Innovation and Improvement Fund

Application template

March 2017

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Lodging an application to the Innovation and Improvement Fund

This template outlines what information is required and how to provide it when submitting an application to the fund.

Completing the template

Part 1 – application declarationis mandatory information and must be completed and uploaded when submitting an application to the fund.

Part 2 –responses to key criteria must be provided against all eligibility and assessment criteria. These can be provided by completing this template in full, or in an alternative format, which can be uploaded via the fund portal.

Submitting an application

Completed applications to the fund must be submitted via the department’s portal before the closing of the relevant offer round.

The online fund portal allows easy submission of applicant and application details as part of the lodgement process, as well as their responses to the key criteria and any supporting material.

The portal can be accessed from the department’s website at:

No other methods of lodgement (e.g. email, postal) will be accepted.

Innovation and Improvement Fund application for <insert project name>, <date prepared / - 1 -

Part 1 –application declaration

The application must be accompanied by mandatory information about the applicant, any associated organisations andproject details, and signed by an authorised council officer.

This information must be entered into the application lodgement portaland intothis template.

A scanned copy of part 1, containing the signed declaration, must be uploaded when submitting the application via the fund portal.

Primary applicant organisation

Accountable officer

An accountable officer is a representative from the primary organisation responsible for the management of the project. The accountable officer will be the primary contact for the department while the application is being assessed and decided.

Title
First name
Last name
Position
Phone number
Email address

Secondary application organisation (if applicable)

Organisation name

Project details

Project name
Project description

Signed declaration

[Representative of the primary applicant organisation with appropriate delegation]

name

position

organisation

Part 2 –responses to key criteria

An application to the fund will be assessed against the following key criteria:

  • Consistency with the objectives of the fund.
  • Ability to meet assessment criteria.
  • Capacity to deliver the project in the required timeframes.

Applicants can provide responses to the key criteria within this template, or provide responses to all criteria and fields in this template in other supporting material.

If responding in a separate document, applicants will only need to provide part 1 of this template.

Fund objectives

Please provide a response demonstrating how the project is consistent withthe fund objectives.

Objective one: Ensure opportunities to improve the performance of the state’s land use planning system are identified and maximised.

Response:

Objective two: Support councils to realise the benefits of the new planning system for their communities.

Response:

Objective three: Assist councils to fulfil their planning obligations for their local communities in the most efficient, cost-effective and appropriate manner.

Response:

Objective four: Support local government initiatives that will improve the operation and effectiveness of their planning development assessment frameworks, which deliver economic, social and environmental benefits.

Response:

Assessment criteria

Please provide responses to thethreshold criteria, and proposal considerations as directed below:

Threshold criteria

Demonstrate the performance of the project against the threshold criteria. The project must demonstratevery strong performance against one of these threshold criteria, or strongly perform against two or more of the criteria.

Criteria theme / Description
State, regional and local development /
  • The extent to which a project will achieve positive state, regional and local development and economic, environment and social outcomes.

Response:
Increased innovation and technology /
  • The extent to which the proposal will:
  • result in the implementation of an innovative technology or business practice
  • introduce or enhance information technology systems for the local government and the community, such as, public access to documents, information and services.

Response:
Planning scheme improvements /
  • The extent to which the proposal will deliver scheme improvements. Please note: amendments made under the alignment amendment rules are excluded from the fund.
  • Responses to this criteria should demonstrate how the project:
  • improves the interactivity, accessibility and understanding of the scheme for the community and development industry
  • improves clarity of the scheme and its operation to ensure the scheme provides a consistent and coherent framework from the strategic outcomes through to the development assessment requirements.
  • modifies levels of assessmentin the planning scheme to ensure proposals are not subject to unnecessary or complicated processes

Response:
Development assessment system improvements /
  • The extent to which development assessment processes will be refined and streamlined to achieve efficient, transparent and effective outcomes.

Response:
Information and spatial /
  • The extent to which a significant contribution would be made to ensure accurate, reliable, and up–to-date spatial data is available for the local government area.

Response:
Proposal considerations

Describe the proposal in accordance with the proposal requirements.

Consideration / Description
Project demand and proposed solution /
  • Describe the need or opportunity the project will address; and the effect the project will have, on the community.
  • Describe how the project will address the need or opportunity, and how and why the project was selected as the most appropriate response to the need or opportunity.

Response:
Innovativeness /
  • Demonstrate how the project proposal will deliver a different way of addressing the current situation.
  • Demonstrate how the application of new knowledge, technologies or processes can deliver improved efficiencies, effectiveness or quality of outcomes for the local government, community and industry.

Response:
Project benefits – local government /
  • Demonstrate how the project directly benefits the local government.
  • Identify the benefits, preferably in qualitative and quantitative terms.

Response:
Project benefits –industry and community /
  • Identify, in quantitative and qualitative terms, how the project will benefit the community and regional economy in relation to:
  • the number of jobs supported
  • broader economic development
  • improved community planning outcomes.

Response:
Value for money /
  • Demonstrate value for money in terms of costs versus benefits.
  • Demonstrate delivery of the project is feasible.
  • If relevant, demonstrate the sustainability of the project in terms of the council’s commitment and ability to fund the ongoing operation and maintenance of the project, including any co-contribution proposals.

Response:
Project ownership /
  • Must demonstrate how ownership of the project that is the subject of the fundingwill be held by and remain with the leadcouncil and/or partner councils (—including its deliverables, outputs and any related intellectual property—).

Response:
Benefit transference – can it be scaled or replicated? /
  • Demonstrate an ability to be used as a model for other councils to learn from, adopt or adapt.
  • May be focussed on a single local government area but potential benefits to other local government areas should be identified and described.

Response:
General / Other general factors that will be considered when assessing applications include:
  • risk management
  • financial soundness
  • the project’s eligibility and strategic merit
  • project readiness
  • the local government’s experience in delivering similar projects and current position to do so.

Response:

Additional material or supporting documents

Additional material can be submitted in support of applications to the fund. These can be uploaded when submitting applications via thelodgement portal.

[End of application template]

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