Circulars

What’s new or changing

• The Office of Local Government (OLG) has released updated resources that will assist councils to apply for the Council Job Retention Allowance Subsidy for the first quarter 2021-22 (Q1).

What this will mean for your council

• The following documents are now available on OLG’s website under COVID 19 – information and resources:
  • Guidelines for the Council Job Retention Allowance Subsidy (JRA Guidelines)
  • JRA Eligibility Criteria (Eligibility Criteria) 2021-22;
  • JRA Eligibility Return – Quarter 1 – 2021-22 (FSER), and
  • Council JRA subsidy variation template letter (JRA Variation)
• for Q1.
• In order to apply for JRA Subsidy eligibility, Councils are required to:
  • 1. Submit an FSER return for assessment;
  • 2. Notify OLG by email (olg@olg.nsw.gov.au Attn: Stephen Walker Manager, Program Delivery) when staff reach three weeks special leave to access funding; and
  • 3. Provide ongoing weekly reporting when staff are on JRA to same email.
• OLG will inform councils of the outcome of its assessment of the FSER.
• The JRA Variation template letter should be requested from OLG once Council has been deemed eligible. The variation refers to changes made to original Funding Agreement Council signed in 2020 as part of the Economic Stimulus Package.

Key points

• All councils are required to submit the JRA Variation to original funding agreement to benefit from the JRA Subsidy.
• The JRA Guidelines, Eligibility Criteria and FSER are available for download from the COVID-19 page on OLG’s website and the Council Portal page.
• A council’s FSER and the Demand Management section in the JRA Guidelines will be the two application components for the JRA Subsidy.
• The FSER should be completed and emailed to FSER@olg.nsw.gov.au by
  10 September 2021. Late submissions will be considered but may delay payment of the JRA Subsidy.
• Councils who do not wish to access the JRA do not need to submit a FSER.
  

Where to go for further information

• Councils should contact OLG’s Performance Team about the Eligibility Criteria and the FSER, and their Council Engagement Manager about the JRA Subsidy Package or in relation to other COVID-19 matters.