SASW refers to the Supporting Agricultural Showmen and Women – Showground Rental Relief program.

This is a national program to support travelling Showmen and women and Show businesses, administered by the Victorian Showmen’s Guild.

The Supporting Agricultural Showmen and Women – Showground Rental Relief program, is designed to provide rental relief to travelling showmen and women at eligible agricultural shows in country and regional Australia.

The last two years have been tough for many of us and travelling showmen and women who support agricultural shows have been hit very hard. Due to the restrictions from COVID-19, many showmen and women have been completely deprived of their main source of income.

The Supporting Agricultural Showmen and Women – Showground Rental Relief program will help travelling showmen and women; often small, independent sole trader or family-based operations, cover some of their operational costs through support for showground rental relief.

Thanks to this program, travelling showmen and women will be supported to continue to provide the entertainment and amusements often featured at our agricultural shows.

The purpose of the program is to:

support the resilience and sustainability of travelling show businesses and the agricultural shows they service.

It recognises the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The objective of the program is to:

deliver support to travelling showmen and women by contributing to the operational costs of travelling show businesses for attendance at agricultural show events.

The intended outcome of the program is to:

provide funding for the rental expenses incurred by travelling show businesses at an eligible agricultural show in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 financial years.

An eligible agricultural show is:

• An agricultural show which comprises a mixture of events, activities, displays, competitions and entertainment that together seek to showcase a broad range of the agriculture sector and animal husbandry, including its equipment, livestock, trade and innovation, and
• A scheduled event run by an entity that is a member of Agricultural Shows Australia or a state and territory agricultural show society that is a member of Agricultural Shows Australia, and
• A scheduled event that went ahead in the 2021-22 and/or 2022-23 financial years, or
• An agricultural show which was cancelled less than two weeks prior to the scheduled event and incurred showground rental expenses normally charged to travelling show businesses, and
• A local agricultural show or a Capital City Royal Show held in Canberra, Hobart or Darwin in the 2021-22 and/or 2022-23 financial years.

If the Showmen, women or Showbusiness is allocated ground space directly by the Show Society you can ask the Showmen, women or Show business to complete FORM 8 and return to the Show Society to ensure they are eligible.

A travelling show business is an organisation that:

• Has an Australian Business Number, and

• Derives the majority of their income through the provision of amusement devices, games, showbags and/or show food canteens at Australian agricultural shows
• May be an itinerant trader (non-guild member or a showmen or women operating outside the defined amusement area)
• Is a member of one of the following guilds or association:
  • Victorian Showmen’s Guild
  • The Showmen’s Guild of Australasia
  • The Showmen’s Guild of South Australia
  • West Australian Showmen’s Association Inc.
  • Showmen’s Guild of Tasmania

• Incurred showground rental expenses in the defined amusements area
• Incurred showground rental expenses in the showbags area
• Incurred showground rental expenses in a space allocated by an agricultural show society.

Although most travelling Showmen and women, and Show business are members of their respective peak body, they DO NOT have to be a member of a Showmen’s Guild or Association to be eligible; they just must meet the eligibility criteria.

You may use FORM 8 to assist you assess the eligibility of Showmen, women and Show businesses attending your Show, who operate outside the Defined Amusement Area.

A travelling show business is an organisation that:

• Has an Australian Business Number, and

• Derives the majority of their income through the provision of amusement devices, games, showbags and/or show food canteens at Australian agricultural shows
• May be an itinerant trader (non-guild member or a showmen or women operating outside the defined amusement area)
• Is a member of one of the following guilds or association:
  • Victorian Showmen’s Guild
  •  The Showmen’s Guild of Australasia
  •  The Showmen’s Guild of South Australia
  • West Australian Showmen’s Association Inc.
  • Showmen’s Guild of Tasmania

• Incurred showground rental expenses in the defined amusements area
• Incurred showground rental expenses in the showbags area
• Incurred showground rental expenses in a space allocated by an agricultural show society.

The Defined Amusement Area is the space the Show Society allocated to the Showmen’s Guild or Association to operate the Show Carnival.

In the Defined Amusement Area, the Showmen’s Guild or Association Delegates allocate the ground space to the Showmen and women and Show Businesses as opposed to an operator or business that applies for space directly with the Show Society.

A Showmen’s Guild or Association Delegate is a designated Showmen or women, appointed to support their Guild or Association on the Showground. They also assist with the management of the Defined Amusement Area at Ag Shows, and support the Show Society in respect to the Show Carnival area/s:

The Delegate role is to assist with the following tasks:

• Liaise with the Show Society and put in place agreements relating to rental, camping and power charges
• Liaise with Showmen’s Guild/Association Members on site.
• Layout of the Defined Amusement Area (in accordance with the site plan) and rules of the Guild/Association.
• Liaise with authorities including WorkSafe and other stakeholders.
• Liaise with the Show Society in relation to the Members for the duration of the Show, including bump in /out.
• Assist with the sighting of Members documentation to ensure Members have the necessary documentation in place i.e., Public Liability Insurance, etc.
• For the duration of the SASW Program 1 June 2022 to 30 June 2023 the Delegates do not have to collect rental and other payments from Showmen and Women.

Delegates MUST complete the following:

• Check ALL Eligibility Criteria – for example: Ag Shows must be affiliated with a peak body (Ag Shows Australia and/or State / Territory peak body such as VAS Ltd in Victoria)
• COMPLETE FORM 1 – Record of Showmen’s Guild / Association Rental and Associated Expenses
• Co-sign FORM 1 with the representatives of the Show Society
• Provide a copy of FORM 1 to the Show Society to assist them complete FORM 3 – Application for rental payment and invoice the Victorian Showmen’s Guild
• Provide a copy of FORM 1 to your respective Guilds/Association to assist them complete FORM 4 – Application for ground administration fees

Ag Shows Australian (ASA) and/or the state and territory peak bodies may also be able to assist you, should you have any queries

Current (as at 9 March 2023) list of approved Show Businesses

The following Showmen, women & show business who operate outside the defined amusement area have been approved by the SASW Program Coordinators to be eligible for rental relief under the SASW Program.

Please note, this list is not finite. If you are an itinerant trader and would like to be considered for eligibility for the program, complete FORM 8 and submit to your Ag Show representative.  

This list is based on the Victorian Showmen’s Guild assessing the operators FORM 8 and is subject to change. Please contact the VSG if you have any queries SASWProgram@gmail.com

The Victorian Showmen’s Guild was invited by The Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud and the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment to administer up to $7.8 million of funding and provide this funding to Australian travelling showmen, women and show businesses for the rental costs associated with their participation at agricultural shows in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 financial years.

Ineligible Program Activities

• The grant cannot be used by the Victorian Showmen’s Guild for the following:

• Expenses already claimed under the Supporting Agricultural Shows and Field Days grant opportunity. Agricultural show events are only eligible to receive funding for eligible expenses from one of the programs.
• Expenses incurred at a Capital City Royal Show held in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide
• Expenses incurred at agricultural shows cancelled more than two weeks ahead of their scheduled event
• Showmen’s guild/association membership fees
• Expenses not associated with the delivery of this grant.

This grant will be administered by the Victorian Showmen’s Guild and Community Grants Hub on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

The grant is to be undertaken in accordance with the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines 2017 (CGRGs).

To be eligible to apply for the SASW Program, your Show must be a scheduled event run by an entity that is a member of Agricultural Shows Australia or a state and territory agricultural show society that is a member of Agricultural Shows Australia. 

Some of the Royal Shows are eligible; however, they following capital city Royal Show are NOT eligible for the SASW program:  Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, or Adelaide

All other Ag Shows may be eligible to apply.

If the Agricultural Show was cancelled more than two weeks ahead of their scheduled event, they are not eligible to apply for rental relief and expense under the SASW Program.

Yes, and ABN or ACN is required.

This is one of the key eligibility criteria for all Showmen, women and Show businesses to qualify for the Showground Rental Relief.

The Showmen’s Guild or Association Delegates will ensure all Showmen and women have an ABN within the defined amusement area, and include this information on FORM 1

The Ag Show Society will need to include this information on FORM 2 for all eligible Showmen, women or Show businesses allocated ground space directly by the Ag Show Society.

The Victorian Showmen’s Guild is administering the SASW Program nationally.

Should you have any queries in relation to the program you may contact the Victorian Showmen’s Guild via the dedicated program email or mobile number:

Email         SASWPRogram@gmail.com

Phone       03 9376 8544

Mobile      0499 884 757   

Ag Shows Australian (ASA) and/or the state and territory peak bodies may also be able to assist you, should you have any queries