Grants for four new projects through Regional Enterprise Scheme

16/5/96

Primary Industry Minister Monty House said today four innovative new projects would receive grants totalling $177,000 through the Soil and Land Conservation Council's Regional Enterprise Scheme.

Mr House said the scheme was estabished to fund projects that would help break down barriers in order to achieve wide-scale revegetation in Western Australia.

It also encouraged the planting of perennial vegetation on farms.

A total of $750,000 over three years had been made available by the State Government for the scheme.

"The four projects approved this year are all innovative in their approach to landcare and revegetation," Mr House said.

"Projects such as the Oil Mallee Association's mobile extraction facility means landholders who planted oil mallee for landcare benefits can now also reap the financial rewards.

"I congratulate all the successful applicants on their projects that are designed to further the landcare effort and benefit the environment."

The projects include:

·       the Midwest Landcare Development Group - $15,000 to begin a seedling propagation enterprise based at Greenough Regional Prison. Prison inmates working in the project, which will produce 50,000 seedlings a year for planting in the region, will be able to work towards a TAFE certificate;

·       Geraldton Streetwork Aboriginal Corporation and the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) - $12,000 to help launch a local production enterprise to treat pine fence-posts. This project will provide some employment for unemployed youth, as well as an outlet for pine thinnings, which can be profitably used as fence posts;

·       the Oil Mallee Association - $100,000 to establish a business operation dealing in the harvesting, processing and marketing of eucalyptus oil and other oil mallee products; and -

·       Syn-Fuels Australia Pty Ltd - $50,000 to help fund an energy farm feasibility study. It is proposed to grow mallee gums for the production of electricity at Esperance.

Expressions of interest are now being sought from proponents of regionally-based, innovated enterprises for the Soil and Land Conservation Council's 1996-97 Regional Enterprise Scheme.

Under the scheme, grants of up to $100,000 are available for development projects with the potential to stimulate and advance the adoption of wide-scale revegetation in rural areas.

For further information, contact the Executive Officer, Soil and Land Conservation Council, on (096) 226 182.

Media contact: Nicole Trigwell (09) 481 2044 Soil and Land Conservation Council, Executive Officer Marnie Leybourne (096) 226 182