WA Recreational Boating Facilities Scheme (RBFS)

• Applicants must fund at least 25 per cent of the total project cost
• Contributions may include funds from other sources such as sponsorships, donations or other government grants, which must be disclosed in the application
• In-kind contributions of materials, labour and machinery directly attributable to the project are accepted where quantifiable
• Internal administration and project management costs including staff salaries are not eligible as in-kind contributions
• Applicants are responsible for funding any cost overruns, though significant increases beyond the applicant’s control may be considered through a variation request

Access and tenure requirements

• Facilities must be accessible to the recreational boating public
• Applicants must have tenure over the land or obtain the landowner’s approval to undertake the project
• Volunteer marine rescue organisations, community groups and individuals must work with an eligible authority to prepare and submit the application, and the facility must be licensed to that authority

Commercial use requirements

• Combined recreational and commercial use facilities are considered where recreational use exceeds 50 per cent
• Grants may be calculated based on the percentage of use by recreational boaters
• Any fees or charges for use of the facility must be used exclusively for maintenance of the facility
• Changing usage from recreational to commercial, or increasing commercial usage beyond what is stipulated in the application, will require refund of up to 100 per cent of the grant

Project and design requirements

• Construction must not begin before the funding agreement is executed, as funding cannot be provided retrospectively
• Preliminary activities such as design work, cost estimation or community consultation are permitted provided they are not included in the project’s estimated costs
• Projects must comply with relevant Australian Standards including AS4997-2005 for maritime structures and AS3962-2020 for marinas
• Applicants are encouraged to consider universal access criteria under AS1428-2021
• Land-based facilities will only be funded where associated maritime infrastructure is maintained to an appropriate standard
• Formal DTMI approval of detailed project scope, design report and engineering designs is required before works commence
• Applicants are responsible for obtaining all statutory approvals including jetty licence, planning, heritage and environmental approvals

Staged and multiple applications

• Applicants may apply for multiple grants for different projects across planning or works categories
• Large projects may be staged across multiple rounds, supported by an overall concept plan showing proposed future stages
• A successful application for any stage does not guarantee funding for future stages, and later stages may not be funded if earlier stages are incomplete
• A successful planning grant does not guarantee the works project will be funded in future rounds

Full conditions, assessment weightings and project eligibility detail can be found in the RBFS grant guidelines.