PLEASE EXPLAIN: State’s odd reply to work program question

THE State Government has failed to explain why the Toowoomba region was left out of its Back to Work program, part of a $90 million stimulus package.

Toowoomba has inexplicably been left out of the Back to Work program.

THE State Government has failed to explain why the Toowoomba region was left out of its Back to Work program, part of a $90 million stimulus package announced by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last month.

The initiative offers employer support payments of up to $15,000 and apprentice and trainee boost payments of up to $20,000 to eligible employers.

The Chronicle asked the State Government whether Toowoomba was excluded from the program by accident, or deliberately, and if the latter, why?

Minister for Employment and Small Business Shannon Fentiman MP responded saying, "The Back to Work initiative is a program that existed before COVID-19 and like every other government across the world we are responding".

"We know the pandemic has had a devastating impact on economies across the world including here in Australia.

"Because of our great health response, we can now focus on our plan for economic recovery and the Premier will be announcing our next stage of recovery tomorrow.

"We are committed to investing in jobs for Toowoomba and will continue to look at how we can support more locals to get back to work."

She talked up the success of the separate Skilling Queenslanders for Work program, which "is supporting young people in Toowoomba with job ready skills and training".

"Almost 1100 locals in Toowoomba have a job or have gone onto further training because of this program, and if an employer takes on a Skilling Queenslanders for Work graduate as an apprentice or trainee they will receive a $10,000 boost," she said.

"This is a program the LNP cut when they were in government and planned to cut again at the last election."

Both the Toowoomba Chamber and Toowoomba Regional Council have called for the Back to Work program to be extended to Toowoomba.

Toowoomba Regional Council deputy mayor Cr Geoff McDonald said the inconsistency needed to be rectified because "Toowoomba region residents are missing out because of a stroke of a pen".

The regions eligible for the program's region stream are Central Queensland, Far North Queensland, Mackay/Whitsunday, North Queensland, North West Queensland, South West Queensland, Wide Bay Burnett.

The South East Queensland local government areas eligible for the program are Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Moreton Bay, Scenic Rim, and Somerset.