The Australian Government has recently opened grant applications under the National Farm Safety Education Fund: Improving Farm Safety Practices.
The National Farm Safety Education Fund Programme is an open competitive grant process where organisations are invited to apply to help deliver services in farming and other related sectors.
With up to up to $1.6 million in funding committed to the programme, eligible organisations will receive support for projects that will result in improved farm safety outcomes all over Australia.
With one in five workplace fatalities occurring on farms, improving farm safety awareness and education will benefit farmers, farmworkers, families and the regional communities.
The objective of the National Farm Safety Education Fund Programme is to deliver better and more effective communication to farmers, people that live and work on Australian farms and in other related industries.
The Government hopes to improve the understanding of those in the farming sector towards farm safety with the programme. The eventual goal of the programme is to aid those in the sector to take up safer behaviours and practices in the farms.
“These grants will go to projects that deliver well-designed, fit-for-purpose and adaptable safety training and education,” Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management David Littleproud said.
“They will be a game-changer, not just for this generation of farmers, but the next one to come.”
The grant opportunity will support projects focused on education and capacity building in two priority areas:
- The next generation of farmers — project proposals under this priority area should be about improving farm safety education and related attitudinal and behavioural change in the youth living on farms.
- Industry-endorsed training and continued learning — project proposals under this priority area should help develop or deliver well designed, fit-for-purpose basic farm safety training to different farm types, activities and workers
“This is about getting people to come together and think differently about the ways they work to come up with innovative projects and solutions to a nationwide problem.” Minister Littleproud said.
The Programme is delivered on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment and aligns with the Department’s purpose of partnering and regulating to enhance agriculture, unique environment and heritage, and water resources in the country.
The maximum grant period is 2 years and grant activities must be completed by June 2023. Applications for the Programme will close on 28 July 2021 – 9:00 pm AEST.
For more information on the grant programme, visit the Community Grants Hub website.