Tourism Industry Regional Development Fund Grants Frequently Asked Questions
Tourism Industry Regional Development Fund Grants – Frequently Asked Questions
Round 2 Launch Version as at 24 June 2013 – Please check back frequently for updates
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Section (1) General
1.How do I apply for a TIRF Grant?
2.What grant funding is available?
3.What types of projects will be funded under the Program?
4.What is Tourism 2020?
5.What is T-QUAL Accreditation?
6.Is T-QUAL Accreditation a mandatory requirement to apply for a TIRF Grant?
7.Can I submit multiple applications to the TIRF Grants Program?
8.If I complete more than one application, do I have to divide $250,000 between the applications?
9.Can I apply for funding from another government program at the same time as applying for this program?
10.Can I apply for a grant under the TIRF Grants Program if I have received another Commonwealth grant (e.g. T-QUAL Grants)?
11.Will my application information be treated as confidential?
12.Are there other resources that can assist me to write my application?
13.Is there a list of consultants that you have that are qualified to help put together TIRF Grant applications?
14.Is there any state based quota for funding recipients?
15.In what format should I submit my application?
16.Can I send in my application by email or post?
17.When do grant applications close?
18.Will late applications be accepted?
Section (2) Eligibility
19.Who can apply?
20.Can I apply if my project is located in an eligible tourism region, but my Head Office / Business is located in an ineligible region (i.e. Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane)?
21.Why aren't Individuals, Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations eligible under this Program?
22.Can State Governments or State Government Departments apply for TIRF funding?
23.Is a body corporate eligible to apply for a TIRF Grant on behalf of a strata-titled apartment complex?
24.Where can I find out which Tourism Region I belong to?
25.Why have Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane Tourism Regions been excluded from this Program?
26.What is the definition of “Australia” under the TIRF Grants Program?
27.Is the list of potentially eligible projects shown in the Program Guidelines the only projects that will be supported?
28.Can I get funding for one component of a larger project and do you want to know about the full project if it is just one component of a larger project?
29.Can I use grant funding to fund promotional activities for my tourism product / destination?
30.In the Application Form we are asked to select priorities from Tourism 2020 strategic areas but the application does not list all six. Is this correct?
31.Can I purchase non-fixed assets with my grant funding?
32.Can I pay permanent staff with the grant funds or matching funds if they are working on the project?
33.Can I pay temporary or casual staff / consultants with the grant funds or matching funds if they are working on the project?
34.Can I use grant funds or my matching funds to pay for the costs of gaining relevant Council and other approvals?
35.If a consultant writes the application, is this eligible expenditure?
36.Can a project be given approval for less funding than applied for?
37.How are software licenses considered?
38.Do I need to have approvals in place for my project to be eligible to apply for TIRF Grants Program funding?
39.I have just started (or am about to start) a new business and am thus unable to provide financial statements for the past two financial years. How can I demonstrate my financial status?
40.Are ‘houseboat accommodations’ or ‘vessels with accommodation to provide long term fishing tours’ eligible under the TIRF Grants Program?
41.Are items required under new regulations such as continuous pool pumps and fire systems eligible?
Section (3) Matched Funding
42.What is meant by matched funding or dollar-for-dollar?
43.Where can the matching funds come from?
44.At what stage do I need to have money in my bank account for the matching funding?
45.Can in-kind funding be used as matching funding?
46.If I am a qualified and registered builder, can I construct my own building as part of the project?
47.What happens if my bank requires evidence that we have been successful in applying for a grant before it will loan me my matching funds?
Section (4) Application Process
48.Do I need to answer all questions in the Application Form?
49.Can I complete an application not using the Application Form?
50.Can I change the nature or scope of my project between submitting my application and execution of the funding agreement?
51.Do I need to be registered for GST to apply for the program if my business is not required to be registered for GST to operate?
52.What does the Assessment Criteria ‘value generated for your visitor region’ mean?
53.How do I include graphs, tables and other items essential to my application?
54.Can I use photographs to support my application?
55.Is there a limit to the number of attachments I can include with my application?
56.Do I need to include letters of support with my application?
57.What name should I provide in my application form under "Applicant / Organisation Name"?
58.How will my application be assessed?
59.Can I put project audit costs in the budget?
60.Should I include quotes for even small items in the budget section of the Application Form?
61.How do I complete the milestone section of my application?
62.How long will it take before a decision on which applications will receive funding is made?
63.Who makes the final decision on grant offers?
64.Will I be notified that the Department has received my application?
65.Will I get feedback if my application is unsuccessful?
66.My Application was unsuccessful, can I appeal the decision?
Section (5) Successful Applicants
67.What is a Funding Agreement?
68.If I am successful, will I receive the grant in one lump sum payment?
69.When can I commence work on my project?
70.How much information is required in a risk management report (in the Funding Agreement)?
71.What if we save some costs in the actual project compared to what we put in the budget – can we put that money saved towards other areas of the project?
72.Does my entire project need to be carried out by March 2016, or can my project be longer?
73.If I am successful in receiving funding, am I excluded from future rounds of the Program for funding for subsequent project stages?
74.If I am successful in applying for a grant to conduct a feasibility study and the study finds that the idea is not feasible, will I have to repay the grant funds?
75.Do grant payments include GST?
76.Do grant recipients have to pay tax on their grant?
Section (6) Labour & Skills Enhance
77.Why has Labour & Skills Enhance been included in TIRF Round 2?
78.How much funding is available under Labour & Skills Enhance?
79.What does Labour & Skills Enhance aim to achieve?
80.Can I apply for more than one stream of TIRF with the same application?
81.Can I develop more than one initiative under Labour & Skills Enhance (and possibly across the three project sub-streams) in my application?
82.Are any promotional or marketing activities eligible under TIRF?
83.Can we upgrade an existing tourism and/or hospitality training facility?
84.What is a Tourism Employment Plan and what does it do? Is there any guidance to assist me with developing a Tourism Employment Plan?
85.What happens if I want to develop a training facility in regional Australia, but the students come from an area outside of the definition of regional Australia or return to an area outside of regional Australia once their training is complete?
86.Is it okay to apply for funding to construct temporary staff accommodation to meet our seasonal labour needs?
87.Could I implement a transportation solution for the broader community that assists tourism and hospitality workers as well as workers/ students in other industries?
88.If I apply to undertake a research or exploratory study, would this be as competitive as other immediate projects?
89.Could my Labour & Skills Enhance project service just one business, or does it have to service one or more regions?
Section (7) Example Project Budgets
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Section (1)General
QUESTION / ANSWER1.How do I apply for a TIRF Grant?
/ To apply for the TIRF GrantsProgram, you should complete the Application Form available online at All sections of the Application Form must be completed including providing an accurate and well developed budget and submitting the required attachments.2.What grant funding is available?
/ The TIRF GrantsProgram will provide grants of between $50,000 and $250,000 (GST exclusive). The grants will be provided on a matched dollar for dollar basis – that is, for every dollar in grant funding you apply, you must contribute at least one dollar of your own Funds.3.What types of projects will be funded under the Program?
/ The TIRF Grants Program aims to increase the quality and range of visitor experiences in regional Australia through tourism product investment. Projects which are an improvement or upgrade of existing tourism product, a new innovative product or a labour & skills initiative may be eligible.A list of ineligible activities, which cannot be funded, is available in the Program Guidelines and should be reviewed before starting your application.
4.What is Tourism 2020?
/ Tourism 2020 is Australia's national strategy to enhance growth and competitiveness in the tourism industry. More information about Tourism 2020 can be found at5.What is T-QUAL Accreditation?
/ T-QUAL Accreditation is the Australian Government’s quality framework for the tourism industry. It assesses and supports quality assurance schemes and endorses their members with its national symbol of quality, the T-QUAL Tick. More information about T-QUAL Accreditation can be found at6.Is T-QUAL Accreditation a mandatory requirement to apply for a TIRF Grant?
/ No, T-QUAL Accreditation is not a mandatory requirement of the TIRF Grants Program. However it is consistent with Tourism 2020 goals, and is expected that successful applicants will work to obtain accreditation during the life of their project.7.Can I submit multiple applications to the TIRF Grants Program?
/ Yes, we will accept multiple applications from the same applicant providing the applications are for different projects. However,keep in mind your application needs be of a very high quality and you should ensure you have sufficient time to devote to a first application before considering another.8.If I complete more than one application, do I have to divide $250,000 between the applications?
/ No. There is a maximum of $250,000 (GST exclusive) per application.9.Can I apply for funding from another government program at the same time as applying for this program?
/ Yes, recurrent or other non-grant funding may co-fund your project. However, project activities funded under another Commonwealth, state/territory or local government grant program will not be funded under the TIRF Grants Program. You may apply for funding under this Program for another stage of the project that is not funded by another government grants program.10.Can I apply for a grant under the TIRF Grants Program if I have received another Commonwealth grant (e.g. T-QUAL Grants)?
/ Yes, as long as the project for which you are applying under the TIRF Grants Program is different to the project for which you were previously funded.11.Will my application information be treated as confidential?
/ Yes. The Department has appropriate processes in place for commercially sensitive information. Note though the Department may publish some information about successful applicants and projects on our website and in media releases.12.Are there other resources that can assist me to write my application?
/ The application process will be competitive, and applications will be assessed on merit. To be fair to all applicants, the Department will not provide advice on individual applications. To improve your chance of success, check that your application meets the aims and eligibility criteria of the Program, and does not seek funding for ineligible activities. You may find it useful to have someone else read your application to ensure it is a comprehensive proposal.You may be able to find useful research to support your project through Tourism Research Australia ( through Tourism Australia ( or through your State or Territory Tourism Organisation. If you are a small to medium business, you may also wish to consult Enterprise Connect.13.Is there a list of consultants that you have that are qualified to help put together TIRF Grant applications?
/ The Department does not provide recommendations for consultants. We do not require you to engage a consultant to prepare your application.14.Is there any state based quota for funding recipients?
/ No, there are no quotas for any specific state or territory.15.In what format should I submit my application?
/ Applicationsmust be submitted online with all Attachments uploaded as required.16.Can I send in my application by email or post?
/ No. Applications must be submitted online only.17.When do grant applications close?
/ Applications must be received online by 11.59pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (Canberra Time) on Wednesday 7 August.18.Will late applications be accepted?
/ No. Late applications will not be accepted.Section (2)Eligibility
QUESTION / ANSWER19.Who can apply?
/ To be eligible for the TIRF GrantsProgram, applicants must be:- registered for GST and
- one of
- a constitutional corporation, that is, a corporation to which paragraph 51(xx) of the Constitution applies (this includes a trustee corporation); or
- an incorporated association registered under a state or territory Act;or
- a local government body corporate or body politic; or
- a consortium led by a one of the eligible applicant types; or
- a government business enterprise; or
- For certain elements of Labour & Skills Enhanceonly – a state/territory government body corporate or body politic.
Additional details regarding eligible applicants can be found in the TIRF Grants Program Guidelines and requirements set are set out in the Application Form.
20.Can I apply if my project is located in an eligible tourism region, but my Head Office / Business is located in an ineligible region (i.e. Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane)?
/ Yes. Your eligibility is based on the location of your project, not the location of your Head Office or business.21.Why aren't Individuals, Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations eligible under this Program?
/ The Department has made a risk management decision to limit the types of organisation with which we will enter into Funding Agreements.22.Can State Governments or State Government Departments apply for TIRF funding?
/ Yes, for certain aspects of theLabour & Skills Enhancestream only, State Governments and their Departments / Agencies are eligible to apply.23.Is a body corporate eligible to apply for a TIRF Grant on behalf of a strata-titled apartment complex?
/ Yes, as long as the body corporate maintains an eligible business structure (refer to section 4 of Program Guidelines), and has the authority to enter into an Agreement on behalf of the individual owners.24.Where can I find out which Tourism Region I belong to?
/ Tourism Regions have been defined based on the definitions provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. You can determine the Tourism Region of your project by searching for your project location inTable 1(the second tab) of the Data Cube (Excel spreadsheet) from the following link:
25.Why have Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane Tourism Regions been excluded from this Program?
/ Research has identified a gap in the market for quality tourism product in regional areas. The TIRF Grants Program aims to address this market gap by encouraging investment in upgrades or innovation in regional areas. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbanetourism regionseach receive at least 1.7 million visitors more per annum thanthe nextmost-visited tourism region.26.What is the definition of “Australia” under the TIRF Grants Program?
/ Applying rules of statutory interpretation,"Australia" means the Commonwealth of Australia and, when used in a geographical sense, includes the Territory of Christmas Island and the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, but does not include any other external Territory (such as Norfolk Island).27.Is the list of potentially eligible projects shown in the Program Guidelines the only projects that will be supported?
/ The list of eligible projects shown in the Program Guidelines is intended to provide examples of the type of projects that may be funded and is not an exhaustive list.28.Can I get funding for one component of a larger project and do you want to know about the full project if it is just one component of a larger project?
/ Applicants can apply for one component of a larger project. It may be useful for the applicant to briefly outline the larger project in the project summary in the application form. For all other criteria however, the applicant should focus their proposal on the specific component of the larger project for which funding is sought.29.Can I use grant funding to fund promotional activities for my tourism product / destination?
/ No. Under the TIRF Grants Program Guidelines, any kinds of marketing, advertising or product promotion are ineligible activities (this includes but is not limited to brand strategies / development, marketing strategies, television shows, videos, photographs, brochure production or the conversion of marketing or promotional print material to online material). The only exception is that your project budget may allocate funding for a launch event to celebrate your project.Projects applying under the Labour & Skills Enhance stream should also refer to Question 81 below.30.In the Application Form we are asked to select priorities from Tourism 2020 strategic areas but the application does not list all six. Is this correct?
/ Not all Tourism 2020 strategic areas are relevant to the TIRF Grants Program. The areas of ‘encourage investment and implement regulatory reform agenda’ and ‘ensure tourism transport environment supports growth’ have not been provided as options as regulatory reform and the transport environment are not covered by the Program and the Program itself seeks to encourage investment. The labour and skills and indigenous strategic area has been split into two for reporting purposes. These check boxes do not affect assessment. The Department uses this information for its reporting.31.Can I purchase non-fixed assets with my grant funding?