What financial assistance is available for businesses that want to implement environmentally friendly practices?

In Plain English

Based on the provided documents, here's a summary of financial assistance available for businesses looking to adopt environmentally friendly practices:

  • Local Environmental Projects Program: This program supports local projects that aim to restore nature and heritage in communities. It provides funding for activities like habitat restoration, weed treatment, and improving wildlife care facilities.
  • Business Energy Advice Program: This program helps small businesses identify and implement energy efficiency measures to reduce their energy use, costs, and greenhouse gas emissions. It provides funding to service providers who advise small businesses on energy efficiency and switching energy retailers.
  • Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund Program: This program provides grants for feasibility studies into establishing microgrids in regional and remote communities to secure reliable and affordable electricity.
  • Support Plantation Establishment Program: This program provides funding to Australian businesses, State forestry bodies, and Territory forestry bodies to establish new long-rotation plantations on previously cleared land, increasing carbon sequestration and domestic timber supply.
  • Strengthening Business Program: This program provides tailored business advice to small-to-medium-sized businesses affected by disasters like bushfires and floods, helping them stay viable and strengthen their processes, including adopting more sustainable practices.
  • Australasian Recycling Label Program: This program supports small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) in adopting the Australasian Recycling Label on their packaging to improve consumer recycling behaviors and the sustainability of their packaging.
  • Hotel Energy Uplift Program: This program supports hotels in reducing their energy consumption through upgrades to equipment, building fabric, and energy management systems.
  • Empowering Business to Go Digital Program: This program supports increasing awareness and adoption of digital technologies among small businesses, which can include environmentally friendly practices.
  • Forestry Recovery Development Fund Program: This program provides grants to wood processing facilities affected by bushfires to upgrade their facilities, develop new wood products, and adopt more efficient practices.
  • Rural Financial Counselling Service Program: This program supports farmers, fishers, foresters and small related businesses to transition out of financial crisis or concerns.

Detailed Explanation

Several programs offer financial assistance and support for businesses aiming to implement environmentally friendly practices. These programs are authorized under various legislative instruments, primarily the Industry Research and Development Act 1986, Industry Research and Development Act 1986, Industry Research and Development Act 1986, Industry Research and Development Act 1986, Industry Research and Development Act 1986, Industry Research and Development Act 1986, Industry Research and Development Act 1986, Industry Research and Development Act 1986 and the Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Act 1997, Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Act 1997.

Here's a breakdown of the programs and their key features:

  1. Local Environmental Projects Program:

  2. Business Energy Advice Program:

    • Authority: Industry Research and Development (Business Energy Advice Program) Instrument 2019
    • Funding: $10 million over 3 years to procure roll out partners, $1.4 million to develop an energy benchmarking tool, and $0.3 million of departmental funding.
    • Focus: Assists small businesses to identify and implement energy efficiency measures, reduce energy use and costs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
    • Beneficiaries: Small businesses with between six to twenty employees.

  3. Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund Program:

  4. Support Plantation Establishment Program:

  5. Strengthening Business Program:

  6. Australasian Recycling Label Program:

  7. Hotel Energy Uplift Program:

  8. Empowering Business to Go Digital Program:

  9. Forestry Recovery Development Fund Program:

  10. Rural Financial Counselling Service Program:

These programs are administered by various government departments and agencies, including the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and AusIndustry. The specific eligibility criteria and application processes are detailed in the program guidelines available on GrantConnect (www.grants.gov.au) and business.gov.au.