QUEENSLAND Liberal Senator Russell Trood encourages local community groups to apply for the Australian Government’s Community Heritage Grants before they close in late June.
“Community groups who want to apply should make sure their applications are in before they close on June 30,” Senator Trood said.
Senator Trood has a keen interest in documenting Australia’s history and heritage, taking an active role in this area through his committee work with the parliament house library in Canberra: “I encourage our local community groups and individuals to apply for these grants, to further enhance our knowledge of the past and preserve that knowledge for the future.”
“Much of our Australian—and indeed Queensland—heritage is located in small communities and these grants will help preserve that heritage for future generations,” Senator Trood said.
Grants up to $15,000 are available for projects to help preserve nationally significant collections and provide collection management training to improve the skills of staff and volunteers working with materials. Any Australian, not for profit, incorporated community organisation is eligible to apply.
The Community Heritage Grants were established to enable communities to preserve their local heritage. Since 1994 over $2.5 million has been made available for projects right across Australia. Community organisations such as historical societies, Indigenous and migrant community groups, museums, public libraries, and archives which have public collections are eligible to apply.
“The Community Heritage Grants are a great way for a local community group to improve the local knowledge about the heritage of their area, collect information on a local organisation, or preserve the works of earlier generations,” he said.
Local community groups interested in applying for the grant should check the National Library of Australia website for more information.
“My office at Forest Lake in Brisbane has information packs and application forms available to send out. Alternatively, more information can be found at www.nla.gov.au/chg,” Senator Trood said.