The Public Safety Infrastructure Fund grants (Council infrastructure grants) provide up to $250k to Victorian Councils  for the development of public safety and security infrastructure to improve community safety and confidence in public places.

The Public Safety Infrastructure Fund is part of the $39 million Community Crime Prevention Program that also includes the Anti Graffiti Plan, Community Safety Fund grants program and new investment in the Neighbourhood Watch program.

The design of environments has an important role in reducing opportunities for crime and antisocial behaviour and in promoting safer and more accessible public places that encourage legitimate community use. Measures to improve the safety of public places include improving lighting, improving opportunities for natural surveillance, increasing amenity and public use and improving access to and from public places.

The types of projects that are eligible for funding include:

• lighting systems, or other physical security or safety measures
• streetscape and amenity improvements in public places
• any physical element of a public place Closed Circuit Television system (CCTV).

Round 2 is now open for applications with a closing date of 22nd Feb 2013. 

Eligibility

Grant applications for the PSIF are open only to Victorian Local Government Authorities.

Eligible Projects

The program will fund the development of new infrastructure, or the redevelopment of existing infrastructure to help improve community safety, security and confidence in public places. Grants will support initiatives that respond both to potential and identified crime prevention issues.

Councils may submit more than one application, however the maximum combined total a council may apply for through this round of funding is $250,000 (excluding GST).

Grant funds requested can be used for public safety infrastructure costs only.

While multiple locations may be included in one application, the assessment criteria must be addressed in relation to each of these locations including evidence of local consultation.

Examples of eligible crime prevention projects include, but are not limited to:

• lighting systems, or other physical security or safety measures, such as perimeter fencing, bollards, and security grade door and window treatments for community facilities
• streetscape and amenity improvements in public spaces designed to minimise the risk of crime and support safe behaviour, for example encouraging increased and mixed-use of open spaces or enhancing natural surveillance
• any physical element of a public place Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system including signage. To be eligible for funding, the proposed CCTV system must be focused on a public place. For the purposes of these grants, this is defined as “any place to which the public has access as of right or by invitation, whether express or implied and where no charge is made for admission to the place”. A public place does not include a private place. Note, funds are provided for the physical infrastructure only and will not be given for monitoring or ongoing maintenance (see below).

Funding Contribution:

The project budget needs to include all financial contributions (including the grant you are requesting and key expenditure items related to the project). Your budget must be GST exclusive.

Applications require a minimum financial co-contribution to the project excluding future ongoing or maintenance costs.  The co-contribution towards delivery of the project may include, but is not limited, to the cost of the:

• infrastructure
• project management (commensurate to the size of the project and within 5-7.5% of the total project cost).

This minimum project co-contribution must exclude funding from other State Government agencies.

Applications should clearly specify and differentiate the use to which the DOJ grant funds will be put.  Grant funding requested from DOJ should be allocated to infrastructure costs only.

 

Council type	Co-contribution	Example
Metropolitan	DOJ will contribute a maximum 80% of the project cost.	A grant request of $100,000 must be matched by a  co-contribution of $25,000.A grant request of $250,000 must be matched by a  co-contribution of $62,500.
*Regional	DOJ will contribute a maximum 90% of the project cost	A grant request of $100,000 must be matched by a  co-contribution of $11,111.A grant request of $250,000 must be matched by a  co-contribution of $27,777.

 *Regional Victoria is defined as the 48 municipal councils, set out in the Regional Growth Fund Act 2011.

 

How To Apply

Apply online – this link will take you to the SmartyGrants system.

Open and Close Dates

Open: Tuesday 30 October 2012

Close: Friday 22 February 2013

Essential Documents

Public Safety Infrastructure Fund Grant Guidelines

Frequently Asked Questions

Project Plan Template

 

Successful Projects from Round 1

The government has funded 24 projects in local government areas across Victoria. Eighteen projects support safer design of public places to reduce opportunities for crime and anti-social behaviour. Six projects will fund public place CCTV systems.

 

Round 1 successful projects announced in April 2012 included:

Council	Location	Projects
Banyule City Council	Watsonia	Watsonia Station Lighting: $16,000.This project will upgrade lighting to the Watsonia Station car park and the path leading to the train station. The project is designed to reduce the risk of crime and to improve community safety and confidence.
Benalla Rural City Council	Benalla	Improved Lighting for a Growing Skate Park: $42,700.This project will install two new lighting towers in strategic locations in the newly developed Benalla Skate Park to help ensure safe use of the park by young people. The additional lighting will assist with passive surveillance of the area, discouraging inappropriate or anti-social activity around the Skate Park.
Boroondara City Council	Hawthorn	The Glenferrie CCTV Project: $245,000.This project will install eight new CCTV cameras in the Glenferrie Precinct to improve the safety and amenity of this popular late night entertainment area.
Casey City Council	Cranbourne	Back to the Park @ Cranbourne Place: $249,500.This project will provide environmental and security infrastructure improvements to Cranbourne Place Park.  Using Safer Design principles, the project will improve the park design to minimise the opportunities for anti-social and criminal behaviour and promote a safer and more accessible space that encourages legitimate community use.
Central Goldfields Shire Council	East Maryborough	Light Up East Maryborough: $25,300.This project will provide additional lighting in the streets between East Maryborough and Maryborough CBD. The aim is to reduce the risks of crime and improve community safety and confidence in areas frequently used by community members walking to local services, employment and social opportunities.
City Of Monash	Clayton	Creating Clayton’s Laneways: $131,123.Using Safer Design principles, this project will redevelop the Thomas St laneway complex which connects retail, residential and transport areas close to Clayton Shopping Centre. The redevelopment aims to create a lively public realm, overlapping functions between day and night, gathering spaces for people to sit, opportunities for walking with interesting and unhindered views, and improved lighting. This will help reduce opportunities for anti-social behaviour and crime, and improve community confidence in the safety of this area.
Greater Dandenong City Council	Central Dandenong	Safe City CCTV – Foster Street Precinct: $250,000.This project will develop a 14-camera CCTV system in the Foster Street / Dandenong Railway station precinct in Central Dandenong. The CCTV system will be one of a suite of measures implemented as part of the Victorian Government’s Revitalising Central Dandenong project to reduce levels of crime and increase community confidence in their safety within the precinct.
Greater Shepparton City Council	Shepparton	Shepparton CBD Safe City Camera Project: $250,000.This project will develop a 23-camera CCTV system for the Shepparton CBD, as part of a multifaceted approach to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and improve community confidence in their safety in Shepparton.
Horsham Rural City Council	Horsham CBD	Horsham CBD CCTV: $191,497.This project will upgrade 12 existing CCTV cameras and install an additional 10 cameras at new sites within the Horsham CBD to help deter crime, with a specific focus on assaults, property damage and theft.
Kingston City Council	Carrum	Underpass at Patterson River: $53,000.The Patterson River underpass provides access for people travelling to and from Carrum beach and the residential streets along Patterson river, and the nearby Carrum railway station. Using Safer Design principles, this project aims to reduce the opportunity for crime and anti-social behaviour and to improve the actual and perceived safety of people using the underpass. The project will implement a range of infrastructure work, including improved lighting to remove possible entrapment and concealment areas, and improve sight-lines and opportunities for natural surveillance.
Latrobe City Council	Traralgon CBD	Traralgon CBD CCTV: $117,000.This project will install eight CCTV cameras at key locations within Traralgon’s entertainment precinct to help deter crime and reduce anti-social behaviour, and improve community confidence in the safety of the area. The installation of CCTV will complement associated safety initiatives implemented by the Traralgon CBD Safety Committee and its partners.
Manningham City Council	Warrandyte	Light Up Warrandyte Community Centre: $57,500.The Warrandyte Community Centre is an important community hub with a number of services and facilities co-located there. This project aims to provide the community with safe and secure access to the Centre with the introduction of extra lighting to the car park and pathways. The increasing lighting will enhance community confidence in the safety of the facility, promote community participation, and provide a deterrent to antisocial or criminal behaviour.
Mansfield Shire Council	Mansfield	Mansfield Recreation Reserve Lighting:  $53,400.This project will upgrade and install lighting around the Mansfield Recreation Reserve to deter anti-social behaviour, enhance perceptions of safety and increase awareness of community crime prevention. If issues of anti-social behaviour are addressed, it is anticipated that the community will have increased confidence in using public facilities later into the day and into the evening.
Maribyrnong City Council	Footscray	Lightening Up Footscray: $40,000.This project will support lighting and amenity upgrades to Raleigh Street and Trugo Lane in Footscray. The upgrades aim to discourage anti-social activity in these areas and improve actual and perceived levels of safety. The project works are consistent with the broad directions of Council’s overarching safety plan ‘A Shared Approach to Safety in Footscray’ and specific components of the Footscray at Night Lighting Strategy.
Melton Shire Council	Melton	Macpherson Park Oval Pavilion Security: $9,900.This project will install three heavy security doors with compliant latches at Macpherson Park Oval Pavilion. These security measures will help reduce the number of burglaries and the level of malicious damage at this relatively isolated site.
Mitchell Shire Council	Pyalong	Pyalong Recreation Reserve CCTV: $21,988.This project will install a CCTV system within the Pyalong Recreation Reserve to deter incidents of criminal damage and theft at the sporting reserve, and to identify offenders involved in the commission of an offence. Reducing the level of criminal activity occurring at the reserve will support the volunteers operating this small community sporting facility.
Moyne Shire Council	Winslow	Winslow Recreation Reserve Security: $4,022.80The Winslow Recreation Reserve is used extensively by the local community for recreational purposes, and the club rooms are home to several sporting and community groups. This project will upgrade security at the facility, including installation of a wireless alarm system, upgraded locks, security window screens and security lighting, to reduce the risk of theft and vandalism.
Northern Grampians Shire Council	Stawell	Lighting Systems for Cato Park: $12,000.Cato Park is a highly used community asset for leisure activities and social gatherings. This project will enable vandal proof lighting to be installed throughout the park. The lighting will complement other recent community safety initiatives, reduce anti-social behaviour and improve the community’s perception that the park is a safe and welcoming place to visit.
Northern Grampians Shire Council	Stawell	Eventide Homes Safety Lighting: $8,000.This project will enable six new streetlights to be installed around the boundary of Eventide Homes. The lighting will complement other community safety measures implemented by the Eventide Homes Management. The aim is to improve resident safety in and around the village at night.
Northern Grampians Shire Council	St Arnaud	Queen Mary Botanical Gardens Lighting: $20,000.This project will install five new vandal resistant lights at the Queen Mary Botanical Gardens in St Arnaud to help reduce the risk of vandalism and other anti-social behaviour, and to improve security.
West Wimmera Shire Council	Harrow	Securing the Don Bradman Exhibition: $13,062.48.This project will provide proactive security measures to protect a rotating collection of memorabilia connected to Australian cricket legend Don Bradman that is on public display at the Johnny Mullagh Cricket Discovery Centre in Harrow.
Whittlesea City Council	Lalor	Peter Lalor Walk Redevelopment: $250,000.This project will redevelop the Peter Lalor Walk, including new feature paving, landscaping, lighting, way-finding signage and shelter structure. The redevelopment incorporates Safer Design measures to promote natural surveillance and support community confidence in using the space.
Wodonga City Council	Wodonga	Safer Access for the Gateway Precinct: $85,000.Using Safer Design principles, this project will provide security lighting in and around the arts and culture precinct and safe foot access between the arts and culture and the event facilities precincts. The lighting and pathway works are part of the overall precinct plan.
Yarra Ranges Shire Council	Mooroolbark	Hookey Park Improvements: $250,000.Consistent with the recently developed Hookey Park master plan, this project will redesign Hookey Park to improve community safety and access. Lighting, pathway and landscaping works will be undertaken to encourage natural surveillance, promote sight lines and encourage community activity within the park. The upgrade will help deter vandalism and anti-social behaviour currently occurring there.

Treadstone’s team  has put together successful applications for local councils in  Round 1.  Call Treadstone  now to discuss how we can help you complete your round 2 grant application call us now on  (03) 9008 5937 or email us.