Local Landcare Coordinator Host Organisation Application Form

Local Landcare Coordinator Initiative
Host Organisation Application Form

Objective

The NSW Government has provided $15 million over four years to renew the government-community relationship and unlock the full potential of the thousands of volunteers in the Landcare network. The Local Landcare Coordinator Initiative will deliver three inter related components: The Landcare Future Fund, the Landcare Community of Practice and a network of Local Landcare Coordinators.

The network of Local Landcare Coordinators will work with local Landcare groups and networks to build capacity and connections within communities. It is supported by a Community of Practice and is central to providing information that will build the business case for the Landcare Future Fund.

The primary purpose of the initiative is to enable the effective participation of voluntary, community-based groups and networks, landholders and the wider community in natural resource management activities that manage and restore the natural environment, improve the sustainability of agricultural production, and build the resilience of communities.

This application

This application is for one 0.5 equivalent full-time (EFT) Local Landcare Coordinator to be engaged for a period of 3.5 years from 1 January 2016 to 30 June 2019. An alternative EFT arrangement is possible if this application is part of a bid that covers more than one region or is a collaboratively-developed partnership bid within a region.

The process

Local Land Services and Landcare NSW are calling for applications from eligible local organisations to host up to 60 part-time Local Landcare Coordinators throughout NSW.

Positions will be allocated under an open process whereby eligible community-based groups or networks in natural resource management and/or sustainable agriculture can apply to host a position.

A baseline allocation of four half time (0.5 EFT) positions will be available within each of the 11 Local Land Services region. The remaining positions will be allocated between regions, to provide equitable levels of support across NSW. Whilst the default is for each position to be 0.5 EFT, other arrangements that show collaboration within a regional Landcare community, or supportive partnerships, may be considered.

Applications will be assessed by a panel consisting of the Landcare Support program manager, the State Landcare Coordinator and representatives from regional Local Land Services and Landcare NSW. Final approval of recommendations rests with the Joint Management Committee upon recommendation from the Local Land Services Landcare Program Manager.

The Joint Management Committee reserves the right to seek further information regarding applications and to bring parties of competitive applications together to improve coverage and outcomes where possible.

Applications to host a Local Landcare Coordinator will be accepted by email to til 5pm on Wednesday 14 October 2015

Key terms

For the purpose of this application, the following terms apply:

Host organisation

This is the organisation hosting a Local Landcare Coordinator.

This may be any not-for-profit legal entity that works across the fields of natural resource management, sustainable agriculture and land management.

The host organisation will either enter directly into a contract with Local Land Services or, if part of a partnership bid, may form part of a single contract entered into with Local Land Services by the lead partner of that bid.

Lead partner in a partnership bid

This will be the contact point for a joint bid that is a partnership arrangement. The lead partner may act as the single contractor with Local Land Services for all the host organisations in the partnership bid, or may request that each host organisation be responsible for the contracting arrangements with Local Land Services for their Local Landcare Coordinator position.

Employment service provider

A third party who provides employment administration services to the contractedorganisation. This will be an arrangement between the contracted organisation and the service provider, not a direct arrangement between the service provider and Local Land Services.

Note: The costs of an employment service provider or the administration and reporting costs of a lead partner organisation need to be met from within the contract funds, or by the host organisation.

No extra funds will be allocated to meet these costs.

Completing and lodging an application

If you are the only party to your bid, complete Section A only.

If you are involved in a partnership bid, each partner organisation that is hosting a Local Landcare Coordinator must complete Section A

The lead organisation for the partnership bid is responsible for submitting the completed application, which will include:

  • Section A – a copy completed by each of the hosting organisations
  • Section B – completed by the lead organisation.

Section A - Applicant / host organisation

This section should be completed by each of the organisation that will host a Local Landcare Coordinator.

If your application is part of a partnership bid, please ensure each partner completes this application and the lead organisation also completes Section B.

Organisation name
What year was your organisation formed?
Is your organisation a not-for-profit legal entity? / Yes No If no, you are not eligible to apply
Is your organisation incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act of NSW (via NSW Fair Trading)? / Yes No
Is your organisation a not-for-profit limited by guarantee under ASIC? / Yes No
Is your organisation incorporated under another arrangement – please detail
Inc or ACN number
Date of incorporation
ABN
Postal address
Email address
Office telephone / Mobile
Contact name
Contact phone / Mobile
Contact email

Partnership bids

Is your application part of a partnership bid? / Yes No
If NO - go directly to page 4
If YES - please complete the following and ensure the lead organisation completes Section B, then go to page 4
Name of partnership bid
Lead organisation
Lead partner contact person
Contact phone / Mobile
Contact email

Organisational purpose

Our organisations constitution contains the relevant clauses that make it a not-for-profit organisation / Yes No
The objects of our constitution are consistent with being an organisation that provides a public benefit in the sphere of natural resource management, sustainable agriculture and land management / Yes No

If you answered no to either of these questions, you are not eligible to apply

Statutory reporting

Date of your last AGM
Is your organisation registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC ) / Yes No

If YES: We will use the ACNC website to check on the following information concerning your organisation and your
compliance with reporting obligations. You do not need to supply us with any of the following as they are
part of the public record.

If NO: Please provide the following

Please attach a copy of your constitution / Attached
Yes No
Please attach your financial statements, as due for the previous period
(30 June 2014 if operating on a financial year model or 31 December 2014 if operating on a calendar year) / Attached
Yes No
Did yousubmit your latest annual statement to either NSW Fair Trading or ASIC within the required period?
(within six months of the end of your financial year and within one month of your AGM ) / Yes No
If your latest annual statement is not yet due for submission, did you submit the previous year’s statement within the required period? / Yes No

If your organisation is not up to date with its statutory reporting obligations, you are not eligible to apply

Outcomes

In 200 words or less, please describe:
  • why your organisation wants to host a Local Landcare Coordinator
  • what your organisation hopes to achieve by doing so
  • the strengths your organisation has to assist the successful delivery of the Local Landcare Coordinator Initiative.

Governance

How often does your committee meet to manage the affairs of the organisation?
eg monthly, bimonthly, quarterly, six monthly, other
Have any of the committee/staff of your organisation participated in the following training in the past two years ?
A Hothouse workshop run by Landcare NSW / Yes No
The Landcare Essentials course run by NSW Department of Primary Industries / Yes No
Regionally-organised training in governance and planning / Yes No
Other (please provide details) / Yes No
Please self assess your governance using the Landcare NSW Governance Health Check

Organisations should ensure they meet the applicable critical governance standards (highlighted in red in the checklist) to be eligible to apply. Contact the Landcare NSW Member Services Officer if you need help with any of these items
Our organisation meets the applicable minimum governance requirements, as applicable, for our organisation as outlined in the Landcare NSW Governance checklist
(YOU DO NOT NEED TO SUBMIT THE CHECKLIST) / Yes No

Responsible persons

Please advise the names of your responsible persons (ie current committee members and public officer):
Position / Name / Email
Chairperson/President
Deputy Chair /President
Secretary
Treasurer
Public officer

Coverage

Is your organisation a group or network (ie an umbrella organisation for other smaller groups within your area) / Yes No
What is the total membershipof the group/network?
How many people are on your mailing distribution list?
If a network, list the groups your organisation supports. If more than five groups, provide a separate list containing the information below for each group
I have attached a separate list of the groups supported by our network / Yes No
Group 1: name
Contact name
Contact email
Incorporated / Yes No / Activity level / High Medium Low Not active
Group 2: name
Contact name
Contact email
Incorporated / Yes No / Activity level / High Medium Low Not active
Group 3: name
Contact name
Contact email
Incorporated / Yes No / Activity level / High Medium Low Not active
Group 4: name
Contact name
Contact email
Incorporated / Yes No / Activity level / High Medium Low Not active
Group 5: name
Contact name
Contact email
Incorporated / Yes No / Activity level / High Medium Low Not active

Region and local government area (LGA)

Which Local Land Services regions does your group or network operate in?
Delete those as required from the following list:
  • Central Tablelands
  • Central West
  • Greater Sydney
  • Hunter
  • Murray
  • North Coast
/
  • North West
  • Northern Tablelands
  • Riverina
  • South East
  • Western

List the LGA(s) covered by your group/network. If you don’t cover the majority of the LGA, list the towns covered by your group’s area of operations (If more than four LGAs attach a list )
I have attached a separate list of the LGAs covered by our network. / Yes No
LGA 1: Name
If not whole LGA which towns?
LGA2: Name
If not whole LGA which towns?
LGA3: Name
If not whole LGA which towns?
LGA4: Name
If not whole LGA which towns?
Is your organisation prepared to assist /support nearby groups that may not be covered by an existing network /or Local Landcare Coordinator under this initiative? / Yes No
Describe how you might support or connect such groups (100 word limit)

Partnerships and connectivity

Does your group/network belong to a district/regional scale network? / Group Network
Group/network name
How often does this group/network meet?
Monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, six-monthly, annually
Does your organisation regularly attend and contribute to meetings of this group/network? / Yes No
Does your group/network take part in current regional community of practice events/activities? / Yes No
List two such events attended over the past three years
1.
2.
Was your organisation represented at any of the past three state Landcare conferences?
2011 Parkes Yes No / 2013 Newcastle Yes No / 2015 Orange Yes No
List partnerships your organisation has in place and your involvement (eg project, working group, financial support
Partner / Involvement
Partner / Involvement
Partner / Involvement
Partner / Involvement
Partner / Involvement
Partner / Involvement
How does your group interact with Local Land Services in your region?
Project applications and contracts / Yes No
Regional Landcare Facilitator / Yes No
Input onto development of priority area, project design / Yes No
Technical staff at events and input to projects / Yes No
Representative on local community advisory group / Yes No
Local Land Services staff/board members attend our meetings / Yes No
Other (please describe)

Community involvement and engagement

Does your organisation have a strategic plan, an action plan or other planning tool that guides its activities? / Yes No
Were your members involved in developing this plan? / Yes No
Was the local community involved in developing this plan? / Yes No
Describe the process used by your organisation to ensure the views and needs of your members and the community are included in the development of the plan (100 word limit)
How is the plan monitored and reviewed? (100 word limit)
Describe how you engage and involve the community in delivery of on-ground projects (100 word limit)
Does your group currently work with or support youth or school involvement in Landcare? / Yes No
Describe this involvement (100 word limit)
Does your group currently work with or support Aboriginal involvement in Landcare? / Yes No
Describe this involvement (100 word limit)

Communication

How does your group communicate with its members and the broader community?
How often do you undertake any of the following activities?
Monthly, bimonthly, quarterly, half yearly , annually, adhoc
Newsletter / Yes No / Regularity:
e-newsletter or bulletin / Yes No / Regularity:
Working bees / Yes No / Regularity:
Field days / Yes No / Regularity:
Workshops / Yes No / Regularity:
Forum/general meetings / Yes No / Regularity:
Radio spot / Yes No / Regularity:
Newspaper column / Yes No / Regularity:
Other (please describe)
Does your organisation have a website?
Yes No / If yes, website address:
If yes, do you have a page or link to your website on the NSW Landcare Gateway website / Yes No

Operational capacity and current support

Support staff

Do you currently employ support staff? / Yes No / EFT:
If no, do you currently have access to support staff / Yes No / EFT:
If Yes, is this support via a Local Land Services Officer? / Yes No
Is this support via a local government? / Yes No
Is this support via other Landcare Network? / Yes No
Does your organisation receive any base level funding for support
(ie not for on-ground works, or for specific events) / Yes No
Amounts currently secured under contract: / 2015-16 / 2016-17 / 2017-18
RLF
CSO/LSO/Landcare Coordinator
Other:
Other:

Support facilities

Please indicate the facilities you will have available to support the Local Landcare Coordinator
Office / Yes No
Computer, printer, phone, etc / Yes No
Vehicle or a process of reimbursement for private vehicle use / Yes No
OR: We have agreement from another organisation to provide support services
*please provide a letter from this organisation outlining their commitments / Yes* No

Employment arrangements

Please outline the policies and employment arrangements you currently have in place:
WHS policy and statement / Yes No
Workers compensation insurance policy / Yes No
PAYG registration with ATO / Yes No
Superannuation account with the small business clearing house / Yes No
If you answered NO to the any of the above:
If you are successful we will instigate the above procedure/s / Yes No
OR: We have secured arrangements for another organisation to provide
employment services for the Local Landcare Coordinator
*please provide a letter from this organisation outlining their commitment / Yes* No

Insurances

Does your organisation currently have any of the following insurances?
Insurance type / If yes, name of insurer
Public liability / Yes No
Volunteer accident / Yes No
Workers compensation / Yes No
Associations liability / Yes No
Professional indemnity / Yes No
General insurance / Yes No

Reporting and participation in the Community of Practice

Each organisation that hosts a Local Landcare Coordinator will be required to:

  • Maintain the employment of a 0.5 EFT Local Landcare Coordinator (or other level as determined) to work with their community to achieve the outcomes of the Local Landcare Coordinator Initiative
  • Attend, participate in,and contribute to the state and regional Community of Practice
  • Contribute to a program level MERI plan (monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement) that will include the completion of each of the following:
  • a work plan that includes a strategic planning / action planning or review process for their host organisation
  • baseline and annual governance health check, focused on policy, procedures and operations
  • baseline and annual group health check – based on activity level, numbers and change in capability
  • baseline and annual collation of investment and partnerships
  • baseline and annual collation of activity undertaken
  • three one-page case studies per year
  • Complete a six-monthly contractual report.

Declaration

I declare that I am an authorised representative of the organisation.

Our organisation understands the above requirements and is willing to participate and contribute to the state and regional community of practice and the above reporting.

We agree that the information provided in this form may be used for the purposes of the Local Landcare Coordinator Initiative by Landcare NSW and Local Land Services.

Name
Position with host organisation
Signature / Date

Submitting the form

Email

Applications to host a Local Landcare Coordinator will be accepted until 5pm on Wednesday 14 October 2015

Privacy notice: Information collected will not be given to any other third party except where required by law. All information provided will be held by theLocal Land Servicesand will be managed in accordance with provisions under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998.

Office use only
Entered by / Date
Checked by / Date

Section B – Partnership bid

Partnership details

This section should be completed by the lead organisation in a partnership bid.

Please ensure that each partner in the bid also completes Section A.