The $10 million Hardwood Timber Haulage Subsidy Program is part of the $150 million Primary Industry Support Package which is co-funded by the Australian and NSW governments. Applications are now closed.
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: Up to $500,000
- Application opened: 30 May 2022
- Application closed: 30 November 2022, 2:00 pm
Program objective
This program subsidises the costs associated with transporting High Quality and/or Construction Grade hardwood timber from forests and plantations located outside of existing supply areas and into processing facilities across the NSW Mid and North Coast.
The aim of the program is to support job retention at hardwood processing facilities and to maintain adequate supply of High Quality and/or Construction Grade timber to the construction industry during the rebuild of flood affected homes and buildings.
This program is funded and administered by Department of Regional NSW.
Eligibility
Who can apply
Applicants must:
- be an existing hardwood timber processing facility
- operate and be located in an eligible LGA listed at Appendix A
- have been trading for at least 3-years
- have or be willing to purchase at least $20 million in public liability insurance.
Applicants must be an incorporated entity or trust (including a trust with a corporate or individual trustee) and hold an Australian Business Number (ABN), Australian Company Number (ACN), or be registered with NSW Fair Trading under the Associations Incorporation Act 2009 or another Act.
Who can’t apply
Ineligible applicants include:
- any business or organisation that does not satisfy eligibility requirements.
- Unincorporated organisations
- Individuals or sole traders
- NSW Government agencies or state-owned corporations.
Types of projects funded under this grant
Activities must be directly related to the transport of High Quality and/or Construction Grade hardwood timber from storage sites, forests and plantations located Outside of the Applicant’s Normal Supply Areas into a disaster declared LGA in the NSW Mid and North Coast as per the Australian Government Reference Number (AGRN) 1012.
Timber may be sourced from anywhere within Australia.
What can’t you apply for
Ineligible costs include:
- costs associated with the transport of timber from within existing supply areas
- costs associated with the transport of timber that occurred prior to the applicant returning their signed confidentiality agreement, or that will occur after the period for claiming Eligible Costs closes
- costs that have already been covered or claimed under insurance or from other Australian or NSW government programs
- travel costs not associated with the transport of timber from a storage or harvest site to the processing facility. For example, the costs associated with travelling to the storage or harvest site with an empty payload are ineligible to claim
- costs associated with undertaking assessments of the timber to be transported under this Program, such as site visits
- costs that require recurrent or ongoing funding from the Australian or NSW governments
- costs to transport timber that does not comply with High Quality and/or Construction Grade hardwood timber standards.
Example projects
Applicants may apply for the subsidy of $30 per tonne for High Quality and/or Construction Grade hardwood timber that is harvested and transported from storage sites, forests and plantations located Outside of the Applicant’s Normal Supply Areas to a processing facility located in a disaster declared LGA in the NSW Mid and North Coast.
Most recent recipients
What was approved
Approved for Coffs Harbour Hardwoods Sales Pty Ltd
$99,000 was approved by
Deputy PremierDate approved
December 2022Location of the recipient
Clarence ValleyAbout the grant
Applications approved
16
Applications received
16
Hardwood Timber Haulage Subsidy Program
Agency funding this grant
Department of Regional NSWProgram term
Eligible Claim Period Closed: 10 May 2023 Eligible Claim Submission Period: 10 May 2023 (unless prior extension sought)What was approved
Approved for Ironwood Taree Pty Ltd
$24,300 was approved by
Deputy PremierDate approved
December 2022Location of the recipient
Mid-CoastAbout the grant
Applications approved
16
Applications received
16
Hardwood Timber Haulage Subsidy Program
Agency funding this grant
Department of Regional NSWProgram term
Eligible Claim Period Closed: 10 May 2023 Eligible Claim Submission Period: 10 May 2023 (unless prior extension sought)What was approved
Approved for J Notaras & Sons Pty Ltd
$24,000 was approved by
Deputy PremierDate approved
December 2022Location of the recipient
Clarence ValleyAbout the grant
Applications approved
16
Applications received
16
Hardwood Timber Haulage Subsidy Program
Agency funding this grant
Department of Regional NSWProgram term
Eligible Claim Period Closed: 10 May 2023 Eligible Claim Submission Period: 10 May 2023 (unless prior extension sought)What was approved
Approved for Machins Sawmill Pty Ltd
$135,000 was approved by
Deputy PremierDate approved
December 2022Location of the recipient
Mid-CoastAbout the grant
Applications approved
16
Applications received
16
Hardwood Timber Haulage Subsidy Program
Agency funding this grant
Department of Regional NSWProgram term
Eligible Claim Period Closed: 10 May 2023 Eligible Claim Submission Period: 10 May 2023 (unless prior extension sought)What was approved
Approved for Raging Red Timbers Pty Ltd
$43,019 was approved by
Deputy PremierDate approved
December 2022Location of the recipient
Clarence ValleyAbout the grant
Applications approved
16
Applications received
16
Hardwood Timber Haulage Subsidy Program
Agency funding this grant
Department of Regional NSWProgram term
Eligible Claim Period Closed: 10 May 2023 Eligible Claim Submission Period: 10 May 2023 (unless prior extension sought)What your application needs to include
Applicants must provide the following details of the hardwood timber to be transported under the program:
- forecasts of the volume of timber and the subsidy amount that will be claimed under the Program, up to a maximum of $500,000 per applicant
- details of the storage or harvest location/s and the processing site location
- evidence that the timber can be processed as High Quality and/or Construction Grade hardwood
- evidence that the timber is located outside of an applicant’s normal supply area or additional evidence supporting an Applicant’s claim that a harvest site be considered as being outside of an applicant’s normal supply area
- summary of any on-site visits and assessments by the applicant to grade the timber
- evidence of purchase agreements/contracts and consent of the landowner (where applicable)
- a summary of how the proposed activities will enable continued operations, retain jobs and support ongoing economic activity.
Prepare your application with this checklist
Before you start your application, please read the Program guidelines (PDF 1.3MB).
If an application is missing information or is incomplete, the Department may, in its sole discretion, work with applicants to clarify any missing or incomplete information. However, the Department will not start assessing the Application until, in the Department’s sole opinion, the Application is complete.
Address the eligibility criteria
Applicants will be required to provide the following information to determine their eligibility for the Program:
- details of the hardwood timber processing facility
- evidence that the business has been in operation for more than 3 years Department of Regional NSW | 3 Hardwood Timber Haulage Subsidy Program Program Guidelines
- an Australian Business Number (ABN), Australian Company Number (ACN) or NSW Fair Trading registrations under the Associations Incorporation Act 2009 or other Act.
Start the application
Applications for this grant were available via the SmartyGrants portal.
After the application is submitted
Applications will be assessed by staff within the Department in the order that they are submitted.
The Department will stop assessing applications once it has allocated all available funding.
This may mean that some applications will not be assessed even if they are received by the Department before 2pm on 30 November 2022.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome within 15 business days from submitting a completed application.
Successful applicants will be provided with a letter of offer and will be required to enter into a Funding Deed with the Department.
Unsuccessful Applicants will be notified of the outcome and provided an opportunity for feedback by the Department. Applicants are encouraged to resubmit updated applications based on the feedback provided by the closing date.
Support and contact
If you require assistance or advice with your application, please contact the Department
Program evaluation
The Hardwood Timber Haulage Subsidy Program (HTHS) aimed to support recovery, rebuilding, and resilience efforts for the hardwood timber industry in response to the record-breaking storms and flooding that occurred in parts of NSW from February 2022 (AGRN 1012).
HTHS subsidised the haulage of 30,608 tonnes of hardwood timber across five disaster declared LGAs on the NSW Mid and North Coast.
The Process and Early Outcomes Evaluation assessed the appropriateness and effectiveness of the program design and implementation. The evaluation found that the program was designed to meet a clearly identified need in the industry but was significantly undersubscribed and underutilised. Key factors that led to the undersubscription and underutilisation of the program include:
- Evidence requirements for applications were not feasible for applicants to provide.
- Timeframes were short and unrealistic, both in design, and in the publicised dates of the notification of assessment outcome.
- External factors hindered timber harvest including weather, state-wide shortages of timber, and the Christmas holiday period shutdown.
In response to this finding, the evaluation makes one strategic recommendation to develop a Framework for implementing Industry Appropriate Funding that is built around early, and ongoing industry consultation during the design, implementation, and completion of the program.
Read the Hardwood Timber Haulage Subsidy Program process and early outcomes evaluation (PDF 743.71KB) report.
Date of publication: August 2024