5. Salary Levels and other employment conditions impacting on local workforces
Nyirrangululung Regional Council Housing Department was unable to compete with contractors working for the Intervention teams. It was known contractors were charging the Australian Government $145 an hour for Plumbers and Electricians and Builders were being charged out at $140. Trades people were earning big dollars from this. The consequences were that this created an unrealistic market place for Indigenous organisations and local repair and maintenance programs were being affected.
Intervention staff also refused to live in community accommodation and were
driving in and out of Katherine every day. Similarly the housing painting
teams working at Yarralin, Pigeon Hole and Kalkaringi were based at Top Springs.