The Morrison Government continues to provide critical support to community museums, galleries, and historical societies across regional and remote Australia under the second batch of $3 million Culture, Heritage and Arts Regional Tourism (CHART) program.
Member for Wannon, Dan Tehan said the funding flowing from the CHART program is timely as community-run arts and cultural organisations look to return to normal operations following some two years of disruptions caused by the pandemic.
Funding from the CHART program will assist the following projects in Wannon:
| Recipient | Project Description | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Gallery | A moveable trolley designed to encourage, engage, and increase accessibility for children and families. The trolley will be both an activity station and an opportunity for discovery with display elements incorporated. Activities and materials will be changed according to exhibitions, collections and artists supporting the National Curriculum. | $3,000 |
| Camperdown Cemetery Trust | Installation of historical signage at the Camperdown Cemetery, detailing various graves of prominent Camperdown (and region) people that complement and add to existing information on signs in locations around Camperdown. | $2,970 |
| Macarthur and District Historical Society | Purchase of voice recorders to capture stories and oral histories of people from the local district. Transcripts of these recordings will be held in the Research Room with possible inclusion in the exhibition space. | $3,000 |
| Hamilton History Centre | Replacement of ageing computers with new robust and secure networkable computers, eliminating the reliance on external hard drives for file storage and backups as the History Centre's digital collection expands. | $2,858 |
“Both our local economy and community have been affected by the ongoing effects of restrictions and isolation. However, thanks to the Australian Government, we can support the development of appealing cultural tourism experiences that will reignite the economy and participation in the Arts,” Mr Tehan said.
“I encourage arts, cultural and heritage organisations in Wannon to apply for a CHART program grant today – this will assist us to continue offering appealing cultural tourism experiences in our communities.”
The first batch of grants are supporting a variety of projects across the country, contributing to the reactivation and recovery through a total of 131 projects under the program to date, valued at over $368,000.
Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said more than $232,000 in grants would flow to 81 projects under Batch 2 to support activities that will encourage visitation to regional, rural, and remote parts of Australia as they continue to recover from the devastating impacts of COVID-19.
“We know that tourism is vital for driving economic growth in regional Australia,” Minister Fletcher said. “The Morrison Government is pleased to continue stimulating this growth under CHART with the promotion of our community arts sector – something that is invaluable to our regions and wider arts sector.”
The CHART program is being administered by the Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA) on behalf of the Government. Applications are open until 29 April 2022, or until funding is allocated, whichever comes first.
