Forestry Recovery Development Fund

This program aims to strengthen industry and government cooperation to upgrade and secure forestry processing assets while safeguarding and creating jobs in forestry communities.

The objectives of the program are to:
- Deliver funding to privately owned wood processing facilities that have been directly or indirectly impacted by the 2019-20 bushfires.
- Enable wood processing facilities to develop new processing lines for their business, including upgrades to existing facilities and technologies, and new facilities that complement existing activities.

Grants between $1 million and $5 million are available on a dollar-for-dollar matched financial contribution.

A total funding pool of $40 million is available over three years.

Eligible applicants must:
- Have an Australian Business Number (ABN).
- Be registered for the purposes of GST.
- Be a permanent resident of Australia.
- Have an account with an Australian financial institution.
- Be financially viable.
- Have the demonstrated skills and capacity to deliver the project.
- Be one of the following entity types:
a) A company incorporated in Australia
b) An incorporated association
c) A partnership
d) An Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006

Please refer to the Guidelines for the complete eligibility requirements.

Eligible activities must:
- Be used to develop new wood products, or secure their capacity to deliver existing products, that they intend to sell solely or mainly into interstate and/or international markets.
- Have at least $2 million in eligible expenditure.

Examples of eligible activities are:
- Upgrades or adaptation of existing plant and equipment
- Development of new manufacturing processes
- Investments in new technology, including to diversify product lines

Please refer to the Guidelines for the complete list of eligible expenditure.

The main assessment criteria include:
- Demonstrated capacity and capability to deliver the proposal. (40%)
- Demonstrate the impact the 2019-20 bushfires have had on their business and how this project will better equip their business for future events such as bushfires and other natural disasters. (20%)
- Demonstrate how the proposal will support their business to adopt smarter, more efficient practices in product processing. (20%)
- Demonstrate how the proposal will provide for regional jobs and the economic future of regional communities. (20%)

Please refer to the Guidelines for the complete list of the assessment criteria.