Regional Parliament: Treasurer announces FNQ community grants boost

28 October 2008

Almost 100 Far North Queensland community groups will share in more than $1 million in grant funding from the latest rounds of gambling benefit funds, the Treasurer Andrew Fraser announced today.

The Treasurer said the funds are split between the state wide Gambling Community Benefit Fund (54 grants worth a total of $808,614) and the Reef Hotel Casino Community Benefit Fund (43 grants worth $236,614), which is exclusively for far North Queensland.

“The Gambling Community Benefit Fund and Reef Hotel Casino Community Benefit Fund help grassroots community and not-for-profit groups deliver services to their local communities,” Mr Fraser said.

“In the lead up to Christmas, these grants will provide a much-needed boost to these groups and their local communities.”

The Treasurer said, due to a change in application closing dates, the latest Gambling Community Benefit Fund round would deliver a record $12 million in funding to almost 700 community groups across Queensland.

Mr Fraser said just one example of a worthy recipient of community grant funding is the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard in Cairns, who have received a grant worth $6,000 to purchase an automatic pilot in the latest Reef Hotel Casino Community Benefit Fund round.

“The automatic pilot will improve the quality, safety and effectiveness during Police-activated search and rescue operations,” Mr Fraser said.

“In July, the Cairns Volunteer Coast Guard received a $17,000 grant from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund to purchase new outboard motors for its secondary response vessel.”

The Australian Volunteer Coast Guard is a national organisation which is a second response unit to Water Police to assist in search and rescue operations and provides assistance for engine breakdowns, flat batteries and running out of fuel.

The Australian Volunteer Coast Guard in Cairns monitors and services an area of over 2,500 square nautical miles between High Island to the south and Batt Reef to the north.

Mr Fraser said, since 1994, the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard in Cairns had received eight grants from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund totalling $115,035.

Across Queensland, the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard has received 115 grants from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund (totalling more than $1.6 million) and 16 grants from the Jupiters Casino Community Benefit Fund (totalling more than $500,000).

Gambling Community Benefit Fund

The Gambling Community Benefit Fund provides one-off grants of up to $30,000 to Queensland based not-for-profit community groups.

The Fund has provided more than $390 million to over 33,600 community projects since inception. Funding is sourced from taxes collected on Golden Casket lotteries, wagering, keno and gaming machines.

Almost all not-for-profit groups in Queensland are eligible to apply, and applications from both large and small organisations are encouraged.

For more information on the Gambling Community Benefit Fund, or to obtain a funding application package, visit www.olgr.qld.gov.au, or call (07) 3247 4284 or 1800 633 619 (freecall outside Brisbane).

Reef Hotel Casino Community Benefit Fund

The Reef Hotel Casino Community Benefit Fund distributes funds generated from a levy placed on the gaming revenue of the Reef Hotel Casino in Cairns.

The Fund services an area from Cardwell to the north including the Torres Strait and Thursday Island.

Since the inception of the Fund in 1996, more than $5 million has been provided to over 1,090 Far North Queensland based not-for-profit community groups.

All eligible not-for-profit groups in the region are encouraged to apply for grant funding through the two funding rounds that close in July and December each year.

For more information about the successful grants for this funding round or to apply for a Reef Hotel Casino Community Benefit Fund grant, visit www.cairnscasinocbf.com, phone 0412 514 780 or email reefcbf@bigpond.com.

Media Contact: Treasurer’s Office 3224 5982