Media Releases

A variety of Government grants to support sporting and recreation groups are currently available and Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, is encouraging eligible organisations to consider applying.
“Sporting and recreation groups are essential components of our regional and rural communities,” Mr Walsh said.
“Supporting these groups and the work they do in binding communities together is extremely important and the provision of a variety of grants to do this is high on the Government’s agenda.
“Currently, the Country Action Grant scheme is open for organisations to improve and enhance the skills of coaches, officials and administrators.
“Such training is very important in Club development and in encouraging others to become more involved,” he said.
Other grants available include the Victalent Grants which assist in travel expenses for officials, coaches and athletes.
The Sporting Uniform Grants Program helps clubs reinvigorate themselves by assisting in attracting new members and boosting morale of existing members through the purchase of new uniforms.
“More information about these Grants and many others is available from the website www.grants.dpcdvic.gov.au but I also encourage Clubs and organisations to register themselves with my office so they can be placed on our Grants Database and be informed when other grants become available,” Mr Walsh said.

 St Augustine’s Church, Inglewood has received an $8,000 grant towards the restoration of its Fincham Organ, Member for Swan Hill Peter Walsh announced today.
Mr Walsh said the grant would restore the pipe organ to full working condition.
He said the organ at present was only partially playable and required an extensive clean of various operating elements. The grant would facilitate repairs to wind leakage, non-functional keys and fine tuning and regulation of pipework and action.
“The pipe organ was built by leading Victorian organ builder, George Fincham in 1878 and installed in that year. It remains in a highly intact condition.
“However the restoration will enable greater use of the organ for recitals, which in turn will draw greater numbers of visitors to the town,” Mr Walsh said.
Planning Minister Matthew Guy said the grant was one of 13 community projects around Victoria being funded to preserve and protect significant heritage places and objects.
He said Victoria’s Heritage Grants supported local communities to care for and manage the state’s rich and diverse heritage, with this year’s program totalling $1.13 million.
Mr Guy said the grants recognised and supported the enthusiasm and commitment of many dedicated volunteer organisations which worked to preserve and safeguard our shared history.
Victoria’s heritage grants support the repair and restoration of publicly accessible and important heritage places and objects managed by local government and community not-for-profit organisations and are provided for places in the Victorian Heritage Register or included in a Heritage Overlay. Funding for heritage place grants totalling $500,000 was provided by the Victorian Property Fund.

Elite athletes are invited to apply for support through the Victorian Government’s Elite Athlete Travel Grants Program.
The program provides grants of up to $2,000 to assist Victorian athletes with travel to compete at national championships or international events.
“One of the biggest obstacles country athletes face is the cost of competing at national or international level,” Member for Swan Hill Peter Walsh said today.
“The Elite Athlete Travel grants provide important assistance to potential sporting stars from our community to compete at such events.”
Applications are open to individual athletes who are residents of Victoria, a member of a State sporting association and who are travelling to compete at a national or international championship or event.
Priority will be given to athletes who need to travel for the purposes of representing Victoria or Australia.
There are two closing dates in 2012: 1 February and 1 May.
For further information and application forms to go www.dpcd.vic.gov.au.

The Victorian Government is continuing to roll out funds to assist communities affected by the 2011 floods.
The $30 million Flood Recovery Community Infrastructure Fund has recently distributed a further round of funding with Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, announcing a $205,700 grant to the Yarriambiack Shire for works to repair the ANZAC Memorial Park tennis courts.
“This $205,700 grant will enable major repairs to be made to the tennis courts at Memorial Park after they were severely damaged by the floods early last year,” Mr Walsh said today while visiting the site.
“This is one of a number of projects throughout the Yarriambiack Shire benefitting from the Government’s flood recovery funding program which is aimed at restoring many of the community infrastructure sites damaged during the floods.
“Other projects to receive funding include Asquith Reserve on the Yarriambiack Creek, the Warracknabeal Swimming Pool and the Caravan Park. Lake Marma Reserve in Murtoa has also received $265,650 to reinstate four badly damaged tennis courts.
“A total of $700,151 has been received by the Yarriambiack Council from this latest round of flood recovery infrastructure funding.
“The Flood Recovery Community Infrastructure Fund is a $30 million program which aims to assist flood affected communities recover from the floods and allow affected infrastructure sites to be repaired,” Mr Walsh said.
“The Coalition Government is extremely pleased that it is able to continue to support our community organisations in this way,” he said.

Sea Lake residents have reason to smile this summer thanks to a $200,000 Victorian Coalition Government funding boost to rejuvenate the Sea Lake swimming pool.
Member for Swan Hill Peter Walsh today announced the $200,000 for the Sea Lake Pool Liner and Pipe Work Upgrade which would help revitalise the Sea Lake Swimming Pool through the Victorian Government’s latest funding round of the Community Facility Funding Program – Seasonal Pool Renewal component.
The Sea Lake Pool Liner and Pipe Work Upgrade project will reduce significant leakage currently taking place at the pool, with a new vinyl liner to be installed. The project also involves the replacement of all underground pipes on site and pool concourse.
“Local swimming pools provide great opportunities for regional communities to have fun and be active over the summer months,” Mr Walsh said.
“The project will provide a boost for the Sea Lake community and inject new life into the local swimming pool.
“Once complete the revitalised pool will provide the ideal place for club, regional and local school swimming carnivals, VICSWIM learn to swim programs, water aerobics, lap swimming, and water therapy.
“The upgraded pool will provide even more reasons for families in Sea Lake to join together and have a splash, swim laps, exercise, take up yoga or water therapy, meet up with friends and be more active more often for years to come,” Mr Walsh said.
Mr Walsh said the Victorian Government is committed to investing in improving the swimming facilities in regional Victoria, as well as providing children with the opportunity to learn to swim through the VICSWIM Summer Kids Program.
VICSWIM is available at the swimming pool in Sea Lake, as well as a number of other pools in the Swan Hill region. The program offers subsidised swimming lessons for many Victorian children, reducing the cost for families of learn to swim programs. For more information about the program, go to: http://www.vicswim.com.au/
“Through investing in regional facilities such as the swimming pool in Sea Lake and the VICSWIM learn to swim program, we can encourage more people to connect with local clubs and communities, and learn important water safety skills especially over the summer months,” Mr Walsh said.

Several communities in the Swan Hill Electorate have been successful in their applications in the recent funding round of the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal’s (FRRR) Small Grants for Small Rural Communities, Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, said today.
In congratulating the successful applicants Mr Walsh said, “These grants provide communities and towns with the opportunity to make significant improvements to local services and infrastructure.
“Commitment and enthusiasm is symbolic of our small communities and these grants are extremely significant in maintaining the cohesiveness of these communities.
“I congratulate all those who have been successful in receiving funding in this latest round,” he said.
The successful projects are:
• Murrabit Public Hall Committee of Management who have received $4000 for their seating project
• Emu Recreation and Public Hall Reserve Committee of Management have received $5000 to upgrade the heating facilities of their hall
• Boort Resource and Information Centre with $3500 for their Powering a Brighter Future project, and
• Birchip Fire Brigade who received $1503 for their Advancing Birchip project
A new funding round of FRRR’s Small Grants for Small Rural Communities will open on January 30, 2012 and close on 31 March, 2012.
Grants of up to $5,000 are offered for projects and activities that provide clear public benefit for communities with populations of 10,000 or less.
Preference will be given to applicants whose projects support education and youth, culture, arts, tourism and community heritage; communities from areas that were natural disaster declared and for community infrastructure such as historic community halls.
Further information is available from www.frrr.org.au or freecall 1800 170 020.

Local communities are being empowered to improve safety and security through a share in $1 million in grants announced today by Minister for Crime Prevention, Andrew McIntosh, and local Member, Peter Walsh.
Community Safety Fund grants of up to $10,000 have been awarded to assist communities find solutions for locally identified problems.
“These grants empower communities to decide what’s best for them, and gives them funding to make those solutions a reality,” Mr McIntosh said.
Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, said grants had been awarded to assist in improving security and reducing the risk of theft, vandalism and anti-social behaviour.
Local projects to be funded include the installation and upgrade of safety features at Swan Hill’s Alan Garden Netball centre and vandal proof safety lighting along Byrne St Donald as identified by Donald 2000 Inc.
“These facilities and locations are often at the heart of local communities so crime and anti-social behaviour has a significant impact. I’m delighted to be able to help these communities provide safer and more secure facilities,” Mr Walsh said.
“The Coalition Government recognises that local communities are best placed to identify and prioritise issues of concern regarding local crime and safety and is committed to supporting them to do so,” he said.
The Community Safety Fund grants are part of the Coalition Government’s four-year $39 million Community Crime Prevention Program and, along with the “Your Community, Your Say Crime Prevention program”, a series of regional reference group meetings has been conducted across the state, canvassing the views of local communities and ascertaining which measures are most appropriate for different areas.
That process will continue this year, as the Coalition Government remains determined to let communities identify crime prevention strategies that will work for them.

Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, today announced that five organizations in the Swan Hill electorate will receive $480,000 between them to support youth based programs over the next 3 years.
“Youth support programs throughout the Swan hill electorate will benefit enormously from funding provided by the Victorian Coalition Government,” Mr Walsh said.
“These programs have been developed in response to identified needs within the organisations’ local communities and I am pleased that we are able to fund them for the next three years, thus ensuring their ongoing viability.”
The five programs and the funds they have received to support them are –
• Buloke Shire - $90,000 – Connected Buloke Youth Engage Program
• Inglewood and Districts Health Service - $90,000 – Engaging the Youth of South Loddon Program
• Northern Grampians Shire Council - $90,000 – Youth Action Council
• Swan Hill District Health - $120,000 – Dynamo Culture
• Yarriambiack Shire - $90,000 – Yarriambiack Has Talent
More than 100 youth service providers across the state will receive between $30,000 and $50,000 in annual funding for three years to deliver a range of activities that engage young people aged between 12 and 25. These activities could range from social enterprise programs to volunteering or mentoring.
Minister for Youth Affairs Ryan Smith said $12.3 million over three years would enable organisations across the state to provide more opportunities for young Victorians to participate in their communities.
“The Victorian Coalition Government is committed to supporting organisations that improve the social, civic and economic outcomes for young Victorians.
“That’s why the Coalition Government has invested in programs through Engage! that offer opportunities for young people to volunteer, participate in mentoring, receive study and career advice, gain practical skills and training and increased connections with their community,” Mr Smith said.
“I congratulate and thank these local organisations for the work they have undertaken in support of our youth and I lolok forward to meeting with them in the near future to further discuss their programs,” Mr Walsh said.
For more information on the Engage! program, go to www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/engage

Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, has welcomed the Victorian Coalition Government’s announcement that it will support this year’s YMCA Murray River Marathon with a $40,000 grant.
The funding is from the $1 billion Regional Growth Fund’s Putting Locals First Program which is an initiative designed to assist regional communities deliver initiatives which support their local communities.
“The Marathon contributes more than $1.5 million to the local economy and is extremely important in promoting the river and the region as a tourist destination,” Mr Walsh said.
“With around 3000 people involved comprising paddlers, support crew and event volunteers it brings the Murray River region massive exposure.
“This funding boost is extremely significant for organisers and communities along the Marathon route as it assists with the planning, organisation and promotion of the event and the government is delighted to get behind it.”
Thousands of spectators follow the paddlers over the gruelling 404km, five-day duration of the iconic event that also passes through Tocumwal, Picnic Point, Echuca, Torrumbarry and Murrabit.
It is a major boost for tourism with accommodation venues, local businesses and community organisations all benefiting from their involvement.
“The Marathon promotes an active, engaged lifestyle and encourages people of all ages and abilities to take part,” Mr Walsh said.
“I am pleased to be participating again along with my Nationals team members Tim McCurdy the Member for Murray Valley, ex-Swan Hill Mayor Greg Cruickshank, Gerald Maloney, Kim Kirby and Daniel Maloney.
“I encourage everyone to line the river banks as the paddlers pass by and show your support,” Mr Walsh said.

Neighbourhood Houses throughout the electorate are encouraged to apply for funding under a Victorian Government program which aims to modernise centres across the state.
“The Creating Modernised and Inclusive Neighbourhood Houses grant’s program announced this week by Community Services Minister Mary Wooldridge will provide funding of up to $30,000 for Neighbourhood Houses,” Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, said today.
“The grants are available for a range of purposes including expansion of facilities for young children and their families, improving disability access, improving information and communication technology infrastructure, or training to strengthen governance.
“Our Neighbourhood Houses provide a number of fantastic programs to our communities,” Mr Walsh said.
“These Grants will assist them in continuing their very valuable community work and I encourage them to consider making an application to the program.”
Applications for the grants close on 27 February 2012 with further information available from www.dhs.vic.gov.au/neighbourhoodhousesgrants.