Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts

Programs and services

Business development and response

Export and investment assistance

Industry development

Antarctic Tasmania, science and research

Screen Tasmania

Sport and Recreation Tasmania

Business development and response

Business Boost

The Business Boost program provides seminars and workshops to assist businesses develop and expand by increasing management skills, providing up to date business information and knowledge and by providing networking opportunities.

Business Licence Information Service

The Business Licence Information Service (BLIS) is a one-stop-shop for high-level information on a range of Australian, State and Local Government controls that you must comply with when operating a business (or occupation) in Tasmania. These controls include licenses, permits, approvals, registrations, codes of practices, standards, and guidelines.

Business Mentor Services Tasmania (BMST)

BMST offers a free, small business support program, using volunteer mentors from the business community to provide advice to small business and business intenders.

Business Point – 1800 440 026

Business Point offers a fast, free and confidential telephone information and referral service for people starting and operating a business in Tasmania.

Drought Recovery Restocking Assistance Scheme

This scheme offers short term financial assistance to farming enterprises in Exceptional Circumstances declared areas to support restocking investment following drought.

Enterprise Centre Program

A network of Enterprise Centres located around the state offering free and confidential business information, guidance and support services to both existing small business and to those who wish to start a business.

Enterprise Growth Program

The Enterprise Growth Program (EGP) provides financial assistance to help eligible Tasmanian businesses to identify, evaluate and invest in projects or activities which will significantly improve their performance, growth and productivity.

Farm Water Development Loan Scheme

The Farm Water Development Loan Scheme (FWDLS) will provide short-term financial assistance to farming enterprises to facilitate the uptake of irrigation infrastructure with the overarching aim of boosting their agricultural productivity.

Local Government Infrastructure Assistance Program

The Local Government Infrastructure Assistance Program is a Tasmanian Government initiative aimed at providing a greater capacity for municipal councils to meet the local infrastructure needs within their respective communities.

Micro-Credit Program

The Micro-Credit Program offers small grants for people starting a business who have prepared a business plan and are holders of a health care card.

Tasmanian Industry Support Scheme

The extended Tasmanian Industry Support Scheme is an initiative of the Tasmanian Government that will provide support for sustainable private sector businesses which are otherwise at risk of closure or significant downsizing, or are experiencing an impaired investment capacity, as a result of the current volatility in financial markets and the consequent credit conditions.

Workforce Participation Program

The Workforce Participation Program (WPP) provides financial assistance to organisations that offer employment to a person who has not been employed in the previous three months, and who faces a barrier that prevents them from working.

Business Migration

The Business and Skilled Migration Unit acts as sponsoring authority for a range of business and investor visa categories. We also promote the state internationally at migration exhibitions and seminars to attract business migrants who intend to run a business and/or invest in Tasmania..

Brand Tasmania

As a council member of the independent Brand Tasmania Inc. initiative, we work with industry councils and government departments to heighten the profile, quality and value of Tasmanian products and services. We also encourage ownership of the Tasmanian brand by Tasmanian enterprises and the community.

ExportActive

A bi-monthly online newsletter that provides information on export and investment marketing t activities, industry news, professional development and trade opportunities.

Exporter and Investment Education

Provides Tasmanian enterprises with workshops and seminars to develop their knowledge and skills of contemporary export practices and investment readiness.

Export Marketing Assistance Scheme

Provides Tasmanian enterprises with financial assistance to undertake marketing activities to develop or expand in new international markets.

Inward Buyer Program

Supports visits from national and international buyers. This program includes coordinating visit itineraries and matching business opportunities.

Tasmanian Export Awards

Recognises the export success of Tasmanian enterprises and raises awareness of the significant contribution exports make to the State’s economy.

Trade missions, exhibitions and promotions

Help is provided to Tasmanian enterprises to form national and international relationships by supporting trade exhibitions, trade missions and promotional activities in all industry sectors.

The regional economic development and investment (REDI) map reflects major project and economic activity occurring around Tasmania. It is published electronically on the Invest Tasmania web site.

Sponsoring and employing skilled workers from overseas

The Business and Skilled Migration Unit assists Tasmanian employers with skilled vacancies which are difficult to fill locally. The unit certifies skilled vacancies under the employer sponsored visa program and also facilitates matching up independent skilled migrants with local businesses.

Industry development

We work closely with Tasmania’s industries to develop their short and long-term capability and competitiveness. Part of this involves a targeted approach to attracting investment into Tasmania, identifying opportunities and encouraging reinvestment. It also involves providing project facilitation services, support and encouragement for strategic alliances, networks and clusters and delivering quality financial facilitation services across a range of industry sectors including; resource industries, manufacturing, information and communication technology, food and beverage and finance and business services. Examples of our activities include:

Encouraging telecommunications infrastructure investment
Promoting Tasmania as an excellent location for information and communication technology development and testing
Developing our mining resource industries by helping companies expand and attracting new investment
Helping to value add to our natural resource industry through initiatives such as a proposed world-class pulp mill in Tasmania
Assisting substantial new investment in the energy industry
Assisting major new property and tourism infrastructure development
Supporting the manufacturing industry by promoting lean manufacturing principles at an enterprise level and on a wider basis through open days and the bi-annual Manufacturing Conference
Supporting the contact centre and back office processing sectors and promoting Tasmania as a preferred location for these sectors
Supporting our food and beverage industries through initiatives such as industry forums, research and opportunity reports, financial support, education, seminars and access to new markets
Ensuring that a full range of finance options are available by establishing networks and encouraging new providers of capital to the State
Promoting opportunities for Tasmanian companies to participate in major projects, government procurement and commercial developments through the Industry Capability Network (ICNTAS). INCTAS provides industries and purchasers with a free sourcing service to identify Tasmanian companies capable of supplying those items that would otherwise be imported.

Farm Water Development Loan Scheme

Technopark Incubator Program

Provides assistance to start-up and existing businesses to accelerate growth, facilitate strategic alliances and to encourage information dissemination and technology transfer with other organisations.

Tasmanian Industry Support Scheme

Tasmanian Innovations Program

Provides financial assistance to help commercialise innovative products, processes and services and promote a culture of innovation in the State.

IDEAS workshop

Provides assistance to assess the commercial potential of innovative ideas.

Market Ready Commercialisation Program

Provides innovative new and existing businesses with the advanced skills they need to commercialise their products.

Springboard Accelerator Program

Delivers critical business support services to help businesses successfully commercialise their products and services.

Commercialisation Boot Camps for Researchers

Provides researchers with an understanding of the issues involved in commercialising their research.

Business Over Breakfast

Brings together researchers and business people with the aim of quick information diffusion and opportunities for product development and capacity building.

i-cubed Network Seminars

Promotes interaction between innovators, investors and intermediaries to assist with professional development, investment attraction, strategic alliances and consortia building through a series of seminars and evening functions.

2009 ©-STAR Awards

Recognises the achievements of the state's science and technology entrepreneurs and highlights the importance of the commercialisation of local innovations. The awards provide the industry with an excellent opportunity to promote its products, build relationships and raise profiles.

Screen Tasmania

Screen Tasmania, an agency of the Tasmanian Government, seeks to advance Tasmania as a competitive, creative, and culturally distinctive centre for screen production.
We develop, encourage, nurture and invest in screen projects and people. We also promote Tasmania as an attractive production destination nationally and internationally.
Screen Tasmania’s funding and support programs are designed to:

foster the development and production of quality and marketable film, television and digital media projects in Tasmania
increase production levels by attracting off-shore production into Tasmania
extend the creative and professional development of Tasmania’s screen practitioners
encourage and support financially viable business models within the Tasmanian screen sector to ensure continued growth and sustainability
develop and grow Tasmanian audience interest and involvement in screen culture events and activities.

Non-Tasmanian productions will only be considered where the Production Company brings demonstrated strong economic and/or ongoing creative opportunities to the state.

Project Development

Seed funding
This program provides support to practitioners, allowing them to dedicate time to fully explore the potential of their creative ideas, and develop them to treatment or proposal stage for pitching to the marketplace, and encourages the development of strong, original and compelling ideas. Seed funding is available for feature film, television drama series, telemovies, documentaries, animation and digital media projects.

Draft funding
This program provides support to practitioners to dedicate time to develop quality draft scripts and prototypes. Seed funding is available for feature film, television drama series, telemovies, documentaries, animation and digital media projects.

Project Finance

Production Investment
This program is designed to provide financial support for projects in the production phase of development. Production investment finance is available for feature film, television drama series, telemovies, documentaries, animation and digital media projects.

Filming in Tasmania (FIT) Scheme
The Filming in Tasmania (FiT) scheme is undergoing a review. Screen Tasmania is currently unable to accept applications for funding under this initiative.

Practitioner Development

Attachments
This program provides hands-on production experience and experiential learning opportunities to Tasmanian filmmakers under the guidance of more experienced practitioners.

Travel – business and professional development
This program provides support to Tasmanian practitioners with travel costs for both business and professional development purposes; to attend both Australian and international markets, conferences, festivals, seminars or specific one-off workshops.

Industry and Cultural Development

Event and Organisational Funding
This program provides opportunities for skills training, professional development and network building for local content creators. The aim of the program is to promote screen culture in the state; build audience interest and awareness of the local, national and international screen industry.

Special Initiatives

Screen Tasmania runs a range of special initiatives each year. For current programs visit www.screentasmania.com

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Sport and Recreation Tasmania

Sport and Recreation Tasmania provides financial assistance to sport and recreation providers state-wide. Each year Sport and Recreation Tasmania distributes around $3 million to organisations through a range of grant programs. Projects that are eligible to receive funding include facility developments, equipment purchase, hosting of national championships in the State and the employment of trainees within the industry.

The aim of these grant programs is to improve opportunities for Tasmanians to participate in sport and recreation activities.

Major Grants Program

Grants between $15 000 and $80 000 to clubs, associations, local government and other not-for profit providers of sport and recreation. Applicants must contribute at least half of the project funding. There is one funding round per year.

Minor Grants Program

Grants between $500 and $10 000 made to clubs, associations, local government and other not-for-profit providers of sport and recreation. Projects include simple equipment purchases, simple facility developments or upgrades, planning and research studies, participation projects and other development programs. Applicants must contribute at least half of the project funding.

National Sport Championships Program

Grants of up to $3 000 per national sport championship made to local government and state sport and recreation organisations, clubs and associations. Funding is provided to help meet costs associated with hosting national sport championships within Tasmania. Funding is distributed on a first-come first-serve basis to those organisations that meet the criteria.

State Grants Program

Grants of up to $50 000 to state sport and recreation organisations and sector service providers.

Trails and Bikeways Program

Grants available to local government, community groups and other not-for-profit providers of sport and recreation. Funding is available for trail and bikeway construction projects consistent with the Trails Tasmania Strategy and the implementation of city bike plans.

Trainee Subsidy Program

Grants of between $2 125 per part-time trainee and $4 250 per full-time trainee, made to clubs, associations, local government and other providers of sport and recreation. Funding is provided to subsidise the employment of trainees in the sport and recreation sector, and is distributed on a first-come first-serve basis to those organisations that meet the criteria.

Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts

Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts Head Office - Hobart
GPO Box 646 Hobart
email: info@development.tas.gov.au
ph: 03 6233 5888
or 1800 030 688

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