Redeployed City Officers Making a Great Contribution

Published on 15 April 2020

The City of Busselton has taken proactive steps to keep staff gainfully employed during the COVID-19 crisis.

City of Busselton CEO, Mike Archer said his priority in this difficult time has been twofold - maintaining people’s jobs, as has been the directive of the State and Federal Government; and assisting the community navigate new challenges as they arise.

The roles of around 180 casual and permanent staff have been directly impacted by the pandemic primarily due to the closure of community facilities and programs including leisure centres and libraries, the ArtGeo Gallery and Youth Services. While the City concedes that some shorter-term casual employees have unfortunately been stood down, to date longer-term causals and permanent staff impacted by the crisis have been kept busy adapting services and programs for alternative forms of delivery including online fitness and library programs.

Many staff are undertaking important back-log work or have been redeployed into other roles across the organisation.  Some City officers are also working directly with the community helping to run programs such as Meals on Wheels and Cliff’s Kitchen.  Many are already actively engaged in recovery planning working closely with local businesses and other government agencies.

“Just like any organisation our bottom line has been and will continue to be significantly impacted by this crisis. Unfortunately Local Government, which is a major employer in regional areas, is not eligible for assistance through the Federal Government’s Job Keeper Scheme,” Mr Archer said.

“As unsettling as the situation is, however, I cannot fault the attitude of City of Busselton Staff who have been fully prepared to jump in where they are needed most.  We’ve seen crèche workers helping with essential cleaning, gym instructors undertaking administrative tasks and several temporary new additions to our waste management team.  Everyone realises that some tough decision making and flexibility is necessary to ensure the City pulls through this crisis in a strong enough position to drive economic and community recovery.”

In accordance with the Stay at Home message most of the City’s indoor work force are working from home.  While the Administration Building is closed to the public, the City’s customer service team is available to answer community questions and our planning team are prioritising the processing of building and planning applications to keep development ticking over.  Outdoor staff  are continuing to undertake works on municipal assets and the City’s parks and gardens are looking wonderful – thanks in no small part to the extra hands on board.

The Objectives outlined in this media release are aligned to Key Goal Area 1 in the City of Busselton’s Strategic Community Plan (Review 2019): Our community is welcoming, friendly and healthy.

Media enquiries can be directed to the City’s Public Relations Coordinator, Meredith Dixon on 97810446 or [email protected]