Local communities across Australia, especially those hardest hit by the loss of regional tourism, are a step closer to sharing in $200 million under a fifth round of the successful Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF).

The $1.04 billion Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) supports the Australian Government’s commitment to create jobs, drive economic growth and build stronger regional communities into the future.

The Australian Government announced $200 million in the 2020-21 Budget for a fifth round of the BBRF. Round Five includes:

• $100 million to support tourism-related infrastructure projects which are focussed on mitigating the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a region’s tourism industry.
• The other $100 million will support regional remote Australia more broadly, by funding general infrastructure projects and community investment projects.

The guidelines have now been released and can be found at www.business.gov.au/bbrf meaning local proponents can now start developing their applications.

Applications open on 12 January 2021 and close on 5 March 2021. Successful applicants are expected to be announced in mid-2021.