Sustainable Grazing and Riparian Managementgrants Program

2017 Lower Hunter

Sustainable Grazing and Riparian ManagementGrants Program

Guidelines for Applicants

• National Landcare Program (NLP), Australian Government
• Catchment Action NSW
• Hunter Catchment Contribution

• Changes to grazing practices that improve pasture resilience
• Land management practices that improve soil health, biota, infiltration, structure, organic matter and plant rooting depth;
• Improving pasture productivity to achieve long term sustainability;
• Managing stock impacts via strategic grazing on sensitive areas.
• Infrastructure to enable strategic grazing and protection of sensitive areas;
• Management of native riparian vegetation and riparian weed control.

About Hunter LLS

The Hunter Local Land Services (LLS) region covers the following Local Government Areas: Upper Hunter, Muswellbrook, Singleton, Cessnock, Maitland, Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Dungog and MidCoast.

The Hunter LLS Local Strategic Plan 2016-2021 prioritises and directs Hunter LLS customer services, partnerships and investment across the region.

It sets the following goals:

1. Communities – Resilient, self-reliant and prepared local communities
2. Industries – Biosecure, profitable, productive and sustainable
3. Natural Environments – Healthy, diverse, connected natural environments
4. Our Organisation - Innovative, commercially focused and collaborative people delivering best practice business management and reducing red tape.

The plan identifies priorities and strategies for addressing these goals. Those relevant to this grants program are identified in the next section.

The Hunter LLS approach to delivering on this plan involves local people, delivering high quality, integrated services for healthy productive landscapes.

We will work with landholders and land managers to develop measures of productivity, profitability and sustainability, to help improve primary production within healthy landscapes and assist communities in the region to be profitable and sustainable into the future.

About the Program

The Lower Hunter Sustainable Grazing and Riparian Management Grants Program is a component of the 2016-17 Lower Hunter District Service Delivery Planwhich coversLake Macquarie, Newcastle, Port Stephen, Maitland, Cessnock and Dungog Local Government Areas. This plan details the priorities, programs and projects to be delivered in the Lower HunterDistrict for the 2016/17 financial year.

Objectives

The objectives of Sustainable Grazing and Riparian Management Grants Program are:

• Increase adoption of sustainable grazing practices in partnership with beef producers in the District, via:
• Improved grazing, livestock and integrated land management practices and groundcover, soil health and native vegetation condition.
• Improved profitability, productivity and sustainability of grazing, pasture and livestock management systems.
• Improved landholder and industry capacity to manage livestock, pastures, native vegetation, biodiversity, weeds and invasive pest animals
• Deliver locally tailored extension services for improved triple bottom line outcomes at a whole farm scale.
• Build partnerships with beef producers and industry groups.
• Increase landholder capacity to undertake practice change, for agriculture, natural resource management (NRM) and biosecurity outcomes.
• Support and increase adoption of sustainable grazing and sustainable agricultural practice change.

Outputs to be delivered by the Program

• Farming entities implementing sustainable practice change
• Native riparian vegetation enhanced and protected
• Sustainable agricultural practices
• Primary producers attending capacity building events
• Primary producers increasing management, protection and restoration of the natural resource base

This programdelivers on the following Hunter Local Strategic Plan regional priorities:

• Industries – Biosecure, profitable, productive and sustainable

This program also delivers on the following Hunter Local Strategic Plan strategy and outcome:

• Strategy 2: Deliver Integrated Services
• Outcome 2: By 2021, integrated services have helped primary producers and land managers in priority industries or landscapes implement practices for economic, social and environmental outcomes

Investors

HunterLLS is deliveringNational LandcareProgramme (NLP)funding on behalf of the Australian Government. The NLP priorities that this program will deliver include:

1. Maintain and improve ecosystem services through sustainable management of local and regional landscapes.
2. Increase the numbers of farmers and fishers adopting practices that improve the quality of the natural resource base, and the area of land over which those practices are applied.

Hunter LLS is delivering Catchment Action NSW funding on behalf of the NSW Government. The Catchment Action NSW priorities this program will deliver include:

• Hunter Sustainable Land Management Program

Hunter LLS is also delivering Hunter Catchment Contributions funding. The Hunter Catchment Contributions priorities this program will deliver include:

• By 2020, Communities are engaged in natural resource management and are better able to manage natural disasters such as floods.
• By 2020, Land managers are implementing priority riverine stabilisation projects that restore healthy river and estuarine ecosystems.
• By 2020, Land managers participate in catchment activities that increase ground cover on highly erodible soils and decrease the impacts of pest and weeds.

Eligibility

General

Eligibility of all applications is subject to:

• The project property being located in the identified priority area of the Lower Hunter District: Port Stephens and Dungog LGA’s.
• The proponent completing works for any previously funded projects.
• The project being able to be delivered within the given timeframes
• LLS minimum standards for on-ground works being met
• The proposed activities must abide by NSW State and Australian Commonwealth laws e.g. Native Vegetation Act 2003, Work Health and Safety Act 2011
• All current HLLS financial obligations of the proponent being paid.
• The proponent discussing the proposed project with an LLS project officer who has developed a site report and a map of the proposed works.

Specific

Riparian Management

All landholders and/or land managers in the Lower Hunter District on priority rivers are eligible where they are improving/enhancing riparian native vegetation through stock exclusion, weeding, regeneration or revegetation activities.

Improved Management Practices

Sustainable beef landholders and/or land managers must be currently engaged with the Hunter LLS through grazing industry groups or other Hunter LLS training, extension or advisory programs in the Lower Hunter district.

Priority Areas

Port Stephens and Dungog Local Government Areas

Types of Activities

The types of activities that can be funded under this Program include (but are not limited to):

• Changes to grazing practices, including strategic grazing practices that improve pasture resilience including groundcover, composition, herbage mass retention and regenerative rest;
• Land management practices that improve soil health, biota, infiltration, structure, organic matter and plant rooting depth;
• Improving pasture productivity to achieve long term sustainability;

• Managing stock impacts via strategic grazing on sensitive areas. For example fencing, or provision of alternative stock water supply;

• Infrastructure to enable strategic grazing and protection of sensitive areas;
• Regeneration or planting of native vegetation;
• Management of native riparian vegetation and riparian weed control.

Types of activities that will not be funded under this program include:

• Purely production oriented activities
• Major farm water supplies including irrigation
• Purely noxious weed control
• Purchase of machinery and computer hardware and software, where there is no demonstrated land use change
• Activities more appropriately funded by other bodies
• Activities that the land managers can reasonably be expected to undertake to ensure sustainable management of areas under their control.
• Work that is undertaken before the project agreement for the proposal is signed or after the project agreement ends.
• Projects that mainly beautify or improve amenity.
• Standard boundary fencing that is the landholder’s normal responsibility
• Capital works, for example construction of buildings or viewing platforms to improve amenity
• Expert advice that could alternatively be provided by the LLS or other government agency
• Research
• Any works for mostly private benefit
• Activities that may be required due to: legal responsibilities, compliance with development consents and/or reasonable duty of care
• Activities that do not directly deliver on the specified Hunter Local Strategic Plan outcomes.

The following activities will not be funded under the National LandcareProgrammefunding component of this program:

• Activities or investments undertaken, or liabilities incurred, before the Commonwealth enters into a written funding agreement with the successful Applicant
• Activities that will be receiving, or completed activities that have previously received, funding through other Australian Government (including Caring for our Country or the Biodiversity Fund), state or territory or local government funding initiatives or programmes, or from other third parties, where those activities are substantially the same and in the same location
• Activities that are the responsibility, or the business, of state, territory or local governments or of private land managers, including activities that are a legislative and regulatory responsibility, such as managing or controlling certain weeds or compliance activities, and activities that would be considered a landholder’s responsibility, such as standard boundary fencing. These activities may be undertaken in conjunction with Programme funded activities provided that Programme funding is not used for them
• Activities that are required to be undertaken by any person or are part of an approval under Commonwealth, state or territory legislation, for example, the provision of an environmental offset under the EPBC Act
• Activities that are likely to have a significant adverse impact on any species or ecological community listed under the EPBC Act, an ecosystem of national or international significance (e.g. a Ramsar listed site, World Heritage area or part of the National Reserve System) or activities with the potential to exacerbate a threatening process listed under the EPBC Act
• Activities that may have a significant adverse impact on Indigenous cultural heritage and which have not received approval through relevant state or territory legislative requirements
• Activities that involve planting of species (including native species) that are known to be, or could become, environmental or agricultural weeds in or near the project location
• Activities or elements of activities that are primarily for the purpose of beautifying or improving amenity, for example, landscaping, picnic tables, shelters and paving
• Activities that predominantly support applied research, tool building and/or development of modelling approaches except where an activity of this nature is demonstrably required to achieve outcomes in line with Programme objectives and outcomes

Where to get assistance?

LLS staffare available to assist you with developing your application, including providing advice on best practice management, design, costing, and developing a detailed project works map. All applications must be accompanied by a project works map showing the location and type of proposed management activities on your property.

Applicants for theLower Hunter Sustainable Grazing and Riparian Management Grants Programwill need to complete aLand Management Grant Application Form.

Contact details for your local office:

Col Freeman

Phone: 0428 043 427

Email:

Office: Hunter Local Land Services, 816 Tocal Road (Private Bag 2010) Paterson NSW 2421.

Lodging Applications

Applications can be lodged in two ways.

1. Submit the original signed application to the LLS by 16 September 2016. Applications post marked this date will be accepted.

Lower Hunter Beef Industry Partnership and Sustainable Agriculture Program

Hunter Local Land Services

Private Bag 2010

Paterson NSW 2421

1. Submit your application electronically by 1 March 2017to

Electronically lodged applications must come from the applicant’s e-mail account and must include a copy of the LLS produced map. The subject line should include the following information:

HR_xxx-“Applicant surname”

(theHR_xxx project identifier will be provided by your LLS Officer)

Applications that are sent directly to LLS staff will not be accepted.

As map files can be large in size, please email your application and map separately to ensure the emails are transmitted by the due date but ensure to include the HR_XXXX on all correspondence.

Assessment Process

Applications will be initially screened to confirm that all eligibility criteria are met andthere is sufficient information in the form for an assessment to be made.

Applications will then be assessed by a panel against the following criteria:

1. The degree to which the project delivers on the objectives of the funding program
2. The degree to which the project delivers on investor priorities
3. The scale of outcomes
4. The degree to which project actions are likely to deliver the intended outcomes
5. The capacity to complete planned works on time
6. The relative proportion of applicants in-kind and/or cash contributions
7. The approach to monitoring evaluation and reporting
8. The approach to Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
9. The degree to which the applicant has engaged in previous grant programs
10. The likelihood of the project delivering productivity benefits

The LLS may contact applicants during the assessment process to confirm or clarify any information in the application form.

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of the assessment process.

Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

1

Hunter Local Land Services

Conditions of funding

Contracts

All Hunter LLS Land Management Grants will be delivered through a Land Management Agreement.

A copy of the standard contract with all the terms and conditions is available to all applicants to review prior to submitting the application. Please contact the LLS office to access a copy of the standard agreement template.

The contract will need to be signed by the applicant and the land owner (If different). The landholder on the application should match the landholder that will sign the contract and this should also match landholder that will receive the Grant funds.

How will you be paid?

A payment schedule will be determinedas part of funding agreement negotiations. Funds will generally be paid 40% on completion of the first milestone which will generally be the submission of a WHS management plan and baseline photo-point monitoring. The remainder of funds will paid on completion of agreed milestones with 10% being withheld for the submission and approval of the final report.

All Grant payments from the LLS will be made during the 2016-17 financial year provided milestones are achieved.

Milestone payments may require a site inspection by the LLS to verify completion of the milestone. A final report on the project outcomes will be required to receive thefinal payment.

Payment will be made on receipt of a signed ATO compliant tax invoice on completion of agreement milestones.

GST registered Grantees will be paid 10% GST on top of the approved Grant amount.

Applicants should discuss the implications of receiving funding from the LLS with a financial adviser prior to applying.

Monitoring and Reporting

All on-ground projects funded by the LLS will be required to undertake photo point monitoring or take before and after photos of activities. The LLS has a guideline for photo monitoringon the website.

The LLSmay also require monitoring of groundcover using the step point monitoring method or native vegetation condition monitoring depending on the type of activities proposed.

Given that funding aims to deliver economic, social and environmental outcomes, LLS will develop with successful grant funding applicants a set of relevant production, profitability and sustainability measures for monitoring and reporting on project outcomes.

All projects funded by the LLS may be included in more detailed vegetation and/or soil condition monitoring undertaken by the LLS.

A final report on the project outcomes will be required to receive a final payment. All agreements will require further brief annual monitoring reports for the agreement duration on the outcomes achieved and the management actions and monitoring undertaken.

Further details of monitoring requirements and templates for reports are available from an LLS contact officer and will be made available to successful applicants.

Maintenance

All funded activities will require maintenance to ensure the outcomes are maintained. All activities must be regularly maintained for at least 5 years.

Public Liability Insurance

All funded projects must be prepared to maintain current Public Liability Insurance ($20 million) for the duration of the agreement. A copy of your certificate of currency should be provided with your project application. If you are unable to provide the $20m of coverage you may apply to the LLS for a reduced amount, but this would be subject to an assessment of the Public Liability risk of the project.

Disclosure of Information

The LLS has requirements with the Australian and NSW Government to provide spatial information and details of funded works. The LLSwill be required report spatially and on activities to these funding bodies, which may in turn be published on public websites. The LLS aims to provide information to the public spatially on achievements associated with public funds. Your project may be represented spatially e.g. point or polygon on catchment scale map in publicly released documents but no detailed information will be released.