The best part of being a local Member of Parliament is working closely with local community groups and dedicated volunteers who give up their time and energy to help build our local communities.
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Last week, I was pleased to announce that 10 local community groups in the Shellharbour electorate were successful in the sharing of $300,000 in funding under the Community Building Partnerships (CBP) program.
The CBP was established under the former NSW Labor Government. The program has been continued under the current NSW Government, but only after the total funding for the CBP was cut in the very first budget under Barry O’Farrell. In fact, the NSW Government actually intended to abolish the CBP altogether.
The CBP provides funding to local community groups and councils to help invest in local community infrastructure.
Applications need to demonstrate how projects will benefit the local community by either building or improving facilities to deliver positive social, recreational and environmental outcomes.
Each electorate across NSW receives $200,000 in funding under the CBP, and electorates with higher unemployment rates receive an additional $100,000 boost.
Applications are assessed on a competitive basis and local MPs are able to make direct recommendations on the suitability and priorities of the projects proposed.
Under the CBP in 2012 I received many applications for many worthwhile projects worth up to $1 million.
Obviously, when you only have $300,000 in total funding some projects inevitably miss out. I always try to recommend funding for as many projects as possible, spread across the local communities in my electorate.
For example, under the 2012 CBP program, funding was provided to Dapto Agricultural and Horticultural Society ($15,000); Dapto Rural Fire Brigade ($11,000); Healthy Cities Illawarra ($40,000); Shellharbour City Sharks RLFC ($25,000); Shellharbour City Touch FC ($17,750); Shellharbour Swans Australian FC ($26,250); Shellharbour Stingrays Junior RLFC ($65,000) and three projects at Reed Park ($65,000) and the Ribbonwood Centre, Dapto ($15,000); and finally the Horsley Community Centre at West Dapto ($15,000).
Some of these projects involve the installation of disabled toilets, lighting for playing fields, irrigation systems and grandstands at sporting fields.
Others involve upgrading local community parks and constructing demountable change rooms.
Unless the CBP existed, many of these community projects would simply either never get off the ground, or have to wait doing many, many years of patient fundraising by dedicated volunteers before they could ever be completed.
The 2013 round of the CBP will open for applications on June 19. There is a strict deadline with applications closing on July 31, 2013.
I am urging local community groups in my electorate to start planning their projects now so they can be ready to submit applications before the cut-off.
More information can be obtained at: www.communitybuildingpartnerships.com.au
Anna Watson MP is the State Member for Shellharbour.