Community Assets Program 2024 frequently asked questions

View the frequently asked questions about the Community Assets Program 2024 below.

What is the Community Assets Program 2024?

The $25 million Community Assets Program 2024 is co-funded by the Australian and NSW Governments and is a firm commitment to ensure disaster impacted communities in Central West NSW have what they need to thrive.

Under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), regional communities have existing support to repair essential public assets like roads. However, these measures do not necessarily extend to repairing damaged community infrastructure such as parks, playgrounds, walkways and places of cultural heritage, all of which contribute to a community’s sense of wellbeing.

The program will support four Central West NSW local government areas (LGAs) assessed as highly impacted, to repair, restore and better community infrastructure directly damaged by storms and floods in August and September 2022 (Australian Government reference number 1030 and 1034).

This program is administered by Department of Regional NSW and forms part of the broader $100 million Central West Recovery and Resilience Package.

Which Local Government areas are eligible for funding?

Eligible applicants for the Community Assets Program 2024 are:

Cabonne Shire Council
Forbes Shire Council
Lachlan Shire Council
Parkes Shire Council

How much funding is available to each local government area?

Each of the four eligible LGAs has received a notional funding allocation based on the level of assessed impact caused by the storms and floods in August and September 2022.

The notional funding allocation for each eligible LGA is:

Cabonne Shire Council: $8,350,000
Forbes Shire Council: $8,350,000
Lachlan Shire Council: $3,525,000
Parkes Shire Council: $3,525,000

Applications are required to meet all assessment criteria to access the LGA notional allocation. As outlined in the Program Guidelines, the assessment panel may vary the funding recommended for each LGA.

What types of projects are eligible for funding?

Examples of eligible projects include the repair, restoration, or betterment of directly damaged local community infrastructure including:

recreational and services buildings including libraries, youth and senior citizen facilities, tourism and arts and culture facilities
sport and recreation facilities including showgrounds and racecourse precincts, playing fields and courts
parks and playgrounds including equipment, furniture, fencing, shades, facilities and amenities
holiday and caravan park facilities
cultural heritage and identity of place assets
wharves, jetties, boat ramps, boardwalks, footpaths, walking trails, community club structures
pedestrian bridges, car parks, electric vehicles charging stations, retaining walls, landscaping, river/creek banks and signage in public spaces.

Would an asset be eligible for funding if it was not council-owned or managed pre-disaster, but a management agreement was in place with council post-disaster?

The project would be deemed eligible if the community infrastructure is owned or managed by council at the time the funding application is formally approved and expenditure has commenced.

Prior to any funding being provided to an approved application, the Department of Regional NSW can request, or include a condition in the funding agreement, that evidence be provided showing ownership or management of the community infrastructure.

Is there a way to confirm a project’s eligibility before applying?

If there is uncertainty around a project’s eligibility, councils can seek clarification from the Department of Regional NSW before applying by contacting floods.recovery@regional.nsw.gov.au

The department can provide eligibility advice on specific projects through the nominated applicant support staff, prior to the submission of an application.

Applicants should form their own view on a project’s eligibility based on the program guidelines and their own enquiries. A final decision regarding eligibility will be made post lodgement of the application.

Is a council-owned or managed works depot an eligible asset type?

All eligible projects must:

be for the repair, restoration and/or betterment of council-owned or managed community infrastructure that was directly damaged by the severe weather and flood events from August 2022 (declared as AGRN 1030 and/or 1034)
not meet the definition of an essential public asset as defined under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA)
be able to commence construction within 12 months of funding approval.

The repair, restoration, or betterment of directly damaged council-owned or managed works depots would be considered an eligible asset, as long as the asset does not provide a function to an essential public asset as defined under the DRFA.

Will late applications be accepted?

The Department of Regional NSW has the discretion to accept late applications, where the acceptance of the late application will not compromise the competitiveness and integrity of the process.

If you require assistance or advice with your application, please contact floods.recovery@regional.nsw.gov.au or 1300 679 673 for a referral to the appropriate team.

Can the Department of Regional NSW offer guidance on a council funding application?

If you require assistance or advice with your application, please contact floods.recovery@regional.nsw.gov.au or 1300 679 673 for a referral to the appropriate team.

Where support services are made available, applicants will be ultimately responsible for the quality, scoping, submission, and delivery of projects.

The following list provides examples of the different types of support that may be provided. The Department will consider other activities not listed in consultation with the applicant.

Examples of assistance that may be provided in consultation with an applicant include:

development of project scope including intended outcomes and deliverables
assistance with navigating application submission through SmartyGrants
development of project implementation plans as per the agreed project scope.

Please check with the department prior to submitting if you are unclear about any aspect of the application.

Are water and sewerage infrastructure assets eligible for funding?

Projects where the primary objective or focus is on water and sewerage assets are not eligible under CAP 2024.

What if council decided not to make a claim on insurance because the excess is greater than the cost of the repairs or rebuild?

Applicants must seek to claim insurance on asset repairs and rebuild where relevant prior to seeking Government funding. If an asset owner has not made an insurance claim, the applicant must justify why not in their application.

In situations where insurance excess costs are greater than the costs to repair or rebuild an asset, the applicant should provide this reasoning in the application form as to why an insurance claim was not sought prior to seeking government funding.

If an asset received a part insurance payout, the unclaimed/uncovered/ uninsured component only will be considered under the CAP 2024 program.

Under what circumstances should multiple assets be consolidated into a single application, and when is it advisable to submit separate applications for each asset?

Different asset types in different locations should be submitted under separate applications.

However, in circumstances where the same asset types are spread out across multiple locations, for example a number of directly damaged toilet blocks in a number of local parks, a single application can be submitted. Make sure to include all asset locations within the one application.

Likewise, differing components of a project in a single location can also be grouped into a single application, for example a reserve with multiple directly damaged components such as a walkway, toilet block, and playground equipment. These can all be grouped as a single project requiring just one application.

In both application instances make sure to clearly articulate alignment to the assessment criteria for all assets being applied for within one application.

Are retrospective costs eligible to be funded under CAP 2024?

Retrospective costs may be eligible on the basis that the works were required to urgently ensure safety, continuing service provision and/or accessibility to the public or property.

Applicants must ensure that it is made clear what the retrospective costs are in an application. The eligibility of retrospective costs will be determined at the discretion of the assessment panel.

It is recommended that applicants applying for retrospective costs contact the department at floods.recovery@regional.nsw.gov.au to discuss their project prior to applying for funding.

Will the relocation of an eligible asset be considered under CAP 2024?

Applicants are encouraged to outline in their application why relocation is preferred over other repair and restoration options at the current location and how this will support future asset resilience.

Each application must contain eligible project costs and satisfy the assessment criteria for the program: Community Need, Resilience and Viability.

Will eligible assets be considered for funding if they showed signs of age, wear and tear but were still functioning pre-disaster?

Pre-disaster condition will be considered by the assessment panel but does not preclude an asset from funding consideration, as long as the asset was functioning pre-disaster and meets all eligibility requirements.

If the notional funding allocation is not achieved for a LGA, will this be redistributed to other eligible LGAs under CAP 2024?

Yes. If a notional funding allocation is not met for an individual eligible LGA then funding may be redistributed to other eligible LGAs under CAP 2024.

Reallocation will be determined by the assessment panel in line with eligibility and suitability requirements of all projects submitted as set out in the program guidelines.

Can CAP 2024 funding be combined with other sources of funding?

Council can combine CAP 2024 funding with other funding sources for the project they are applying for.

This should be clearly detailed in the application submitted, including the amount of additional funding committed, conditions associated with the funding (if any) and what part of the project the funding has been committed to.

If a project has received funding from another program then any funds approved through CAP 2024 cannot be spent on the same components of that project. This would be seen as duplication.

Is a council-owned or managed State Emergency Service (SES) building an eligible CAP 2024 asset type?

All eligible projects must:

be for the repair, restoration and/or betterment of council-owned or managed community infrastructure that was directly damaged by the severe weather and flood events from August 2022 (declared as AGRN 1030 and/or 1034)
not meet the definition of an essential public asset as defined under the DRFA
be able to commence construction within 12 months of funding approval.

The repair, restoration, or betterment of directly damaged council-owned or managed service buildings such as an SES building would be considered an eligible asset, as long as the asset does not provide a function to an essential public asset as defined under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

When will applicants be notified?

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application on 5 July 2024. All successful grants will be published on the Grants and Funding Finder no later than 45 days after a grant agreement takes effect. The Minister for Regional NSW, at their discretion and in consultation with the Australian Government, may announce or publish successful projects prior to this date.

When are funding recipients required to commence construction?

Projects are required to commence construction within 12 months of funding approval. Funding approval refers to the executed Funding Deed of agreement signed by the Department of Regional NSW and the funding recipient.

Construction refers to physical works occurring onsite, such as, the setup of barriers, site sheds, equipment and materials.

Where funding recipients are unable to meet these timeframes, the Department will work with them to identify how projects can be delivered through the contracting phase to ensure all projects are completed by 30 June 2027.

Can applicants upload their own Project Budget and/or Project Plan in place of the templates referred to in the application form?

Applicants may submit their own Project Budget and/or Project Plan. These documents should contain an equivalent level of detail to the provided templates where warranted.