THE recently launched Mysouthwest regional Internet portal has received a Federal Government grant of $75,000.
The funding will help to establish the portal as the South West region’s most comprehensive source of information. The money comes on top of $20,000 in WA Government funding via the South West Development Commission and the Office of Information and Communications.
Thousands of voluntary hours have been invested by businesses such as Gateway Internet Services, btg media, Phoenix Digital Imaging, Geographes, Glasshouse Graphic Designs and other South West organisations.
However, the commercial viability of the program relied heavily on the Chamber accessing seed funding.
The Bunbury Chamber of Commerce and Industry will use the finance to employ a coordinator for a further twelve months to market the portal.
The money will also assist in establishing systems and to develop programs to encourage the involvement of business, government and community organisations in populating the portal and making it relevant and useful to the South West community.
The portal will enable South West businesses accessing the Internet to focus on information and services with local relevance and eliminate the frustration of sifting through unwanted data from the rest of the world.