and
climate change;
- integration of new techniques, including high-level technical
skills, for sustainable production as a result of climate
change;
- natural resource planning and adaptive management like planning
for sustainable use, integrated catchment management, drought
management, fire management, and flood management as a result of
climate change;
- farm business management, risk assessment and identification of
management options;
- development of research and analytical skills to be applied in
primary production enterprise;
- strategic planning and thinking, scenario planning, decision
making holistic "whole farm" planning;
- financial management, such as budget preparation, monitoring
and reporting, and ability to understand financial statements;
and
- human resource management/management of people.
As there are many training providers submitting courses for
approval, trainers should apply for course registration at least
four weeks prior to scheduling training.
Participants need to seek pre-course approval, at least five
days prior to the course date, to be eligible to receive
reimbursement.
Senior project officer Karen Fox is coordinating the FarmReady
registration process for all Queensland Primary Inudstries and
Fisheries training. If you are interested in registering training
activities with FarmReady please contact Karen.
For more information contact Karen Fox, Senior Project Officer,
Industry Services for Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
on (07) 4631 5379 or Mobile 0428 102 337. Visit www.farmready.gov.au and for the
Farmready Guidelines: http://www.farmready.gov.au/training_providers.html
Online survey
An online survey seeking feedback on the Caring for our Country
business plan, the targets and the application process is now
available online at http://www.nrm.gov.au/ccbpe/
Feedback and suggestions provided in the three questionnaires
will be used to inform the development of the 2010-2011 Caring for
our Country business plan. The three survey areas are:
- CFOC Investment proposal application form;
- CFOC Business Plan 2009 – 2010; and
- targets.
There is no information on the site about when the survey
closes, so if you would like to provide a response it is better to
do it sooner rather than later. Visit www.nrm.gov.au for more
information.
Public comment invited National Koala Conservation and
Management Strategy
People interested in the management of koalas or koala habitats
are invited to have their say on the draft National Koala
Conservation and Management Strategy 2009-2014.
The strategy will outline the actions required over the next
five years to conserve koalas and their habitat. Information
gathered through the public comment period will be used to make
further updates. The national strategy is being developed jointly
by the Commonwealth, states and territories through the Natural
Resource Management Ministerial Council.
More information and a copy of the draft strategy can be found
at
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/publications/koala-strategy
Submissions close COB Wednesday August 5, 2009.
Tell Landcare Australia What you Think
The 2009
Landcare and Coastcare groups survey is now open. This annual
survey gives landcare and Coastcare groups the opportunity to share
their experiences and opinions with Landcare Australia.
The results are kept in mind when shaping new initiatives,
funding opportunities and campaigns over the next 12 months. This
is a great opportunity for groups to let Landcare Australia know
about challenges they're facing, what they're most in need of and
what they've been up to recently.
The survey takes around
10 minutes and only needs to be done by one member of each
group.
Everyone who completes the survey will go in the draw to win a
SONY data projector (VPLEX5). There are also 20 Landcare and 20
Coastcare wide-brim hats available for interested survey
participants.
If you're part of a landcare or Coastcare group, click here to take the
survey.
Introduction to Evaluation and Program Logic workshop
The Australian Evaulation Society (AES) is running a workshop on
Introduction to Evaluating and Planning in Brisbane on Monday 3 and
Tuesday 4 August at the Park Regis. This two-day workshop, lead by
Dr Delwyn Goodrick, will define the core features of and approaches
to program evaluation and in particular, the use of program logic
and program theory, in shaping evaluation design and methods of
data collection and retrieval.
The workshop will benefit anyone who is or expects to be
involved in planning, conducting, managing or purchasing
evaluations of policies, programs or projects – including
graduate students.
Participants will learn about:
- the major types of and approaches to program evaluation;
- the role evaluation can play in effective public policy
implementation;
- program logic and program theory, and how they can be used to
design and conduct effective evaluations; and
- planning evaluations to address key evaluation questions.
Workshop fees are: $600 AES members & those from
non-government not-for-profit organisations, $886 non-members
(incl. GST) and there is a 50 per cent discount for full-time
students. Lunch, morning and afternoon teas will be provided. A
certificate of attendance will be issued to delegates at the end of
the workshop.
Workshop places are limited. For enquiries contact the
Australian Evaluation Society on (02) 6262 9093, fax (02) 6262 9095
or email: aes@aes.asn.au
Queensland Regional Achievement Awards
The Queensland Regional Achievement Awards close 31 July, 2009.
There are categories for business and employment, events and
tourism, arts and culture, regional service, environment and
landcare, youth leadership and community of the year. Further
information is available at www.awardsaustralia.com or by
calling 1300 735 445.
Queensland Landcare Awards closed 10 July, 2009. Further
information is available at www.qwalc.org.au.
Cane Farm and Reef Set to Benefit
 |
|
Vince Papale and workshop participants inspect
proposed wetland site
|
The first artificial wetland of its type in the region is set to
be developed on a Burdekin cane farm.
The concept was discussed at a recent workshop aimed to bring
cane farmers and wetland construction experts together.
NQ Dry Tropics and WetlandCare Australia ran the workshop, which
was funded under the Australian Government’s Caring for Our
Country Reef Rescue initiative.
Nic Cobcroft, a WetlandCare Australia Team Leader, said cane
growers Vince and Rita Papale seized the opportunity of funding
support to rehabilitate a former wetland, which was a less
productive and seasonally wet area of the farm.
“The wetland will help to improve water quality leaving
the property and entering the Great Barrier Reef and spoil from the
site will be used to boost overall farm productivity,” Nic
said.
To read the rest of this article visit the media releases page
of NQ Dry Tropics website.
NQ Dry Tropics Welcomes Landcare
Announcement
NQ Dry Tropics welcomes a recent move by the Australian
Government to continue to fund the national network of local
landcare facilitators. This will include one position for the
Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM region.
Immediate funding will be provided to NQ Dry Tropics to allow
the organisation to once again employ and host a dedicated landcare
coordinator, initially until the end of the year.
Seen as critical for engagement of landholders and continued
land and water management improvements, the role of the landcare
facilitator will be to promote sustainable farming practices to
help secure the productivity of agriculture in the face of climate
change.
Bob Frazer, Chief Executive Officer of NQ Dry Tropics, said:
“we welcome the opportunity to formally recommence hosting
and supporting the landcare facilitator role. NQ Dry Tropics as an
organisation is well placed to do that as we have a whole of region
focus and the role of the landcare facilitator is closely aligned
with our core business.”
Click here
to read more.
Traditional Owners newsletter hits the stands
The first NQ Dry Tropics Traditional Owner newsletter is out,
summing up what the Traditional Owner Management Group and the NQ
Dry Tropics Community Engagement team has been up to over the past
12 to 18 months.
NQ Dry Tropics has helped a number of different Traditional
Owner Groups develop management plans, conduct workshops and
research.
Conservation Volunteers acts on Climate Change
 |
|
Stuart State School students get their hands
dirty planning trees along Stuart Creek
|
Conservation Volunteers Australia has established the Action for
Climate Change program to address the growing concern about climate
change and its potential impact on the environment.
The program will educate and empower the community about climate
change and idenitfy what individuals can do to reduce their impact
on the environment.
This year BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) will support
the Action for Climate Change program through their commitment to
voluntarily offset the emissions from housing in the township of
Dysart.
Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance’s Norwich Park and Saraji
mines will be the main sponsor for the program in central
Queensland and they are putting the call out for more community
groups and individuals to joint hem.
“BMA is showing leadership in the community and is
planting 135,000 native trees, shrubs and grasses in central and
northern Queensland and at Conservation Volunteers’ habitat
forest in Victoria known as ‘The Island’, said CVA
Partnership Manager Kate Dortmans.
The native plantings will deliver positive outcomes to the
natural environment and through this partnership we will help
educate students about climate change and help them to identify
behaviour that contribute to global warming.
In Townsville Conservation Volunteers Australia has been working
with Stuart State School planting trees along Stuart Creek,
enhancing the riparian zone close to the school. The children get
to plant trees and watch them grow as the plantings create habitat
and seed banks.
“Teachers are able to develop teaching opportunities
around the practical activities and talk about issues such as
reducing carbon footprint,” Carolyn Luder, Project officer
for Townsville explained.
“It is really exciting to do something positive and
practical with the young people so they are optimistic about their
future and the future of their immediate environment.”
Commonwealth Bank Staff Community Fund Opens 2009
Community Grants Program
Commonwealth Bank Staff Community Fund recently launched the
2009 Community Grants Program, which will provide over $500,000 in
individual grants of up to $10,000 for programs to improve the
health and wellbeing of Australian children.
The Community Grants Program is one of the largest grant
initiatives in Australia and has contributed over $1.5 million to
over 200 charities to fund local community initiatives since
2007.
The Commonwealth Bank Staff Community Fund is Australia’s
longest running employee contribution program with 4,000 current
and retired Bank staff making regular salary contributions to
support children’s charities in Australian communities.
Ms Barbara Chapman, Commonwealth Bank Group Executive and Staff
Community Fund Chair said the Community Grants Program is another
way that Commonwealth Bank makes a tangible positive impact to the
lives of Australians in their communities.
“The Commonwealth Bank is a part of every Australian
community. As well as supporting the needs and goals of our
customers, we as an organisation support community initiatives
ranging from financial literacy, Indigenous programs, sport,
welfare, the environment and the arts,” Ms Chapman said.
“The Community Grants Program is just one of three major
programs the Staff Community Fund supports, which also includes
Clown Doctors and Midnight Basketball.”
Ms Chapman said the Grants have benefited charities from a
national to a local level including charities like centr-es for
disadvantaged youths, sports clubs, education centres and groups
that provide equipment for sick and disabled children.
Applications open 15 June and close 31 July, 2009.
To apply, visit
commbank.com.au/communitygrants.
Website sorts native frogs from cane
toads
NQ Dry Tropics has developed a website to help residents
distinguish native frogs from the exotic cane toad.
NQ Dry Tropics Project Manager, Meredith Anderson said the
website, www.frogsnotcanetoads.com.au, was a great way for school
students and members of the community to become familiar with the
native frogs found in our backyards that look similar to the cane
toad.
“Australia has some wonderfully unique biodiversity and
frogs are no exception,” Meredith said.
“We have a wide range of native frogs many of which have
brown colourings and can at times be mistaken for cane toads.
“While we support the humane control of cane toads, an
introduced species to Australia, we urge the community to be
certain that they are not harming native frogs by mistake,”
she said.
Read the rest of this media release here.
This edition, can be found on our website:
http://www.nqdrytropics.com.au/resources/
Country to Coast News is produced by NQ Dry Tropics and
this edition was compiled and edited by Heidi Mangan. Your feedback
and contributions are welcome.
|