Circulars

What’s new or changing

• The Office of Local Government (OLG) has released three new resources that will assist councils to apply for the Council Job Retention Allowance Subsidy, a key element of the COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Package.

What this will mean for your council

• The following documents are now available:
  • Guidelines for the Council Job Retention Allowance Subsidy
    (JRA Guidelines)
  • Financial Stimulus Eligibility Criteria (Eligibility Criteria), and
  • Financial Stimulus Eligibility Return (FSER).
• Councils are encouraged to submit the FSER to access the JRA Subsidy.
• OLG will inform councils of the outcome of its assessment of the FSER.

Key points

• All councils will be invited to enter into a funding agreement to benefit from the Stimulus Package.
• The JRA Guidelines, Eligibility Criteria and FSER are available for download from the COVID-19 page on OLG’s website.
• A council’s FSER will be its application for the JRA Subsidy.
• The FSER should be completed and emailed to FSER@olg.nsw.gov.au by
  22 May 2020. 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 Stimulus Package or in relation to other COVID-19 matters.

Tim Hurst

Deputy Secretary

Local Government, Planning and Policy