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Reminder for Recognition Requirements for BER P21 and SLC projects.
The Australian Government requires that a Recognition ceremony be held within 3 months of the completion of the project with 2 months prior notice to DEEWR
However, as you know a Federal election has been called for Saturday 21 August 2010. Once an election is called, the government goes into 'caretaker' mode and this continues after polling day until it the election result is clear or, if there is a change of government, until the new government is appointed.
Schools which complete BER P21 or SLC projects during the caretaker period will not be exempted from the recognition process.
You should consider the following guidance points provided by the BER Recognition team as you plan your opening ceremony for after this period:
1. Only ceremonies booked before the caretaker period commenced can go ahead during the caretaker period.
2. For those ceremonies booked before the caretaker period commenced and to be held during the caretaker period DEEWR will continue its existing arrangements for liaising with Government representatives and with schools about the details of an event, including the provision of a running order. However, the Department will limit its briefing to the provision of factual material.
3. No bookings for new ceremonies will be taken until after the election and the swearing in of the new government. The Recognition team will be available for you to negotiate arrangements for your opening ceremony once the caretaker period has ended.
4. Plaques ordered/prepared before the caretaker period commenced can be used. No plaques will be ordered during the caretaker period.
5. Guests at a recognition ceremony can include both government and opposition MPs. Schools may continue to also invite other attendees, as per the normal process.
Please visit the BER website for further details of the requirements by clicking this link: BER recognition website
All enquiries should go to BERRecognition@deewr.gov.au
Purpose:
The Association of Independent Schools of NSW (AIS) has the responsibility of administering the Australian Government's Capital Grants Programme (CGP) for independent schools in NSW. It does this through a separate company called the AISNSW (BGA) Ltd. Each year the Government allocates a fixed 'block' of money to be allocated through the BGA to independent schools in NSW for capital works projects on a needs basis.
Capital Grants Program:
The rules or criteria that apply to the allocation of these grants are set out in the document titled Administrative Guidelines: Commonwealth Programs for Non-government Schools, 2009-2012. This document has been sent to schools and is also available from the Australian Government Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR).
Applications for capital assistance are called by the BGA each year. Schools wishing to be considered should:
Membership of ISCGC:
An independent committee known as the Independent Schools Capital Grants Committee (ISCGC) has been established to assess capital applications and determine which will be recommended for grant assistance to the Australian Government Minister.
Secretariat:
The secretariat for the BGA is provided by the Association of Independent Schools of NSW. The company secretary is David Buley, who is also the executive officer to the ISCGC. Wendy Godden is the Grants Administration Manager and Corwin Hooper and Nick Evans are the Grants Administrators for the BGA.
Objectives:
The specific objectives of the Capital Grants Programme are to:
- provide and improve school infrastructure, particularly for the most educationally disadvantaged students
- ensure attention to refurbishment/ upgrading of capital infrastructure for existing students, while making provision for needs arising from new demographic and enrolment trends
- pursue the Australian Government's other priorities and objectives for schooling as outlined in the introduction to the Quadrennial Administrative Guidelines