Victorian Government Jobs and Skills Exchange Program Fails Local Council Workers

Over the past few weeks I have been approached by local council employees who find themselves out of a job due to COVID-19 and have not been redeployed by their employing councils.

While I was pleased to see the Victorian Government take responsibility for casual Victorian public sector employees through the Jobs and Skills Exchange Program, I was disappointed that they chose not to extend this support to employees of local councils and their subsidiaries.

Currently, local government employees who have lost their jobs are being supported by the Federal Government’s JobSeeker Payment and Coronavirus Supplement, but are being ignored by the Andrews’ Government. For example, nearly 300 employees from Peninsula Aquatic and Recreation Centre (PARC) a subsidiary of Frankston City Council have been stood down and neither the Council nor the State Government are supporting them.

Through the administration of the Local Government Act (2020) and through Local Government Victoria, the Victorian Government has the responsibility and capacity to provide the same support to Victorian council employees that they are providing to Victorian casual departmental and agency employees.

The National Cabinet agreed on 3 April that states and territories are best-placed to address issues related to the impacts of COVID-19 and local governments. 

As such I call upon the Victorian Government to expand their support for Victorian casual public sector employees to include the Victorian local council employees who they are currently leaving behind.