Council plan to hire staff

Northern Grampians Shire Council will hire 26 new employees after securing funding under the State Government’s Working for Victoria fund.

The new jobs will give unemployed people in the shire a chance to return to the workforce, whether they have lost jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic or been without work for some time.

The council was successful in securing $1.1-million in funding, which will allow the organisation to keep new employees in work for at least six months.

The project will focus on new jobs needed to provide critical services across the shire in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

The new jobs will involve maintenance and enhancement of community facilities, administrative help to implement new systems for building services, pet registrations and community databases.

Jobs will also involve undertaking an inventory of council assets, strategic communications to help information flow and positioning for tourism, accommodation and retail sectors, and business analysis to help policy writers gather and analyse data and information for tourism, accommodation and retail sectors.

Northern Grampians mayor Murray Emerson said the activities would ensure the council could respond immediately to community needs during the pandemic and build business and consumer confidence.

“This funding will be a great thing for both council and the community,” he said.

“We’ll be able to help those in the community who have been hit hard by this pandemic and provide income and support to those who need it.”

People keen to find out more and register interest can visit website www.vic. gov.au/workingforvictoria.