Aboriginal-owned Assets Program Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the Frequently Asked Questions for the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program.

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What is the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program?

The $44 million Aboriginal-owned Assets Program is one of several grants under the Australian and NSW government’s $207 million 2022 Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Program.

The Aboriginal-owned Assets Program will provide funding to eligible Local Aboriginal Land Councils and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations and corporations for the repair, restoration and betterment of social infrastructure that was damaged by the February and June 2022 floods.

How much funding is available through the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program?

$44 million in funding is available through the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program.
The amount of funding available for each eligible organisation varies based on the level of damage to social infrastructure incurred in their local government area (LGA).

Which local government areas are eligible for funding under the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program?

The Aboriginal-owned Assets Program targets the 19 most impacted disaster declared LGAs in NSW that experienced significant damage to social infrastructure during the severe weather and flood events in February and June 2022, as declared under Australian Government Reference Number AGRN 1012 and/or AGRN 1025 (Appendix A).

(in alphabetical order):

Ballina
Bellingen
Byron
Camden
Central Coast
Cessnock
Clarence Valley
Glen Innes Severn
Hawkesbury
Kempsey
Kyogle
Lismore
Muswellbrook
Nambucca
Narromine
Richmond Valley
Singleton
Tenterfield
Tweed

All LGAs that were disaster declared under AGRN 1012 and/or AGRN 1025 in 2022 may be considered for funding if they can demonstrate need and support for a project in their community with robust alignment to the program criteria.

How did the Department of Regional NSW identify the eligible local government areas?

The Department of Regional NSW conducted analysis to better understand and document the estimated level of direct damage to social infrastructure by the floods in February and June 2022.

Consideration was given to multiple data sources, including structural damage statistics and social needs indicators such as the Australia Bureau of Statistics Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), capturing infrastructure damage and damage to social wellbeing and cohesion.

The 19 eligible targeted councils represent the LGAs in NSW that experienced the most significant damage to social infrastructure.

What types of infrastructure projects would be considered eligible under the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program?

Examples of eligible projects include the repair, rebuild or betterment of:

recreational and services buildings including libraries, youth and senior citizen facilities, childcare services, tourism and arts and culture facilities and significant records
parks and playgrounds including equipment, furniture, fencing, shades, facilities and amenities
boardwalks, footpaths, walking trails, wharves and jetties
amenities and community/service buildings that complement and support multiple social and recreation facilities
pedestrian-only bridges, car parks, retaining walls, landscaping, river/creek banks and signage in public spaces
Aboriginal-owned and managed road infrastructure
salvage, repatriation and/or rehousing of significant objects inclusive of an eligible cost such as an Aboriginal Culture and Heritage Assessments
pedestrian and vehicle access to significant cultural landscapes such as weatherproofing roads or upgrading drainage and surfacing etc
preservation and disaster-resilience mitigation measures of cultural landscapes or objects such as erosion control works, stabilisation works or revegetation etc
Aboriginal-owned or managed social infrastructure including LALC offices and facilities, Aboriginal day-care centres, Aboriginal medical and aged-care facilities, culture centres, keeping places, archives, amenities etc
infrastructure associated with cultural camps including camp kitchens, water tanks, toilets and amenities, shelters, decks etc
historic missions and or reserves including fencing, historic buildings, Aboriginal cemeteries etc
tourism and education infrastructure such as walking tracks, interpretative infrastructure, performance and dance spaces, shelters, decks, amenities etc
Aboriginal-owned and managed road infrastructure

Are for-profit businesses eligible to apply for the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program?

For profit businesses are eligible to apply, however, they must be able to demonstrate the community benefit for the asset.

Are salaries, wages, entitlements and on-costs for employees eligible under the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program?

Grantees may claim costs such as salaries, wages, superannuation, sick leave and holiday pay for existing, budgeted employees if the work being undertaken is directly related to the project being funded.

How will the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program be assessed?

Applications will be assessed in line with the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program guidelines. (PDF 5.72MB)

How much Public Liability Insurance is required?

The level of Public Liability Insurance required depends on the scale and risk associated with the project.

The Guidelines indicate $20 million, however, a lower limit of not less than $10 million may be considered by the assessment panel under exceptional circumstances.

Is the repair and rebuild of public housing eligible under the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program?

Public housing is defined as an essential public asset under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. Essential public assets are not eligible for Aboriginal-owned Assets Program funding.

Can riverbank or creek erosion and sedimentation projects be included if they enable resilience and restoration of social infrastructure?

In some instances, it may be necessary to repair riverbank erosion to secure the future of social infrastructure adjacent to a riverbank. Where the purpose of the riverbank restoration is to enable the protection, repair or betterment of social infrastructure it can be considered an eligible Aboriginal-owned Assets Program project.

If the primary purpose of the project is for erosion and sediment management projects including coastal and riverbank areas, it is ineligible and there may be other funding programs more suitable.

I am not in a targeted local government area. Can I still apply for the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program?

Yes. All Local Aboriginal Land Councils and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations and corporations that operate in LGAs that were disaster declared under AGRN 1012 and/or AGRN 1025 in 2023 may be considered for funding if they can demonstrate need and support for a project in their community with robust alignment to the program criteria.

It is recommended that organisations in non-targeted LGAs contact the Department at floods.recovery@regional.nsw.gov.au to discuss their project prior to applying for funding.

I am not in a targeted local government area for the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program. What other funding is available?

The Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Program 2022 offers specific funding for the repair, restoration and betterment of community, arts and culture, sports and council owned and managed infrastructure assets.

Additional funding programs covering these elements are being delivered by Create NSW, the Office of Sport, and Department of Regional NSW respectively.

Refer to the NSW Grants and Funding Portal for other recovery funding programs.

Is there assistance available to help with the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program application?

The Department will offer a variety of technical support services to assist eligible organisations to submit the strongest application possible. Assistance includes:

development of project scope including intended outcomes and deliverables
technical guidance and design
technical advice for project costings including sourcing quotes for materials, equipment, and services
preparation of the application form and project budget
support for the application submission through SmartyGrants
development of project implementation plans as per the project scope and agreed methodology

Acceptance of external support is not mandatory if an applicant feels it has capacity to prepare a competitive application.

What happens if a LALC boundary spans an eligible and non-eligible LGA?

The project/s must be located within an eligible LGA boundary to be considered for ECAP – Aboriginal-owned Asset Program.

When will the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program open and what are the key dates?

Applications for the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program will open from Thursday, 2 March 2023 via SmartyGrants and close 2pm AEST Thursday, 29 June 2023.

Has the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program been extended?

Yes. Applications for the Aboriginal-owned Assets Program have been extended until 2pm AEST Thursday, 29 June 2023.