MERIT resources

User Guide

This user guide is designed to help MERIT users with the day-to-day practical application of MERIT - from creating your project MERI plan to the reporting of achievements. The guide is easy to navigate and is the standard departmental training for funding recipients in MERIT.

Download the MERIT User Guide

Updated October 2016

MERIT User Guide for NRM funding recipients and the public (PDF - 3.22 MB) 
MERIT User Guide for NRM funding recipients and the public (DOCX - 5.29 MB) 

Select heading to expand or Show all | Hide all

Download the MERIT User Guide individual chapters

Introduction (PDF - 150.87 KB)
Introduction (DOCX - 113.5 KB)

About this guide (PDF - 128.58 KB)
About this guide (DOCX - 124.03 KB)

MERIT User Guide: Tools to help (PDF - 99.93 KB)
MERIT User Guide: Tools to help (DOCX - 115.53 KB)

1. Public data: searching for project information in MERIT (PDF - 563.83 KB)
1. Public data: searching for project information in MERIT (DOCX - 790.43 KB)

2. New users: register and log in (PDF - 399.73 KB)
2. New users: register and log in (DOCX - 452.35 KB)

3. Add a user to a project (PDF - 209.88 KB)
3. Add a user to a project (DOCX - 158.26 KB)

4. Change user roles (PDF - 194.22 KB)
4. Change user roles (DOCX - 132.78 KB)

5. Create/edit a project MERI plan (PDF - 619.38 KB)
5. Create/edit a project MERI plan (DOCX - 696.19 KB)

6. Submit a project MERI plan for approval (PDF - 266.48 KB)
6. Submit a project MERI plan for approval (DOCX - 261.21 KB)

7. Add a site to a project (PDF - 824.92 KB)
7. Add a site to a project (DOCX - 1.87 MB)

8. Add points of interest to a site (PDF - 574.48 KB)
8. Add points of interest to a site (DOCX - 1 MB)

9. Project reporting (PDF - 470.51 KB)
9. Project reporting (DOCX - 560.49 KB)

10. Uploading documents and media (PDF - 283.75 KB)
10. Uploading documents and media (DOCX - 268.83 KB)

11. Submit a report for approval (PDF - 265.86 KB)
11. Submit a report for approval (DOCX - 243.02 KB)

12. Create or edit project blog (PDF - 330.12 KB)
12. Create or edit project blog (DOCX - 345.8 KB)

13. Create or edit project announcements (PDF - 157.86 KB)
13. Create or edit project announcements (DOCX - 183.95 KB)

14. Create & manage an organisation page (PDF - 309.02 KB)
14. Create & manage an organisation page (DOCX - 319.56 KB)

Glossary of terms (PDF - 171.92 KB)
Glossary of terms (DOCX - 130.36 KB)

Appendix A: MERIT workflow (PDF - 122.92 KB)
Appendix A: MERIT workflow (DOCX - 157.06 KB)

Appendix B: Overview of project shells (PDF - 206.92 KB)
Appendix B: Overview of project shells (DOCX - 187.15 KB)

Appendix C: MERI Plan template descriptions (PDF - 147.45 KB)
Appendix C: MERI Plan template descriptions (DOCX - 115.63 KB)

Appendix D: Program logic (PDF - 285.64 KB)
Appendix D: Program logic (DOCX - 302.89 KB)

Appendix E: Keys to a good project in MERIT (PDF - 141.05 KB)
Appendix E: Keys to a good project in MERIT (DOCX - 114.28 KB)

Appendix F: Guidelines for taking photographs (PDF - 153.05 KB)
Appendix F: Guidelines for taking photographs (DOCX - 222.05 KB)

Download the MERIT Quick Reference Guide

This Quick Reference Guide provides a brief instructions on how to complete basic functions in MERIT. This guide is for those users with Grant Manager, Administrator or Editor permissions in MERIT. For more detailed guidance, refer to the MERIT User Guide.

MERIT Quick Reference Guide (PDF - 20.13 KB)
MERIT Quick Reference Guide (DOCX - 577.91 KB)

MERIT tutorials

The MERIT Process

Watch this screen cast to find out how your project moves through the planning and reporting phases of MERIT (for best viewing, click the settings icon (cog) in the viewer and adjust quality to 1080p HD). Understanding these phases is essential to effective use of MERIT.

MERIT Schema

The MERIT Schema contains every field description, data use and type for each activity form. It also lists the outputs that are currently used for reporting.

MERIT Schema (PDF - 1.45 MB)
MERIT Schema (DOCX - 228.42 KB)

MERIT Activity Form Selection

A number of tools are available to assist with the selection of activity forms in MERIT. Ensuring the correct activity form is selected is vital to efficient reporting. If the wrong form is selected the reporting questions will be irrelevant to the work undertaken. The following tools are provided to help in selecting the correct activity forms:

MERIT Ready Reckoner

A summary table of each activity, minimum data requirement (mandatory fields), target measures (outputs) plus more.

MERIT Activities Ready Reckoner version 5 (PDF - 576.33 KB)
MERIT Activities Ready Reckoner version 5 (DOCX - 43.59 KB)

MERIT Activity Family tree

A one-page table demonstrating the temporal relationship between activities. Commence reading the table from the centre ‘Primary Activity’ column. Activities to the left are those you may choose in preparation for the primary activity, including baseline data collection. Activities to the right are those you may choose for monitoring/maintenance of the activity, including comparison to baseline data.

MERIT Activity Family Tree (PDF - 213.72 KB)

Completing a Project MERI Plan

Guidance document on requirements of Project MERI Plan and a link to an example plan.

Completing a Project MERI Plan (PDF - 404.65 KB)
Completing a Project MERI Plan (DOCX - 203.41 KB)

Capturing your NLP media and promotional opportunities in MERIT

To help you publicise your achievements under the National Landcare Programme (NLP), including the 20 Million Trees (20MT) Program, the Department of the Environment has recently made changes to MERIT. The changes will make it easier to record and share information about NLP promotional opportunities in a timely and consistent way.

Commonwealth Government Vegetation Assessment Guide

This guide provides practical instructions for carrying out standard vegetation condition assessments for funded projects. It describes how to establish your vegetation condition monitoring sites in your project area, how to set up a transect and plot, or series of transects and plots, and how to record data on vegetation cover and exotic fauna. This is non-mandatory and provided as an optional resource to funded projects, the method links to the MERIT reporting form ‘Vegetation Assessment - Commonwealth government methodology’.

Frequently asked questions

MERIT Frequently asked questions (PDF - 405.13 KB)
MERIT Frequently asked questions (DOCX - 48.59 KB)

Contact us

Grant recipients: Please contact your departmental grant manager or Australian Government natural resource management officers for general MERI plan and reporting questions.

For general MERIT enquiries and feedback, please email us at MERIT@environment.gov.au or call 1800 552 008.