The funding requires a dollar-for-dollar match, an agreement the centre cannot financially meet, resulting in a turn to council with a request for assistance.

The appeal took the form of a letter from Lightning Ridge Opal and Fossil Centre president David Lane

stating that “this is the first commitment the Federal Government has made to the project and (it) is considered to be a show of good faith in the Australian Opal Centre project and its future.

It was also noted that future applications may be more likely to succeed if local government support is forthcoming.

There is an initial fear from the organisation that if the $40,000 grant has to be denied then their relationship with the funding body may be potentially damaged.

The recommendation to consider this funding request as a new expenditure proposal for the 2010/11 budget at the February council meeting held on Tuesday.

At the meeting council resolved to award the centre a one-off grant of $40,000 to enable them to recieve the Government grant.