Frequently Asked Questions

Ceiling Insulation
Defence Housing
Education
Housing
Road and Rail
Small Business
Solar Hot Water
Tax Bonus Payments

What is happening to the Home Insulation Program?

On 19 February 2010 the Government announced that a new household Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme will assist households to save money on power bills and reduce their carbon emissions.

This new Scheme will replace the Home Insulation Program and the Solar Hot Water Rebate Program both of which are discontinued as of close of business 19 February 2010.

Over 1.1 million houses were insulated under the Home Insulation Program with $1.4 billion paid, and more than 122,000 applications received under the Solar Hot Water Rebate with more than $164 million paid. This Program was discontinued on 19 February 2010 and replaced with a new household Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme.

For more information visit the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website.

Householders and installers can contact 1800 808 571.

Installers can also call 1800 029 686 for more information relating to payment for work undertaken.

Electrical safety checks recently announced for homes with foil insulation will continue.

For more about electrical safety visit the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website.

How can my small business get involved in the Defence Housing component of the ESP?

The Government is assisting Australian Defence Force families by providing an additional $245.58 million to Defence Housing Australia for the construction of 829 residential houses, being built across Australia.

DHA have included an additional 27 houses to their original construction target of 802, using the funding of $245.58 million allocated under the Nation Building – Economic Stimulus Plan.
New housing will be located to support Defence operational centres in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Victoria, Hobart, Cairns, Hunter Valley, Ipswich, Sydney, Wagga Wagga, Wodonga, Townsville, Nowra and Toowoomba.

Visit the Defence Housing Australia website for information on how your small business can be involved.

How much funding will schools receive through Building the Education Revolution (BER)?

The Australian Government has committed funding of $16.2 billion over three years to provide new facilities and refurbishments in Australian schools to meet the needs of 21st century students and teachers under the BER program.

Approvals for each element of the BER have been announced and funding of $16.2 billion approved for the three elements of BER:

Primary Schools for the 21st Century – $14.1 billion for all Australian primary schools and special schools to build or renew large scale infrastructure such as libraries, multipurpose halls and classrooms, or to upgrade existing facilities. Funding of up to $3 million was available for each eligible primary school, as per the notional funding allocations as set out in the BER Guidelines.
Science and Language Centres for 21st Century Secondary Schools – $821.8 million for the construction of new (or refurbishment of existing) science laboratories or language learning centres for 537 secondary schools. Funding allocation followed a competitive process.
National School Pride program – $1.288 billion for all schools in Australia, government and non-government, for the funding of minor capital works and refurbishment projects. Funding of up to $200,000 was available for each eligible school, as per the notional funding allocations as set out in the BER Guidelines.

How will schools receive Building the Education Revolution (BER) funding?

Funding for the BER is paid through Commonwealth Treasury to State and Territory Treasuries and then distributed to State and Territory Education Departments for government schools and relevant Block Grant Authorities (BGAs) for non government schools.

When will the funding be allocated and the projects commence?

National School Pride (NSP) program – The two funding rounds of NSP have now been completed. The $1.288 billion program has funded 9,495 schools to develop 12,816 projects NSP have delivered 4435 projects (as at 31 December 2009).

Science and Language Centres for the 21st Century (SLC) – This funding round has now closed. The $821.8 million element of BER is funding the building or refurbishment of 537 science laboratories and language learning centres by 30 June 2010. Three school projects have already been delivered under SLC (as at 31 December 2009).

Primary Schools for the 21st Century (P21) – The $14.1 billion P21 program is funding 7,961 schools to complete 10,656 projects over three rounds (as at 31 December 2009). All three rounds have now closed with projects funded under these rounds to be completed by 20 December 2010 (Round One), 31 January 2011 (Round Two) and 31 March 2011 (Round Three). 200 P21 projects have been completed (as at 31 December 2009).

How were the projects chosen?

The Commonwealth did not have a role in the selection of projects at the school level. The relevant education authority in your State or Territory was responsible for ensuring appropriate consultation was undertaken with schools when applying for BER funding and implementing BER projects.

A full breakdown of funding per school can be found at www.buildingtheeducationrevolution.gov.au.

As a tradesperson, how can I get involved in the BER program?

One of the fundamental aspects of the BER is support for jobs. All tradespeople are encouraged to contact their relevant state or territory BER Coordinator or Block Grant Authority for information on the tendering requirements in their area. Contact details are available on the BER website.

What is the process for BER signage, plaques and recognition?

There are no formal recognition requirements for the NSP element of the BER however schools can celebrate the completion of their NSP project by requesting a certificate acknowledging the funding.

Under the P21 or the SLC elements, a plaque will be provided as part of the recognition requirements. Towards the completion of the project, schools should contact their relevant Education Authority or the BER mailbox at BERRecognition@deewr.gov.au to register the proposed ceremony details.

The mailbox is monitored by School Liaison Officers in the BER Taskforce who assist schools with the organisation of their Recognition Ceremony. This mailbox is also the preferred method of contact for any questions regarding signage, plaques and the provision of school promotional material such as photographs.

What is the Social Housing Initiative?

The Social Housing Initiative will provide funding of $5.238 billion over three and a half years from 2008-09 to 2011-12 for the construction of new social housing (in two stages), and a further $400 million over two years for repairs and maintenance to existing public housing dwellings.

This Initiative is being conducted in partnership with State and Territory governments. It will provide a boost to public housing and housing administered by the not-for-profit community sector and is designed to assist low income Australians who are homeless or struggling in the private rental market.

The Australian Government has approved funding for Repairs and Maintenance, and for both Stage One and Stage Two construction.

For more detailed information, including implementation details, visit the Social Housing page of this website.

How many social housing dwellings will be made available under the Social Housing Initiative?

Across Australia, over 19,300 new public and community housing dwellings will be constructed with the assistance of the not-for-profit sector. In addition, it is expected that approximately 70,000 existing social housing dwellings will benefit from repairs and maintenance

For more information, including implementation details, visit the Social Housing page of this website.

How do I nominate a black spot?

Anyone can suggest a location or a section of road for black spot funding using a nomination form that can be downloaded from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government website.

What makes a site eligible for funding under the Black Spot Program?

Funding is mainly available for the treatment of black spot sites, or road lengths, with a proven history of crashes. Project proposals should be able to demonstrate a benefit to cost ratio of at least 2:1.

For individual sites such as intersections, mid-block or short road sections, there should be a history of at least three crashes that result in injury or death over a five-year period. For lengths of road, there should be an average of 0.2 crashes that result in injury or death per kilometre, per annum, over the length in question over five years; or the road length to be treated should be amongst the top 10 per cent of sites with a demonstrated higher crash rate than other roads in a region.

The requirement of a history of crashes ensures that those sites that have a recurrent problem are targeted first for treatment.

The Black Spot Program also recognises that there are road locations which could be considered as 'accidents waiting to happen'. Therefore, some program funds may be used to treat sites where road traffic engineers have completed a Road Safety Audit and found that remedial work is necessary. This allows an opportunity for proactive safety works to be undertaken before casualties occur.

Funds cannot be used for the purchase of road-building plant or equipment, or for operational or maintenance costs.

How were projects assessed for funding under the Boom Gates for Rail Crossings program?

The projects allocated funding were identified by each State and Territory Government using the Australian level crossing assessment model (ALCAM) that takes into account factors such as road and rail traffic volumes, crash history, visibility for motorists and train drivers, the number of rail tracks at the crossing and other public risks.

For more information on ALCAM visit http://www.levelcrossings.nsw.gov.au/alcam.htm

What is the business tax break?

The business tax break is an extra tax deduction available on the plant and equipment you need to buy to keep your business running.

The tax break covers new, tangible, depreciating assets.

It also covers improvements or additions you make to existing assets.

As the tax break is temporary, there are deadlines that apply, so you must buy and use or install the asset within a set timeframe.

The tax break is in addition to the deduction for the decline in value your business is entitled to claim for an eligible asset.

For more information visit www.ato.gov.au/businesstaxbreak

Who is eligible for the business tax break?

You may be eligible to claim the business tax break if you:

carry on a business
buy the asset by the deadline
use or install the asset by the deadline
meet the minimum thresholds
use the asset principally in Australia and principally in your business, and
are eligible to claim a deduction for the asset's decline in value under section 40-25 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997

For more information visit www.ato.gov.au/businesstaxbreak

Where can I find more information about work opportunities in my area?

Visit the Stimulus Plan Work Opportunities page on this website for further details about opportunities to be a part of the roll out of the Nation Building – Economic Stimulus Plan.

On the State and Territory Links page of this website, you will find the contact details of all state government and local councils across Australia.

Click on your State or Territory to be directed to their website for further information about what’s happening in your area. A full list of local council details is also available.

What is happening to the Solar Hot Water Rebate

On 19 February 2010 the Government announced that a new household Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme will assist households to save money on power bills and reduce their carbon emissions.

This new Scheme will replace the Home Insulation Program and the Solar Hot Water Rebate Program both of which are discontinued as of close of business 19 February 2010.

For more information visit the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website.

Householders and installers can contact 1800 808 571.

Installers can also call 1800 029 686 for more information relating to payment for work undertaken.

Electrical safety checks recently announced for homes with foil insulation will continue.

For more about electrical safety visit the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website.

Where is my tax bonus payment?

The Australian Government has provided eligible people with a tax bonus payment of up to $900.

To be eligible for the tax bonus payment you must have lodged your 2007-08 income tax return by 30 June 2009, unless the Tax Office granted you a deferred lodgement date before 18 February 2009.

If you were expecting a payment and haven't received one, visit www.ato.gov.au to find out what you should do.

If you or your tax agent or accountant have been affected by a natural disaster or significant injury or illness resulting in hospitalisation for more than two weeks, you have until 30 June 2010 to lodge your 2007-08 tax return.

NOTE: this only applies if the natural disaster or significant injury or illness occurred between 1 January 2008 and 30 June 2009 inclusive.

For more information about the tax bonus payment, visit www.ato.gov.au.

Nation Building - Economic Stimulus Plan