NATIONAL: More than $112 million will be made available to the Australian clothing and household textile sector under a new federal funding initiative.
The capital injection is to come via the Clothing and Household Textile (Building Innovative Capability) Scheme, which comes into effect July 1 2010. The $112.5 million scheme is designed to promote innovation in the clothing and household textile manufacturing and design industries, and replaces the existing Textile Clothing and Footwear (TCF) Post 2005 Strategic Investment Program.
Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr said the scheme will assist in securing the jobs of Australian textile workers and ensuring the sustainability of the TCF sector.
“Our goal is to ensure that manufacturers are able to plan their future innovation activities and take full advantage of the scheme when it comes into effect,” Carr said.
The Building Innovative Capability scheme is part of the Rudd Government's $401 million TCF Innovation Package. A draft of the scheme's key details was released on March 5 for stakeholders, with feedback due by March 26. A copy of the draft can be obtained from AusIndustry's website.