Workers celebrating as NSW government gives Lismore City Council $5m to bolster waste collection services
More than 20 North Coast council workers who were waiting to see if they would keep their jobs have been given a reprieve weeks out from Christmas. Here’s what happened.
Lismore
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More than 20 North Coast council workers who were waiting to see if they would keep their jobs have been given a reprieve weeks out from Christmas.
It comes as Lismore City Council has announced it will spend $5 million of state funding on a new fleet of hi-tech garbage trucks.
United Services Union northern division manager Stephen Hughes said workers have been cheering the “big investment in the new fleet”, which marked “a long-term commitment from the council.
Funding comes on the back of union protests outside Lismore council chambers last year, when councillors and mayor sought to outsource collection to a private Gold Coast company.
The union’s general secretary Graeme Kelly OAM said his organisation had worked with the council and NSW government since the turmoil to circumvent the need to go to contract.
“We’ve managed to work with the state government to find funds that will allow for the purchase of a new fleet of waste service trucks,” he said.
“It’s a very big win for Lismore and the 20 or so staff within the waste services division.”
The council states the “one-off” funding will be used on state-of-the-art trucks and make its waste services one of the most advanced in the nation.
Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg said the funding was “greatly appreciated and very welcome” and allowed the council to continue delivering the waste services.
“I would like to thank the state government, through the support of the Premier (Chris Minns), Minister for Local Government (Ron Hoenig), (Lismore MP) Janelle Saffin, and also recognise the advocacy of Graeme Kelly and the United Services Union for their continued and ongoing support to Lismore during this long road to recovery,” Mr Krieg said.
The $5m follows a $20m grant to the council for the ongoing 2022 floods recovery and provision of services and local infrastructure.
Mr Hoenig said: “Waste collection is a core function of local governments and this funding will make sure the council can deliver this service to the residents of Lismore more cost-effectively.”
Mr Hughes said the union initially believed the council move to outsource waste collection was “ideological”, but the union learned there was no maintenance budget for the current fleet and it was being “run into the ground”.
In September, the union met with Mr Minns, Ms Saffin, Mr Krieg, the council’s Deputy Mayor Jeri Hall, director Brendan Logan and it was decided the city would get the cash injection.
“I was able to work collaboratively with Mr Hoenig, the mayor and the United Services Union to get this great result,” Ms Saffin said.
Mr Kelly said the outcome showed councils statewide that waste services should be provided internally.
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