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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-09-18 Daily Xml
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Grant Programs

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (14:36): My question is directed to the Minister for the Public Sector. What improvements are being undertaken to assist communities, clubs and individuals to obtain up-to-date information on state government grant programs, along with assistance in applying for those grants?

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for the Public Sector) (14:37): I thank the honourable member for her question. I am pleased to inform the chamber that this government is always looking for better ways to keep communities informed about decisions that affect them, but also ways in which we can support their work.

A new way of keeping South Australian community groups, clubs and volunteer organisations better informed is an innovative single gateway that provides online access to information about state government grants. For some time the government has provided the GRANTassist tool, which has allowed businesses to search for assistance programs across government departments, but until now the wider community has not had the same opportunity. GRANTassist has successfully connected South Australian businesses to a broad range of funding and support services on offer from both the state and federal governments.

A similar, single portal was not available to community groups, who were looking for similar support to achieve their aims. These community groups often had a sense that there was assistance available out there but were daunted by the difficulties of tracking down exactly what assistance could be provided. If a grant program were identified that may have assisted, the application process sometimes proved perplexing.

I know, from personal experience in my electorate office in Port Adelaide, how crucial a grant can be for a community organisation. Whether it is a few hundred dollars for some uniforms or many thousands of dollars to kickstart a whole new community complex, these grants are of great significance to the community. However, all too often there were clubs and community organisations missing out on these opportunities simply because they were not aware of what was available or on which doors they should be knocking.

That was until now. This simple initiative will greatly enhance the ability of community organisations to access grants. It was an idea inspired by the community itself through the government's red tape reduction initiative program, Simplify. So here we have a wonderful example of the government listening and responding to the community.

Through Simplify the state government engaged community groups who voiced that they were having trouble finding information on the various grants available across different agencies. Within 90 days, representatives from agencies that offered grants came together and looked at ways of making this information more accessible. Community stakeholders were further consulted through the Your Say website, and this consolidated feedback helped to identify a solution.

The project identified the existing GRANTassist website and then broadened its reach beyond business to list community and individual government grants. The single gateway now provides tips and suggestions for the various grant guidelines, application forms, frequently asked questions and also provides links to key contacts listed on agency websites. The site will make it easier not only for businesses that have, for some time, enjoyed the service but for communities and individuals to quickly and easily access information on government grants thus streamlining the process for individuals and community members wishing to obtain grant information.

GRANTassist now includes a simple online guide as to what is available to community groups for a variety of purposes, such as upgrades to sporting facilities or clubrooms. The website also provides tips on navigating the application and assessment process. The site is available at grantassist.sa.gov.au. This important online resource is the result of government agencies working collaboratively to ensure they put the community at the heart of their work. It is also timely to remind businesses that GRANTassist will continue to provide similar access and information about the grants available to assist them in meeting today's challenging economic environment.

South Australia has always achieved its best outcomes when strong government, strong business and strong community work together. GRANTassist is an online embodiment of how we can come together, government, business and the community, to strive to make South Australia an even better place to live and work.

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