Community sport organisations can now score a major funding boost, with applications open for both the NSW Government’s Local Sport Grant Program and the NSW Government’s Female Friendly Sport Facilities and Lighting Upgrades Program.
Community sporting clubs are the lifeblood of our community, and so many are in need of a cash injection so they can upgrade new facilities and boost participation. This funding will help modernise facilities for local clubs and enable more local people to participate in community sport and recreation activities
The Local Sport Grant Program provides grants up to $10,000, with up to $50,000 available in each NSW electorate. The program will focus on initiatives that enable more people to enjoy the benefits of playing sport, regardless of their age, gender, background or ability. Applications close Monday 21 November. More information is available online.
The Female Friendly Sport Facilities and Lighting Upgrades Program provides grants of up to $500,000 to help transform local sport facilities into safer and more inclusive venues. When women and girls feel comfortable they are more likely to stick with their chosen sport. This helps local clubs keep existing player and inspires the next generation of female sporting stars. More information about the program, and how to apply, is available online.
Community sport is a vital part of the social fabric of the Bathurst electorate. This investment in our community will also support local jobs, which will grow the economy and help secure a brighter future for the people of NSW.
CHEERS NSW! RETURN AND EARN SET TO EXPAND
The NSW Government’s wildly popular Return and Earn scheme is set to expand to include glass wine and spirits bottles and larger containers.
Public consultation is now open on the planned expansion, which would see up to an additional 400 million eligible bottles recycled each year, including 233 million glass bottles.
Since Return and Earn began in 2017, more than eight billion containers have been returned, delivering $800 million in refunds to the people of NSW, more than $35 million in donations to community groups and charities, and helping us reduce drink container litter by a massive 52 per cent.
Consultation is now open on the Scheme’s expansion, which would see almost all beverage containers between 150 ml and 3 litres accepted for refund.
For example, this would additionally include:
- Wine and spirits in glass bottles
- Cordials and juice concentrate
- Larger containers up to 3 litres of beverages already in the scheme, such as flavoured milk, fruit and vegetable juice, cask wine and sachets.
Plain milk and health tonics would continue to be excluded from the scheme.
Currently, Return and Earn accepts drink containers such as cans, beer and mixer bottles, cartons, juice boxes and poppers.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority will be holding targeted stakeholder information sessions and webinars in the coming months around NSW so a transition can be as smooth as possible for new suppliers to the scheme.
The discussion paper Driving NSW’s circular economy is available at https://yoursay.epa.nsw.gov.au/ and is open for consultation until 2 December 2022. For more information about Return and Earn visit www.returnandearn.org.au
