THREE peak bodies have joined forces to welcome an assurance by the Queensland Government it can use existing powers under the Local Government Act to defend their industries from ‘unfair and inequitable’ council rate increases.

An increase in rates could potentially be levied under a proposed amendment to new COVID-19 laws introduced last year, which are due to be debated in Parliament this week.

Queensland Resources Council (QRC), Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) and AgForce representatives appeared before the government’s Economics and Governance Committee inquiry into new COVID-19 legislation over the past month, providing a joint submission to speak against a draft provision to extend councils’ ability to increase rates outside the standard, annual budgetary process.  

In its submission, the groups had sought an assurance Local Government Minister Steven Miles would intervene if a ratings decision breached rate setting principles and misaligned with local government’s Guideline on equity and fairness in rating.

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said all three bodies fully appreciated the impact COVID had inflicted on regions, but industries like resources and agriculture were facing their own challenges and could not be expected to soak up further unpredictable and unjustified costs. 

“The draft provision in the legislation could make the already unpredictable local government rating system more unstable at a time sectors like resources, which contributed $200 million in local government rates and charges in the past financial year, need to remain competitive to help Queensland recover economically from COVID-19,” Mr Macfarlane said.

QFF chief executive officer Georgina Davis said there was already no statutory constraint on the power of local government to determine rates and the visibility of council budgets was limited.

“The existing framework has created an unsustainable system that lacks transparency and provides local government with unfettered powers and the ability to effectively plug budget gaps by raising rating revenue on selected industries without clear justification,” Dr Davis said.

"The additional powers proposed in this draft provision exacerbate that.”

AgForce chief executive officer Michael Guerin said industry sectors understood regions needed to be financially sustainable, but this could be achieved through a predictable rate system that fostered industry growth.

“Our sectors are jointly advocating for greater transparency and accountability in local government budgets and rate setting, and we are very keen to work with the State and local governments to improve the fairness of the system,” Mr Guerin said.

www.qrc.org.au

www.qff.org.au

www.agforceqld.org.au

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PROFESSIONAL firefighters suffering from post-traumatic stress injury and other mental health issues will be able to quickly access targeted services thanks to the Victorian Government's delivery of a Centre of Excellence for emergency service workers. 

The United Firefighters Union of Victoria (UFU) welcomed the Labor Government's announcement that it has committed $6 million in establishing the centre, which will guarantee Victorian professional firefighters have access to world class support and care. 

"Professional firefighters are exposed to trauma everyday through the course of performing their duties," secretary of the UFU Victorian Branch, Peter Marshall said. "Underneath their protective clothing, they're human beings -- the accumulated trauma they are exposed to in the course of performing their duties takes a heavy toll on their mental and physical health. 

"Victorian professional firefighters serve and protect members of the community and do so without wanting accolades.  It is refreshing to see that this silent dedication, which results in firefighters sometimes sacrificing their own work through the performance of their duties, has been recognised by the Andrews Government.  

"The UFU welcomes the Andrews Government's guarantee that when professional firefighters need support, help will be there."

The United Firefighters Union has long campaigned for greater protection for professional firefighters.  On a daily basis, they are exposed to the impact of responding to incidents that involve death, trauma and tragedy.   This accumulated exposure takes a toll on the physical and psychological wellbeing of professional firefighters. A report by Newcastle University found that 68 percent of Victorian career firefighters showed symptoms of moderate to serious levels of post-traumatic stress inhury (PTSI).  

"Extensive research conducted in Australia and internationally has shown that first responders, including professional firefighters, suffer PTSI, depression and other psychological illnesses at a much higher rate than the population," Mr Marshall said.

"If left untreated this can lead to alcohol and drug abuse, relationship breakdowns and even suicide. Providing specialised support and making it available early on means people can manage the pressure of their work."

The centre is the first of its kind in Australia. First responders will be able to be quickly referred to the dedicated specialists working in the centre by their GPs. The centre will also invest in training for health professionals to support frontline responders and internationally recognised research.

"We are pleased to see that the Andrews Government is protecting the protectors," Mr Marshall said.

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THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell said universal access to high-quality, affordable early education would deliver essential support to women in small business.

Speaking in support of the Thrive By Five campaign, following today’s National Press Club address by Jay Weatherill and Nicola Forrest, Ms Carnell reiterated the urgent need for affordable childcare as women and families work to get their small businesses back up and running.

“Women make up more than a third of Australia’s small business owners (38%),” Ms Carnell said.

“The latest data from the Productivity Commission shows there was a 21.7 percent rise in the number of parents and carers in Australian who didn’t work due to childcare costs in 2020, compared with the previous year. 

“According to those figures, 90,000 Australian parents stayed out of the workforce last year because the cost of childcare was too high," Ms Carnell said. 

“At the moment Australia’s childcare costs are the fourth highest in the OECD, taking an average of 27 percent of household income.

“For women and families in small businesses, particularly those that are relying on JobKeeper or still in the process of recovering from the COVID crisis, childcare is unaffordable. 

“We know the COVID recession had a disproportionate impact on women. With childcare fees remaining too high, mothers – more often than not – need to spend more time at home to look after their kids rather than working to grow their business. It’s bad for small business and even worse for the economy.   

“Now is the time for the government to be considering innovative ways to increase participation rates for women to ensure productivity gains and to benefit businesses," Ms Carnell said.

“There are a number of ways for government to do this, including making childcare more tax-effective or by phasing in an expanded subsidy scheme as recommended by the Grattan Institute, estimated to deliver an $11 billlion boost to the economy.

“Crucially, affordable childcare would allow more women to work on growing their businesses – an important contribution to Australia’s economic recovery.” 

www.asbfeo.gov.au

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THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell is calling on the Federal Government to change JobKeeper rules to allow struggling small businesses to replace staff.

Ms Carnell said as the economy recovers from the COVID crisis and more jobs become available, small businesses that are still trying to get back on their feet are losing their staff and cannot hire replacement employees under JobKeeper rules.

“While some small businesses are doing well, there are a significant proportion of small businesses that are still doing it tough,” Ms Carnell said.

“JobKeeper was reduced again on 4 January, 2021, and with some eligible businesses unable to afford to top up wages, they are having to reduce the hours of their staff. It means staff are resigning to go to jobs offering more hours and pay.

“While the JobKeeper program was originally designed to allow businesses to keep their existing staff, the economic recovery is presenting new challenges for some small businesses," Ms Carnell said. “Under JobKeeper rules, eligible businesses cannot replace their staff with a new staff member and still attract the government payment.

“Unfortunately this rule has the unintended consequence of increasing the divide between the haves and have nots in the small business sector. From a struggling small business perspective, this JobKeeper rule makes a bad situation worse because they are losing their staff and cannot afford to replace them," she said. 

“It’s imperative that the government changes JobKeeper so that small businesses that have been hit hardest by the COVID crisis can replace their staff to help them get their businesses back up-and-running.

“Our national economic recovery will be driven by jobs growth and that’s why it’s critical to support small business employers during this difficult time to allow them to survive, grow and hire in the future.”

www.asbfeo.gov.au

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