The Federal Government, through Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, have announced that they will provide $300,000 of funding over the next three years to Renew Australia to support its work in community development and creative projects .
Federal funding will support Renew Australia’s growth and expansion into regional and remote centres and into the suburbs of major cities. This funding will assist Renew Australia to provide practical support including legal advice, insurance and advocacy to interested individuals and groups. This is the first funding that has been made available to support the national roll out of Renew schemes.
“This funding is the first government funding we have been offered to support the national roll out of the Renew Australia model,” said Renew Australia founder and director Marcus Westbury.
“it will make a major difference in our ability to respond to and to practically support interest from communities across the country.”
Having started with Renew Newcastle there are already successful Renew based and inspired schemes already running in places such as Adelaide, Melbourne, Parramatta and Port Adelaide.
Over the last 12 months Renew Australia has been talking to and working with communities from every state of Australia including Leichhardt, Nowra, Bega, Merimbula, Eden, Frankston, Ballarat, Burnie, Devenport, Launceston, Moss Vale, Mildura, Albany, Fremantle, Moreton Bay, Katoomba and the Blue Mountains, Nambour, Moreland, Maitland, Wollongong, Redcliffe, Point Cook, Geelong and many more about establishing local empty space activation programs.
Despite extremely limited resources the Renew model has spread across the country to launch hundreds of creative projects including galleries, shops and studios in privately owned buildings that were empty, disused or vandalised.
The Renew model is a creative yet effective way to address the problem of empty buildings that plague so many cities and towns while also stimulating economic and community development. As as creating exciting new opportunities for our creative industries, the Renew model is dramatically improving the amenity of local communities, boosting community confidence and jobs.
“We are very pleased to learn that the funding for Renew Australia is already included in the Budget and hope that all sides of politics, all candidates and local communities will recognise the value, and potential value, of our work in local communities across Australia,” Mr Westbury said.
For more information, about Renew Australia, visit: www.renewaustralia.org for details.
Image: courtesy of Renew Australia
