The Australian Government committed $9 million to the Forest Industries Development Fund, a competitive grants program to boost the international competitiveness of Australia’s forest products.
The fund encouraged increased investment in measures designed to add value to our forest resources. Through this initiative the Australian Government is working with the states, territories and industry, to ensure the long-term economic viability of Australia’s forest industries.
The Forest Industries Development Fund is now complete.
Media Release
- Making Australia's forest industries more competitive - 10 November 2009
Funding rounds
There were two funding rounds and a total of 137 responses were received from forest industry companies over the two rounds of the program.
The first round opened on 12 January 2009 and closed on 6 February 2009, and the second round opened on 8 August 2009 and closed on 6 February 2010. The two rounds of funding resulted in 18 projects being funded making available $5.5 million to support:
- New timber products – shift from low to high value products
- Improvements in cost efficiencies across the value chain
- New uses for wood
- New wood processing/production initiatives that will achieve value adding outcomes.
The industry initiatives supported included an Australia-wide project for design and delivery of modular wood-based Indigenous housing for rapid deployment in remote areas, a new facility to process highland species timber into high value timber flooring products, a project to optimise processing efficiency from pine resources, and a project to automate a product grading process to improve recovery and add value to forest resources. An additional 8 projects that were offered funding were subsequently withdrawn by the proponents.
Successful grants under the Forest Industries development Fund
|
Recipient |
Purpose |
GST Inclusive |
Signed date |
Grant Funding Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
FIDF R1 01 Big River Group |
Upgrade of the Ausply veneer and plywood factory at Wagga Wagga |
$550,000.00 |
15/06/2009 |
Wagga Wagga NSW |
|
FIDF R1 03 Australian Solar Timbers |
Install a new timber treatment facility |
$316,800.00 |
15/06/2009 |
Kempsey NSW |
|
FIDF R1 13 AKD Softwoods |
Optimisation of Lower Grade Radiata Pine |
$550,000.00 |
22/06/2009 |
Colac VIC |
|
FIDF R1 28 Colonial Timber Products |
Install a component pre-fabrication wall frame manufacturing line |
$125,381.25 |
12/11/2009 |
Brendale QLD |
|
FIDF R1 37 Allied Timber Products |
Redevelop the Stage 3 Bathurst softwood sawmill by installation of new plant |
$504,900.00 |
22/06/2009 |
Bathurst NSW |
|
FIDF R1 49 Carter Holt Harvey Woodproducts |
Develop affordable indigenous housing (panelised building system) |
$146,702.60 |
8/09/2009 |
Chatswood NSW /Northern Territory |
|
FIDF R2 01 Wespine |
Install advanced automated grading technology for sawn structural softwood |
$269,500.00 |
18/02/2010 |
Dardanup WA |
|
FIDF R2 03 Ecofriendly Solutions |
Install equipment to allow expansion of Biofuels utilisation by producing ekologs |
$124,740.00 |
22/02/2010 |
Manjimup WA |
|
FIDF R2 04 PACPine |
Install a steam piston generator to reduce reliance on electricity |
$33,000.00 |
22/02/2010 |
Burraga NSW |
|
FIDF R2 08 Hurford Hardwood |
Install equipment which added thermally modified plantation and highland species flooring as a product line |
$181,500.00 |
25/02/2010 |
Tuncester NSW |
|
FIDF R2 13 AKD Softwoods |
Install log sorting by juvenile wood identification to achieve optimum product output |
$525,294.00 |
22/02/2010 |
Colac VIC |
|
FIDF R2 15 Australian Solar Timbers |
Install a new End-Matching System for Strip-Flooring Line |
$198,000.00 |
18/02/2010 |
Kempsey NSW |
|
FIDF R2 16 Australian Solar Timbers |
Install a new 3D Scanning System for Strip Flooring Line |
$412,500.00 |
22/02/2010 |
Kempsey NSW |
|
FIDF R2 19&20 Carter Holt Harvey Woodproducts Australia |
Redevelop the Myrtleford Plywood Mill and provide staff training |
$1,100,000.00 |
22/02/2010 |
Myrtleford VIC |
|
FIDF R2 24 Itreat Timber |
Installation of a Highly Specialised timber treatment plant |
$495,000.00 |
18/02/2010 |
Narangba QLD |
|
FIDF R2 26 Forrest Timber Products |
Install a new Value Adding Timber Processing System |
$550,000.00 |
18/02/2010 |
Birregurra VIC |
|
FIDF R2 40 Keith Timber and Hardware |
Install and purchase equipment to expand the truss plant facility |
$20,435.25 |
22/03/2010 |
Keith SA |
|
FIDF R2 49 Port Lincoln Aboriginal Community Council |
Establish the Wanilla Forest Development Project to replant and provide ongoing management |
$110,000.00 |
22/03/2010 |
Port Lincoln SA |
Guidelines for applicants
Advisory Committee
The previous Australian Government Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry appointed a five-member Advisory Committee to assess the applications, and to provide advice on project eligibility, merit and competitiveness. The committee included three forest industry members, a representative of the state/territory governments, and an Australian Government member.
Contact us
The Forest Industries Development Fund grant program was administered by the Forestry Branch of the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, who can be contacted on 02 6272 5079.