More big things are coming to Victoria’s tiniest towns with new support through the Allan Labor Government’s Tiny Towns Fund set to make our smallest communities even better places to live, work and visit.

Member for Ripon, Martha Haylett, today welcomed the announcement that Round 2 of the $20 million Tiny Towns Fund will open for applications on Monday, 26 August. Grants between $5,000 and $50,000 will be available through Regional Development Victoria to boost tourism, livability and community pride in towns with up to 5,000 people.

From new barbecues, bike tracks and walking trails, to club and community hall upgrades, the grants will support towns to bring to life projects that celebrate community spirit and make a positive difference to locals.

The first round of the Tiny Towns Fund is already supporting more than 200 projects in 181 towns across rural and regional Victoria and interface councils – with $7 million provided to projects that matter to local communities.

There were over 20 successful projects in the first round of the fund across the Ripon electorate, including $50,000 to redevelop the pavilion at the Buangor Recreation Reserve, $31,050 to upgrade the Dunolly Senior Citizens Hall, $8,000 to refurbish the foyer for the Creswick Theatre, $50,000 to improve disability access at the St Arnaud Country Club, and $12,000 to refurbish the Evansford Community Centre.

The Tiny Towns Fund is backing stronger communities by enhancing rural towns, boosting local job opportunities, and creating more reasons for people to visit Victoria’s tiniest towns.

Townships that have not yet received grant, or that have worthy project ideas to boost community resilience, recovery and economic growth, are encouraged to come forward in this round.

The application process has also been updated to make it even easier for smaller, volunteer-run community groups to apply.

The fund is a part of the Labor Government’s record $45 billion investment since 2014 in projects and programs that support rural and regional Victoria.

For more information, visit https://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/grants-and-programs/tiny-towns-fund

Quotes attributable to Member for Ripon Martha Haylett

"This fund is terrific for our region’s smallest communities. It offers practical support and improvements to make sure our rural areas can thrive well into the future.”