Tour the new Hotham waste processing facility

Mount Hotham Alpine Resort Management Board (MHARMB) has recently made significant upgrades to the resort's waste processing facility which includes the installation of a glass pulveriser and conveyor sorting station.

The new equipment will allow MHARMB to use pulverised glass for sealing road verges and car parks, as aggregate in concrete, as a substitute for road grit, and on tracks and trails.

We'd like to share this exciting sustainability development with stakeholders, so we're taking expressions of interest for tours of our facility, when we are again able to conduct tours.

We will then contact you when we are able to schedule a tour. To register your interest please use the button below.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) grants   

A number of Federal and State government grants are now available for businesses who have been affected by coronavirus (COVID-19).

The following list has been supplied by DELWP for your information - please note you will need to check the details for each grant program to ascertain your eligibility.

• Business Support Fund expansion - $5,000 for employing businesses in regional LGAs. See here for more info: https://www.business.vic.gov.au/support-for-your-business/grants-and-assistance/business-support-package/business-support-fund
• Commercial tenancies relief scheme – Government has waived rental payments for tenants in government buildings etc, and has announced a relief scheme for commercial tenants and landlords. See here for more information:  https://www.business.vic.gov.au/disputes-disasters-and-succession-planning/coronavirus-covid-19/commercial-tenancy-relief-scheme
• Tourism Accommodation Program – up to $225/night up to a maximum of $1,125 per bookable accommodation offering for the period of the Stage 3 restrictions. More info here: https://www.business.vic.gov.au/support-for-your-business/grants-and-assistance/business-support-package/regional-tourism-accommodation-support-program
• Business Advisory and Wellbeing Program - details of this program will soon be available at https://www.business.vic.gov.au/support-for-your-business/grants-and-assistance/business-support-package
• Night-time Economy Business Support Initiative – support for commercial tenants operating pubs, clubs and restaurant businesses that are experience rental payment hardship. See here for more info: https://www.business.vic.gov.au/support-for-your-business/grants-and-assistance/night-time-economy-business-support-initiative
• Liquor licence fees waiver https://www.vcglr.vic.gov.au/news/2020-liquor-licensing-fees-refunds-and-waivers
• Payroll tax relief https://www.sro.vic.gov.au/payroll-tax/covid-19-payroll-tax-relief-claim-reimbursement

More bushfire grants for councils and community

Councils and community service organisations will share in up to $7.5 million in grants to support community recovery, redevelopment and prepare for the future after the devastating 2019/20 Victorian Bushfires.

Charities, not-for-profits and other local community service providers across Victoria – as well as 18 Local Government Authorities and four Alpine Resorts – will be eligible to apply for the Bushfire Recovery Grants for Local Government Authorities and Community Service Organisations.

The grants recognise the important role that these key partners play in Victoria’s long-term bushfire recovery journey, with grants of up to $500,000 on offer.

Initiatives that can be supported include economic development programs, local business skill and capacity-building, a community recovery officer to boost local service delivery, and recovery services for groups such as the elderly or multicultural communities. Activities that build resilience for future disasters will also be supported.

The Victorian Government has so far provided over $320 million for bushfire response and recovery after this season’s disaster. This includes over $110 million in the form of Victorian Government-funded or jointly funded grants and initiatives to individuals, businesses, councils and community groups.

The Bushfire Recovery Grants for Local Government Authorities and Community Service Organisations program is part of the $35 million Community Recovery and Resilience Grants Initiative jointly funded by the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments. $7.5 million from the Initiative has been allocated for the grants, which will be administered by Bushfire Recovery Victoria.

The grants are in addition to other grant initiatives announced and administered by Bushfire Recovery Victoria, for community facilities and Aboriginal culture and healing.

Eligible Local Government Authorities are Ararat, Alpine, Ballarat, East Gippsland, Glenelg, Golden Plains, Greater Bendigo, Indigo, Mansfield, Moyne, Northern Grampians, Pyrenees, Southern Grampians, Strathbogie, Towong, Wangaratta, Wellington and Wodonga, and the Alpine Resorts of Falls Creek, Mount Buller, Mount Hotham and Mount Stirling.

Alpine Bushfire Recovery newsletter - July

The third edition of the Alpine Community Recovery Newsletter was recently released, a joint initiative by Alpine Shire Council and Bushfire Recovery Victoria. The monthly newsletter provides residents, ratepayers and businesses with updates and information on community recovery.

The recently-formed Alpine Community Recovery Committee (CRC) represents bushfire-affected communities across the Alpine region, ensuring that local know-how and expertise are front and centre in longer term recovery planning.

Coordinated by Alpine Shire Council and Bushfire Recovery Victoria (BRV), the Alpine CRC is an essential link between communities, council and other support organisations to assist with recovery and planning into the future.

CRC representatives are vital in providing a conduit for community voices to be heard in recovery planning. The Mt Hotham representative on the CRC is Steve Belli.

Victoria Police Community Connection survey 

From early July,  you will see more police out and about in the community as part of the CommConnect initiative across the Eastern Region of Victoria. 

CommConnect is a different approach to policing. Officers (usually at Sergeant level) will be assigned to engage with key stakeholders in specific sectors of the Police Service Area, more directly focusing resources to build stronger and more collaborative relationships. 

Allocating ownership to a specific supervisor to keep our communities safe will increase presence and visibility and allow police to respond to and focus on victims and people in need in a more agile way. 

As part of this process, local police are asking their communities what concerns they have regarding policing in their local suburbs and townships and ways in which police can better connect and support the community to address those concerns. 

Please know your information is totally confidential and will not identify you. 

If you live in Alpine Shire (including Dinner Plain) or Mt Hotham, please click on the below link and complete the short 2 minute survey.

Tourism North East Kickstart program - walk tourism

Tourism North East is looking to accelerate the delivery of new walk tourism products by private operators for launch in March 2021. *

The new Walk High Country Kickstart program will support successful applicants from concept to delivery, providing matched funding, product development, testing and refinement as well as marketing and PR support.

Successful applicants can apply for up to a $3000 contribution matched 2:1 (representing a business buy-in of up to $1500) to use toward branding and marketing services to develop appropriate marketing assets for the product launch  Products developed under this initiative will be integrated into the next Walk High Country tourism marketing campaign.

TNE is keen to hear from businesses interested in developing:

● Experiences featuring walking connected to food and wine.
● Guided tours or transport
● Bespoke accommodation and walk packages
● Arts or cultural heritage based walk experiences
● Unique walk/nature experiences

This Walk High Country Kickstart project is an initiative of TNE with funding secured from Federal Grant streams supporting bushfire recovery.

Click on the button below to download the Walk High Country Kickstart prospectus.

*N.B. the March 2021 launch is subject to change in the event of travel restrictions.

Tourism North East Industry Forum - 18 August

Tourism North East is inviting regional tourism businesses to join a region-wide industry forum on Tuesday 18 August at 10am. 

The forum is an opportunity for the High Country’s tourism industry community to come together to discuss the challenges and impacts of 2020, learn more about what support is available and share ideas.

The forum will be delivered via Zoom and facilitated by the Cube Group’s Ben Schramm in collaboration with Tourism North East.

Tourism businesses will also hear from the Department of Jobs, Precincts & Regions’ Justin Burney, about what funding is currently available and how to access these opportunities.

Register for the forum using the button below.