RRC and LSC unite to protect local jobs in disaster recovery

Published on 30 September 2015

RRC and LSC Keep it Local.JPG

Rockhampton Regional Council and Livingstone Shire Council  are uniting for change, throwing their full support behind the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) Keep it Local Campaign to protect our local workforce during disaster relief.

Currently, under the National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA), local governments cannot claim the cost of using their own internal workforce to undertake reconstruction works that are instead contracted out interstate.

In June 2015 the Federal Government agreed to an exemption allowing for the temporary use of day labour, however Councillors and Mayors from both Rockhampton and Livingstone Councils are working together to see a permanent change.  

Rockhampton Region Mayor Margaret Strelow said having council staff on the ground after a disaster is a common sense approach to get communities back on their feet faster. 

“We want to have our own people on the ground after a disaster, they are immediate and caring, and in the end it provides value for money,” Mayor Strelow said.

This week both Council’s showed their full support for the campaign at a meeting on the Capricorn Coast.

“Together we are pushing to convince the Federal government to permanently change these guidelines and allow Council to claim the costs of using staff to help our communities recover,” she said.

“Having our own workforce funded for their work will keep hundreds of local workers employed; it will keep money in Region, and it’s a more economically viable option when it comes to taxpayer’s money.”