REEF TRUST GULLY EROSION CONTROL PROGRAMME
Frequently Asked Questions
Application process (including Mapping Tool)
1.How can I apply for a grant under the Programme?
2.I’m having trouble opening the online Application Form (Smart Form). What can I do?
3.I’m having trouble accessing the mapping tool in the Application Form (Smart Form).
4.Are multiple Project Sites permitted in a Management Unit?
5.How much information do I need to include in the mapping tool?
6.What are the maps used for during Assessment?
7.Must all sites be identified in the Application Form? Can I apply to remediate gullies on land that has not yet been identified?
8.Does it matter if units of measure produced by the polygons in the mapping tool do not match the units of measure in the activity table in the Smart Form?
9.What do I do if I receive error messages when I click on the Submit button?
10.I’m having trouble with the Legal Entity field
11.I have tried to address the error messages but it is not working
12.I have addressed the error messages but my Application Form still won’t submit
13.My Application is going to be late - I need to ask for an extension
14.Can I provide or attach additional information in my Application?
15.How will I know my application has been received or is successful?
16.Can I get help from the Department with my Application?
17.I made a mistake on my application form – can I change it?
18.I don’t have access to the internet and can’t access the online Application form
19.What time does my Application need to be submitted by?
Programme Delivery
20.What is the Reef Trust Gully Erosion Control Programme?
21.What is the objective of the Gully Erosion Control Programme?
22.What are the outcomes of the Programme?
23.How will the success of the Programme be measured?
24.What are the anticipated timeframes for the programme?
25.What is the Gully Toolbox?
26.How many years will the grants run for? How many grant rounds will there be?
27.Who are Delivery Partners?
28.If I am the landholder, can I apply to deliver the funding?
29.Are Multiple Applications allowed?
Guidance for Designing Project Proposals
30.What activities will the Programme fund?
31.Are third party (cash or in-kind) contributions required in an Application?
32.What expenses have limited value as Applicant/third party contributions?
33.What expenses are ineligible as Applicant/third party contributions?
34.I need to start my Project now – can I get funding for work I’ve already done?
35.When do I start my project?
36.How will I receive payments for the delivery of my project?
Monitoring and Reporting
37.What reporting requirements will grant recipients have to undertake?
38.Why is this extent of monitoring and reporting needed?
39.What percentage of the total project funding can be allocated to monitoring and reporting?
I have applied for a grant – what happens next?
40.How long will it take for my Application to be assessed?
41.How will my Application be assessed?
42.Who is Assessing my application?
43.How will the Government decide which Projects to fund?
44.Will all the Management Units I apply for receive funding?
45.Will all the Project sites within each Management Unit I apply for, receive funding?
46.How will I receive notification regarding the outcome of my Application?
47.Can I appeal the decision if my Project is not funded?
Providing feedback
48.I would like to provide feedback on the Programme
Application process (including Mapping Tool)
1.How can I apply for a grant under the Programme?
Applicants who wish to apply for funding through the Programme are invited to submit an Application for a Project that targets areas of medium and high gully density within one or more of the targeted Management Units in the natural resource management regions.
Management Units are subdivisions of reef natural resource management regions and are generally defined based on river basin and catchment boundaries.
The Application Process is described at section 5.1 of the Applicant Guidelines and can be found at
2.I’m having trouble opening the online Application Form (Smart Form). What can I do?
You may experience difficulties accessing the online Application Form if you are using Mozilla Firefoxor Google Chrome browsers. Try using a different internet browser, for example Internet Explorer. If using a different browser does not help, then contact the Department at for further advice. Once downloaded, the Application Form can be saved on your computer and completed offline.
3.I’m having trouble accessing the mapping tool in the Application Form (Smart Form).
The Application Form (Smart Form) will need to be saved on your computer to ensure it will work. To access the mapping tool you may need to download a browser called Mozilla Firefox. This is downloaded from the internet through Google if you do not have this installed on your computer. The mapping tool should be functional once this is complete.
4.Are multiple Project Sites permitted in a Management Unit?
Yes. A sub-Project within a Management Unit can contain multiple Project Sites, providing the Applicant is able to obtain permission from the landholder of each site to carry out the project activities, prior to the project activities being commenced. Applicants must declare in the Application form that they will seek the permission of the landholder to carry out works on each site and can provide this to the Department if asked prior to the project activities being commenced.
Use the Mapping Tool to provide a separate Mapping Polygon for each site in your Application or to give an indication of the area which Project Sites will be located.
5.How much information do I need to include in the mapping tool?
It is preferable that you create Mapping Polygons of the actual area to be addressed through Project Activities using the mapping tool in the Application Form. Instructions on how to do this are provided from the link in the Application Form.
If this isn’t possible, at a minimum the Mapping Polygons should indicate the areas where you have or plan to seek landholder agreement to undertake Project Activities. The Mapping Polygons provided in the Application Form will be used in the assessment process to determine value for money and proposed outcomes as well as determining eligibility of the Project, so it is important to provide the correct information.
6.What are the maps used for during Assessment?
The Maps produced from each Management Unit/sub-Project are used to determine eligibility of that sub-Project. For example, if the polygons drawn are not within one of the eligible Management Units, the project will not proceed to merit assessment.
As stated in the Guidelines, the Project Site must:
be within the Cape York, Burdekin, Fitzroy and/or Burnett Mary natural resource management regions specified; and
be within the identified Management Unit areas from which Gully Erosion makes high contribution to fine sediment exports to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.
7.Must all sites be identified in the Application Form? Can I apply to remediate gullies on land that has not yet been identified?
Where possible, please identify, to the best of your knowledge, where gully remediation activities are going to occur. The specificity of the locations can occur from gully scale to farm scale, depending on the Applicant’s knowledge of the area and the currency of the aerial maps. It might be worth consulting with a local extension officer and other local groups to locate the areas of high density gullies and the likelihood of engagement with landholders in certain areas.
This information is utilised to assess eligibility of the project (site locations are within the specified Management Units) and the value for money assessment.
8.Does it matter if units of measure produced by the polygons in the mapping tool do not match the units of measure in the activity table in the Smart Form?
In the Mapping Tool, you can link specific activities to the polygons which are drawn to indicate whereabouts within the Management Unit certain activities are being implemented. For example, one gullied area may already be fenced off. Therefore this Project Site may only include activities such as revegetation, in-gully control structures (erosion management) and extension (management practice change) activities. The extent of activities (indicated by the total area, total length of fencing etc.) mapped in the Mapping Tool, provide an indication of what the Applicant is planning to implement at that spatial location within that Management Unit.
The activity table provides an indication of the types of activities which are planned to be undertaken. The estimated units of measure provided should align with the project budget and be developed through estimated costs of activity implementation.
Essentially there will be two units of measure produced by the Application Form – one from spatially mapped estimates and one from the list of activities and the targets associated with these. Given approvals from landholders do not need to be provided prior to Application submission, it is acceptable that these two measures may not be the same.
These units of measure will be utilised in the value for money assessment to help assess cost for the outcomes and enable comparison with other Applications of the extent of gullied area which will be treated through the project.
9.What do I do if I receive error messages when I click on the Submit button?
If you receive any error messages after you click Submit, you will need to address the errors before you try to submit again. Scroll down to see all the errors. Sometimes these notifications flow onto the next page of the error advice.
These error messages are generally about incomplete information in the Application Form, for example you may not have checked all of the required Declarations, or populated the Legal Entity field (see Legal Entity Field question below). If you double click on the error message, you will be taken to the question which contains the error.
10.I’m having trouble with the Legal Entity field
The Legal Entity field should be automatically populated when you click the “ABN Lookup” button. You cannot enter data in the Legal Entity field, it needs to be automatically populated via the ‘ABN Lookup’ button.
11.I have tried to address the error messages but it is not working
Call 1800 852 975 prior to the Closing Time of 2pmQueensland time (AEST)26November 2015.
12.I have addressed the error messages but my Application Form still won’t submit
Sometimes the problem is a firewall which is blocking you from uploading information from your computer system. This may apply to schools or other organisations with secure networks.
If you are sure that the Application Form is complete and you have filled out all the required fields and declarations and addressed any errors but the form still won’t submit, then email fore the Closing Time, explaining the problem and attaching your completed Application Form. It is important that you email prior to the closing time, as late Applications will be treated according to Section 5.2 of the Reef Trust Gully Erosion Control Programme Applicant Guidelines - available at
If the Department receives the email with your completed Application Form attached prior to the Closing Time and there are no error messages in it, it may be possible for the Department to submit the Application Form on your behalf to meet the closing time. If the Department does not receive your email and Application Form until after the closing time, or it is received but the Application still contains error messages and cannot be submitted, the Application will be considered as late (see “My Application is going to be late and I need to ask for an extension” below).
13.My Application is going to be late - I need to ask for an extension
Subject to this section, to be eligible for consideration, Applications must be received by the Department before 2pm Queensland time (AEST)on 26 November 2015.
Any Application received by the Department after the Closing Time (if lodged electronically or delivered by post or courier), will be considered late and will be registered separately.
The Department has no obligation to accept a late Application. The Department may consider admitting late Applications under extenuating circumstances. An explanation of extenuating circumstances should be provided in writing to prior to the closing time. Any decision by the Department to accept or not accept a late Application is at the Department’s absolute discretion and will be final.
14.Can I provide or attach additional information in my Application?
No. Additional supporting documentation should not be submitted, as it will not be considered as part of the assessment process.
15.How will I know my application has been received or is successful?
Once an online Application is submitted, an automatic receipt will be generated. For hard copy applications, notification will be confirmed by the Department between seven and 14 days of receipt by the Department.
After the Minister for the Environment has approved proposals for funding, all Applicants will be informed in writing whether or not their Project has been successful. Details of successful Projects will be listed on the Department’s website once successful Applicants have been informed.
Please monitor the website for more information, or subscribe to the email news by emailing with ‘subscribe’ in the subject line.
All unsuccessful Applicants will be offered feedback on their Application at the end of the assessment and approvals process, and have the opportunity to request written or other feedback on their Application, provided a request in writing is made within one month of public notice of successful Projects.
16.Can I get help from the Department with my Application?
Departmental representatives are available to provide information on factual matters such as the Assessment Process and Eligibility Criteria, clarification of terms, activities which will be funded, spatial priorities or relevant information sources. If you have any questions about the Application process or other aspects of the Programme, please contact the Department on:
Phone: 1800 852 975Email:
17.I made a mistake on my application form – can I change it?
Amendments to submitted Application Forms can only be made before the Application period closes. If you need to alter your Application prior to the Closing Time, please contact the Department in writing by email on .
A new Application with the altered information will need to be submitted by the Applicant with a written request from the Applicant for the Department to withdraw the original application received.
The Department has no obligation to accept amendments to submitted Application Forms after the Closing Time. Once submitted, changes to an Application can only be made by contacting the department by email to . Any requested changes will be considered by the Department; however, the decision to accept or reject the requested change will be made at the Department’s discretion and will be final. This does not remove Applicant’s obligations regarding the accuracy of their Application at Section 7.1 of the Guidelines.
If multiple Application Form submissions are received from an Applicant, only the last Application received before the Closing Time, will be considered.
18.I don’t have access to the internet and can’t access the online Application form
Electronic Applications are preferred. If you do not have access to the Internet and cannot access the online Application Form, contact the Community Information Unit line on 1800 852 975 at least two weeks in advance of the Closing Time to make alternative arrangements.
Keep a copy of your Application Form for your records.
If you have made alternative arrangements with the Department, your Application must still be received by the Department before the Closing Time. If you believe your Application may not arrive before this time, please contact the Department on 1800 852 975.
19.What time does my Application need to be submitted by?
The Closing Time for Applications is 2pm Queensland time (AEST) on 26 November 2015. This means that if you arelocated outside Queensland theClosing Time will be different.
- 3pm AEDT – Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory
- 2.30pm ACDT – South Australia and Northern Territory
- 12pm AWST – Western Australia
Programme Delivery
20.What is the Reef Trust Gully Erosion Control Programme?
The Reef Trust Gully Erosion Control Programme (the Programme) is a component of the Australian Government’s $140 million Reef Trust. Runoff from agricultural land in the Reef catchments is a major threat to the Great Barrier Reef and sediment in particular is having a detrimental impact on reef water quality and overall reef health and resilience.
The Programme will address areas of extensive and active gully erosion in high priority Management Units, within the Burdekin, Fitzroy, Cape York and Burnett Mary natural resource management regions. The Programme will provide financial incentives through a competitive grants process to one or multiple Delivery Partners to apply low cost, effective gully remediation techniques guided by the latest available scientific information.
Further information about the Programme can found in Part 1 of the Guidelines, which are available at
21.What is the objective of the Gully Erosion Control Programme?
The Objective of the Programme is:
- long term reduction of sediment run-off from high risk gully erosion areas in the reef catchments.
22.What are the outcomes of the Programme?
The expected outcomes of the Programme are:
- Control and prevention of further erosion in areas where gully erosion is extensive, active and delivering high rates of sediment into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon;
- Integration of science and technical advice to actively inform adaptive management of the Programme; and
- Demonstration of cost-effective gully erosion control activities.
23.How will the success of the Programme be measured?