Subsidy Program Information
Great Barrier Reef Excursions
Subsidy information
To be eligible for the subsidy:
- The application must be from a Queensland primary or secondary school, including schools of distance education;
- The school’s excursion itinerary must include at least one curriculum-related reef experience, facilitated through a commercial reef tourism operator registered with the program and undertaken within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area;
- Eligible reef education activities need to align with Australian and Queensland curriculum; and
- The application must be approved before travel is undertaken.
Please read the Program Guidelines before submitting an application.
The subsidy is not intended to cover all costs of the planned activities or itinerary.
Funds are allocated to schools on a per-student basis, at rates corresponding to the round-trip distance travelled from the school as per the subsidy table below.
Payments
Applications for the subsidy can only be submitted by Queensland Schools and will not be accepted from individual students, parents, or travel intermediaries.
The subsidy will be paid directly to schools after their planned experience or itinerary has been assessed as meeting the eligibility requirements for funding. No subsidy payment will be made for any travel or Great Barrier Reef education activities that are undertaken prior to approval of a school’s itinerary.
The subsidy is calculated on a per student basis. Accompanying teachers and adults are not included when calculating the subsidy.
A student is only eligible for the subsidy once and the school is responsible for ensuring that each student for whom the funding is claimed has not, to the best of the school’s knowledge, received the subsidy previously.
For overnight itineraries, 50 per cent of the subsidy will be paid upon approval of the school’s application and the remaining 50 per cent will be paid upon receipt of the completed survey after the excursion.
For day trips, the subsidy will be paid upon completion of the approved day trip, noting that approval must be obtained before the day trip is undertaken.
Rates
The subsidy is not intended to cover all costs of the planned activities or itinerary.
Funds are allocated to schools on a per-student basis, at rates corresponding to the round-trip distance travelled from the school as per the subsidy table below.
Day trip
Distance not applicable. Subsidy value: $40
Overnight itinerary
Total distance travelled (round trip)
Level 1, up to 499km: $55
Level 2, 500km – 999km: $85
Level 3, 1000km – 1499km: $115
Level 4, 1500km plus: $150
Acknowledgement Requirements
Under the GBR Education Experience Program guidelines, schools must acknowledge the subsidy provided by the Queensland Government in the school newsletter and in communication issued to parents/guardians in relation to the excursion.
Details including the funding received by the school for each student participating in the excursion and the reef experience undertaken must be reported in the newsletter / communication to parents/guardians.
Example acknowledgement statement:
This <activity/excursion> is supported with funding from the Queensland Government’s Great Barrier Reef Education Experience Program. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion, funding of $xxx per student is being paid directly to the school.
For social media posts related to the excursion, schools have the option to include the hashtag #supportqldtourism
